FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[shortgrass]

Calories....good point, LG


So, bedtime scratch feeders.... Does anybody want to enlighten the thread as to what foods would actually create MORE energy to "keep warm" by having higher calorie to content ratio?


PROTEIN.

Corn has 7-10% protein. Meh, meager. I give corn as a treat, and only 25% of my feed total because of that. Really the only reason I use corn at all is for nutrient content.


If we're actually attempting to give them a boost in metabolism for the cold nights, high protein would be better, IMO. You'll use less feed to make more calories

Meat, alfalfa, soy, nuts and oils, think BOSS kinda stuff.


This is a human website lol, but indeed, a calorie is a calorie. I'd suggest picking through the list and finding some higher protein grains like millet and adding it to some alfalfa pellets or BOSS. But really, don't make them so fat they can't breathe lol

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.he...e-foods.php?client=ms-android-motorola&espv=1

* if someone already mentioned it, my apologies; I'm behind on the thread so I just skipped to the last page

** also just remembered something about carbs having 9 calories per gram, and fats having 4..?? I can't remember, that was so long ago that I used to worry about my calorie intake lol, but it goes to show difference in calories in a food to burn based by weight and type...

 

[lazy gardener]

Calories....good point, LG

So, bedtime scratch feeders.... Does anybody want to enlighten the thread as to what foods would actually create MORE energy to "keep warm" by having higher calorie to content ratio?


PROTEIN.

Corn has 7-10% protein. Meh, meager. I give corn as a treat, and only 25% of my feed total because of that. Really the only reason I use corn at all is for nutrient content.


If we're actually attempting to give them a boost in metabolism for the cold nights, high protein would be better, IMO. You'll use less feed to make more calories

Meat, alfalfa, soy, nuts and oils, think BOSS kinda stuff.


This is a human website lol, but indeed, a calorie is a calorie. I'd suggest picking through the list and finding some higher protein grains like millet and adding it to some alfalfa pellets or BOSS. But really, don't make them so fat they can't breathe lol

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.he...e-foods.php?client=ms-android-motorola&espv=1

* if someone already mentioned it, my apologies; I'm behind on the thread so I just skipped to the last page

** also just remembered something about carbs having 9 calories per gram, and fats having 4..?? I can't remember, that was so long ago that I used to worry about my calorie intake lol, but it goes to show difference in calories in a food to burn based by weight and type...

High protein food items have less calories. Fat has 9 cal/gram and carb is 4 cal/gram. IMO, simply feed your birds, and don't waste any time worrying about the what to give when, as long as they have a balanced diet that is not deficient in protein or heavy in fat.

 

[Tikkijane]

Can you please tell me how scratch "keeps them warm"?  Isn't it mostly corn? And doesn't our core body temperature stay the same regardless of we eat? 

Now, I can see the body using more calories to maintain that heat. But does scratch have more calories? Because it definitely has less vital nutrients..... Maybe consider.... using dry feed pellets or crumbles as a scratch. I mean unless that's what you have available all the time. No freezing for me, so FF is always available.

Thanks for sharing the mix dryer tip!   .... Interesting that you say it freezes faster with more water AND frost bite happens faster with more water in the air. 

The studies I've read were on the digestion of corn {which is high in many scratch mixes}. Digesting corn in particular raises body temp during digestion compared to other food items, which makes it a perfect cold weather treat. My definition of cold is 32 {F} or below. Treat = no more than 5 to 10% of daily intake.

 

[lazy gardener]

Quote: Can you show us one of those studies? I've been asserting for years that carb content does not matter! I'd love to be corrected with such a study. I'm always willing to eat humble pie, if the study is sensible!!!

 

[FlyWheel]

I think y'all are missing one important fact here. The carb content in the food will not keep the chickens warm, their metabolism does that. The calories in food are only potential energy. That energy is released (as heat) only after the chicken uses it. Until it does no heat will be produced. So long as they have enough to live on healthily (is that a word?) their bodies will produce heat as a byproduct of living.

 

[aart]

....I'm always willing to eat humble pie.....

Wonders about the carb, protein, calories, 'heat units' available there?
Haha!!...JK....couldn't resist.

 

[shortgrass]

I think y'all are missing one important fact here. The carb content in the food will not keep the chickens warm, their metabolism does that. The calories in food are only potential energy. That energy is released (as heat) only after the chicken uses it. Until it does no heat will be produced. So long as they have enough to live on healthily (is that a word?) their bodies will produce heat as a byproduct of living.

