⠀ Feeding fish meal???????

[ranchchickens]

Hi is it acceptable to add fish meal into a home mixed chicken feed ration? If so will it add any fishiness to the eggs taste? If I do feed this it will be a very very small part of their ration, just looking to add in some protein. Thanks.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Hi is it acceptable to add fish meal into a home mixed chicken feed ration? If so will it add any fishiness to the eggs taste? If I do feed this it will be a very very small part of their ration, just looking to add in some protein. Thanks.

A small amount is fine.

Too much protein in chicken feed results in an ammonia smell in the hen house as the excess protein is expelled in the chickens' feces and goes to waste. That by the way is why your eyes burn when driving by a commercial broiler house. But that a layer house smells completely different.

I by the way like my chicken eggs with dark yellow yokes and a fishy note.

But what the hey, if everyone liked the same thing most of the ladies would die old maids.

The actual amount of fish meal that you use should result in a final chemical analysis of 16 to 18 present.

 

[ranchchickens]

Thank

A small amount is fine.

Too much protein in chicken feed results in an ammonia smell in the hen house as the excess protein is expelled in the chickens' feces and goes to waste.  That by the way is why your eyes burn when driving by a commercial broiler house.  But that a layer house smells completely different. 

I by the way like my chicken eggs with dark yellow yokes and a fishy note.

But what the hey, if everyone liked the same thing most of the ladies would die old maids.

The actual amount of fish meal that you use should result in a final chemical analysis of 16 to 18 present.

thank you!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I agree with chickengeorgeto. The fishmeal I use is 60% protein. If I add that to a ration that is 16%, A 10:1 ratio will yield 20% protein so it doesn't take much.
You can use the pearson's square to calculate the proper ratio, but as chickengeorgeto said, it takes very little to have a big impact on crude protein.
While I'm not a fan of home made poultry rations because we don't have the ability to analyze and insure all trace elements and amino acids are at correct levels, fishmeal being an animal protein is likely to be an improvement on amino acid levels over a grain/legume mix.
If your added fishmeal is under 6% there should be no fishiness in the eggs.