Feather meal? Blood meal?

[AlbionWood]

Would love to get more animal protein into my flock's diet and reduce dependency on soy-based feed. Fish meal is commonly used but I'm worried about the ethoxyquin.

Feather meal is 80% protein and relatively cheap - $35 for a 50# bag at the farm supply. Is that something I could/should let my chickens eat? I know they eat the feathers they find strewn around the yard anyway...

Another option is Blood Meal, which is 85% protein and more expensive at $50/50#.

I use both for slow-release N sources in my organic farm. So it would be easy to add some to the chicken feed as well, if (A) it does no harm and (B) they will eat it...

 

[Little Ameraucana Mom]

You got me on this one, never heard of feather meal.

 

[AlbionWood]

http://www.groworganic.com/feather-meal-50-lb.html

 

[Teach97]

yes you can...typically it is used as an additive though....mix with your scratch or something like that...you might find that they leave it behind so you will want to add soemthing like molasses or other "syrup" so it sticks to the grains and th ebirds ingest it

if you have a small batch feed meal around you could get them to mix something up for you but you will need to buy it by the ton probably...

 

[tokies]

im of the camp never feed feather meal to chickens.. dont feed them back what comes from them.. same for giving them blood mash.. or any of the other things.. if it comes form them dont feed back to them.. you might be importing things

 

[Cindy in PA]

Feather meal is used in one of the local feeds around here, that's the reason I don't use it. Feathers from my chickens would be OK with me, but feathers from large broiler & egg operations, no way. I just have no way of knowing what went into those chickens. Fertrell has fishmeal preserved with Naturox. Hope this helps.

 

[tokies]

i woudlnt even feed the feather meal to my garden who knows what's in it and how it was done