X2


Thanks for correcting that, @lazy gardener, I knew I probably had it backwards


Oh, so I just thought of something lol... It's not the feed, the corn, or the feathers that keep them warm; its their heartbeat!


As long as they stay alive, they're warm.

 

[Beekissed]

Here's some articles and such...unfortunately, it's very hard to find poultry specific information from a reliable source in regards to feeding corn over other grains to generate additional heat in the winter unless one wants to resort to the many, many urban chicken blog authors who just repeat what they hear from another urban chicken keeper ad nauseum. No real information to be found there, in other words.

Is corn a hot feed?

Horses May 18, 2009

This myth is often a result of people feeding on a volume basis and not by weight of the grain. When horse owners are asked how much grain they feed their horse, they answer by saying they feed so many quarts, scoops, coffee cans, etc. One quart of corn weighs approximately 1.7 pounds. One quart of oats weighs approximately 1.0 pound. If you are feeding 4 quarts of oats per feeding and gradually change over to 4 quarts of corn, the total intake of the horse per feeding changes from 4 pounds to 6.8 pounds. Not only is the horse receiving more energy from more total pounds consumed, but corn is higher in energy per pound than oats. Corn contains 1.6 megacalories of digestible energy per pound, whereas oats contain 1.36 megacalories of digestible energy per pound. The horse in the above example goes from consuming 10.9 megacalories per day (8 pounds x 1.36 Mcal D.E./lb.) to 21.8 megacalories per day (13.6 pounds x 1.6 Mcal D.E./lb). Therefore, many horse owners think that feeding corn to their horses makes them "hot," with "hot" meaning that the horse has more energy and may be a little energetic and unmanageable. Similar to feeding candy to a young child, the extra energy can make them hyperactive. Feeding corn does not make them hot in terms of body heat, but will in terms of increased activity. In fact, feeding oats to provide the same amount of digestible energy per day will generate more body heat because oats have a higher fiber content than corn. Fiber digestion generates more body heat. Therefore oats, not corn, will actually produce more body heat.


Quote: Quote:

 

[ShanandGem]

The only real corn I feed my chickens is popped popcorn, first thing in the morning, mixed with mealworms as a 'Hi good morning, rise and shine' treat. But that's like 1/4 cup of corn between 50+ chickens. Corn isn't nutrient dense enough for me to really bother with it much.
One thing my birds do love is WHEAT. If I mix their feed with whole oats they eat around them, but they absolutely love wheat.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Ok, I'm one of those "over thinkers" & my head is SPINNING! I LOVE feeding FF, but how much to feed?

I have 5 Wynadottes that recently started last month, getting 4 or 5 per day, read "it's like giving birth everyday" they need to nutrition. It's been suggested I'm overfeeding, Flock Raiser 4cups dry a day prior to laying with Grit on the side, they're not free ranging. Added Oyster Shells on the side when they started laying. Don't want fat girls with issues so mixing Flock Raiser/Home Grown Layer No Soy No Corn (50/50) 3 cups dry daily (there's a bit leftover to mix for the next day). They act like they're STARVING! If they hear me open the back door or see me outside they start pushing at the door.

They get 2 scoops in the morning & another 2 at around 2pm. I give them some veggies scraps (if I have any) at around noon or hang an apple or pear (yup store bought, I'm unfortunate to live in a town) but not everyday. They really don't get much treats

cause they're picky, don't like Freeze Dried Mealworms (shocker for me but I didn't raise them from chicks). They do like grass clipping, found out they also like the Hawaiian Chili Plant clippings, Hibiscus leaves....Still learning them as I've had them only for a few months.

Ok so back to my "over thinking" ... Should I feed them as much as they can finish in a sitting or ration out their FF? I'm going 50/50 with the FR/HGL cause the feed store ran out of FR so I had to get something. I've used HGL with a prior 4 hens, we do have "shipping" issues here in Hawaii and when the ocean is bad, we don't get shipments!

Is it ok to feed them as much as they'll eat or ration?
Is it ok to do a 50/50 mix or going straight FR or Layer?

TSC here carries Home Grown, Layena and Dumor, all Purina - I had them on Dumor when I first got them cause they lady said they're going to lay soon, when they didn't switched to FR. I found their poop really smelly with the Dumor so once that was gone switched to HGL. Any comments on the feed?

Appreciate any and all your feed back on my "over thinking" THANK YOU in advance, you all have always been a great source of knowledge!