feed mixture

[panner123]

Many of my nieghbors and chicken friends have asked me about my chicken feed. They want to know why the color of the yolks are different (darker) than thiers. I believe it is all in the protien of the feed.
All free range the chickens and keep a light on in the winter. But they all feed comerical products, where I mix my own feed. There protien level is at best 16%, mine is at least 25.
For anyone wanting to try this mixture, here is the recipe. 50 lb of barley (protien 11%), 50 lb of corn (protien 9%), 50 lb oats (protien 11%), 50 lb fish Meal [herring] (72.3% protien). Add the 4 protien values and Divide by 4 Equals about 26%. Then as treats they get the same mixture, I have added a bag of cat food to it, this cat food is 36% protien.
So, thier protien level is much higher than any commerical product.
Then you throw in all the bugs they eat, worms and whatever else they hunt up.
Makes for RIGHT TASTY EGGS and the yolk color is much darker.
Want to make your chicken happy try this recipe. By Christmas they will show you just how happy they are. And they will be giving you the eggs to prove it.

 

[canada-goose]

I believe it's the greens which darken the yolk color.

 

[Chris09]

panner123; So, thier protien level is much higher than any commerical product

I wouldn't say that.. Kent feed has a good game bird feed that is 28% protein and there are other feed companies that are the same...
I use a commercial feed from Kalmbach that is 22% protein in my mix as with others on here...
If I remember right it take more water to make a egg than protein.. I believe that eggs is near 70% water.. As for the color of the yolk color that I believe would be the amount of carotene in the food they eat. The higher the amount of carotene the darker the yolk. So the greens and the high level of corn in your feed would change the color more than the protein...

Chris​

 

[panner123]

Yes Chris, some game bird feeds are 28% protien. But very few feed it. When you mention feeding game bird feed to some it is like you slapped them in the face. Some cat foods are in the 40% range, tell some that you feed this to your chickens and they think you are crazy. And if fed to them to much will shorten thier lives. The higher the protien level may not change the color of the yolk, but it will increase your egg output. The chickens free ranging may have more to do with the yolk color, but the corn helps. I say this, increase your protien level and let the chickens free range all day and your egg production will increase and your yolk color will darken.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

So, what if my hens are laying at 96% on 17% protein? If I feed them twice the protein do I get two eggs a day?

Layer hens only need a certain amount of protein, 16% to 17%. More isn't necessarily beneficial. The excess comes out the other end.

 

[Big C]

Quote:
Mac,
What breeds do you raise up there to get the 96% productivity?

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
Hisex Browns

http://www.centurionpoultry.com/products/hisex_brown

Most any of the commercial strains will peak in the high 90's...

 

[Big C]

Quote:
Hisex Browns

http://www.centurionpoultry.com/products/hisex_brown

Most any of the commercial strains will peak in the high 90's...

Thanks for the link. We are in the process of planning for a major expansion.

 

[DawnSuiter]

Quote:
I've learned that the extra protein isn't always expelled on the other end... TOO HIGH of protein levels can build up in the body and begins to attack the kidneys... of course in this example I am talking about more than 30% of their total diet AND consider that most chickens do not live a LOONG life so it doesn't usually matter. It has similar affects on human beings too... too much protein isn't a good thing... but anywhere under the 30% total diet should be fine.

 

[panner123]

Quote:
Yes you can get as many as three eggs per day. Uncommon yes, but many chickens will lay 2 per day regularly. That was when I was raising chickens commerically. Had over 50,000 chickens working hard for me every day. They only lasted a year or two at the most. Now my grand children and I have pet chickens that are 8 years old and we still get eggs from them. We all know what a chicken that doesn't lay 3 or 4 eggs
a week is called (dinner).