Cost Effective, High-Protein Food Sources

[ericanicole806]

We feed our chickens a mix/mash made at our local feed mill.

Their egg shells are pretty thin, and they aren't laying often.

We want to up the protein source, assuming that could be the reason. What sre some of the best inexpensive ways to add crude protein to their feed mix?

 

[nuthatched]

Do you have an ingredient list or nutrition panel of the feed?
Age of the birds?

 

[ericanicole806]

I don't have nutrition info for the feed, but corn is the most noticible just by looking at it...which may or may not be helpful to know! Sorry!

We have 7 hens:

1 Rhode Island Red, 2 years old

3 Easter eggers, 1.5 years old

3 others are around 1 year old - 1 is a Rhode Island Red and 2 are Cinnamon Queens

 

[Ridgerunner]

Good questions from @nuthatched I'll add, where are you, north or south of the equator?

Their egg shells are pretty thin,

That usually means a lack of calcium. Do you offer oyster shell free choice?

and they aren't laying often.

Need to know more about your situation. Time of year, what is their laying history? What changes in laying have you seen?

We want to up the protein source, assuming that could be the reason. What sre some of the best inexpensive ways to add crude protein to their feed mix?

Protein might be an issue but to me protein is more about the size of the eggs versus the frequency. If you are buying it, protein is usually not inexpensive. You do not want to feed them too much of anything to mess up their balanced diet. Not that I'm sure from your post that they are getting a balanced diet. Still, you don't want to overdo anything.

For high protein I first look to meat. Scraps or leftovers from your kitchen? Can you legally harvest wildlife, such as predators or even mice? Look up raising Black Soldier Fly Larva. You can grow those by using rotting meat if you can handle the smell. Check a vegetarian website for high protein foods, can you grow any of them?

I don't have nutrition info for the feed, but corn is the most noticible just by looking at it...which may or may not be helpful to know!

You'll get a lot of hate on this forum for corn, but not from me. Corn is a valuable component in livestock feed, including chickens, and is the grain that fueled different civilizations. The protein content is not that high though so it needs to remain a relatively low percentage of the overall feed.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

We feed our chickens a mix/mash made at our local feed mill.

Their egg shells are pretty thin, and they aren't laying often.

We want to up the protein source, assuming that could be the reason. What sre some of the best inexpensive ways to add crude protein to their feed mix?

Start by posting the guaranteed nutrition labels from your mill.

Could be not enough Ca(lcium). Could be wrong Ca(lcium) / P(hosphorus) ratio. Could be wrong type of Phosphorus. As to laying, insufficient protein is a potential problem, but its usually age, molt, or average daily light hours. Could be the wrong ratio of mix to mash if you are buying two different products.

and the easiest fix - once you know you have a feed issue (**IF** you havea feed issue) is to talk with your local mill. Hopefully, they know more about feed than most BYCers do - but we can certainly help ensure its an intelligent and educated conversation about the available options.

 

[ericanicole806]

Sorry, this was ignorant of me on my part. I never paid attention to the bags themselves because I thought they were just generic bags the feed mill used. Anyway, yes they do sew the nutrition label on it oops! Lol

 

[Ridgerunner]

Glad we could help. Your post allowed us to help.

Your calcium is too low. Offer oyster shell on the side.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

That Met level is CRAZY low. Its less than half the lowest Met level I'd ever seen in a commercial feed - in spite of including a Met suppliment. Under no circumstances would I feed that to my birds. Met is the hardest of amino acids to replace.

and yes, as @Ridgerunner said above, you need to offer free choice calcium as well - oyster shell is the most popular choice. Phos level is quite low as well - CA + P are needed in a ratio of 2 : 1 for almost everything other than egg shell production. If you can get some calcium disphoshate or dicalcium phospate at reasonable price and sprinkle some on/mix in w/ the feed, it would help. As an alternative? Milk.