Spring Fleet Chickens

In the Brooder
Apr 2, 2019
10
8
49
So I have a questions for breeders. We just had our NPIP test done and my tester happened to breed and show Ameraucanas. We are rather new to the breed but I have a breeder pen currently that I'm working with. She told me that they require more protein in their diet compared to your general run of the mill flocks. It got me thinking that I feed a 17% feed and I still have a few that are on the thinner side. I chocked it up to genetics (They are healthy otherwise). But she told me that is common in the Ameraucana and its best to feed an all flock feed with a higher protein.
So, since I manage a feed store I looked up a few other feeds. And Formula for Champions Fancy & Feathered popped up (kalmbach feeds). Its a 22% protein, 5% fat an 6% fiber feed. Has anyone fed this before? What were your results? And if you don't feed it, what do you feed your breeder flocks? We like the Kalmbach brand and have been feeding it to all my fowl. But now that I have breeders.. I want to make sure I am providing everything they need to show their full potential. I only want the best for them and also I want to make sure I am keeping the best looking birds. (to SOP) And if their feed is holding them back... I'd hate to sell one then find out they were just lacking the proper diet.
Any other Ameraucana breeders out there want to shed some light on this topic?
 
So...

There are no studies, to my knowledge, on the dietary needs of Ameraucana. They aren't commercially valuable. There are a number of recent (mostly meta-) studies done on differing deitary needs of commercial layers, and of course commercial broilers. Generally speaking, those studies reveal what we would already suspect - that RSL, BSL, and white leghorns all have slightly different dietary needs likely linked to differences in average size, speed of maturity, and egg production (though differing methodologies between the studies makes direct comparison more tenuous). Again, the differences are SLIGHT.

There are also studies looking at the effectiveness of increased protein (balanced AA profiles, of course) on rates of lay, size of eggs, and more generally body condition, gut health, "robustness" in resistane to disease, heat stress, etc.

The general gist is that increasing protein from 16% +/- to 18-20% isn't remotely cost effective at scale (and results in higher N conctration "outputs", which are their own problems in commercial operations), but is associated with 1-3% gains in rate of lay, 1-3% gains in average egg size, better (again, single digit) body condition, early weight gain (high single to low low double digit), and reduced mortality (assumably due to better tolerance for stressors like heat, molt, disease).

There are no good long term studies, to my knowledge, on (loosely) "pet" birds.

Taken all together, it is my general recommend, for the typical backyard owner, of the typical backyard flock, with typical backyard management that they feed an "All Flock / Flock Raiser"-type (crumble)* feed, together with free choice oyster shell and free choice grit, for all their birds, of both genders, all their lives. AF/FR feed as used here is defined as an 18-20% protein feed with at least .35 methionine, .7 Lysine, 3.5% fat +/-, 3.5% fiber +/-, and calcium of about 1.5% +/-.

The feed you are asking about - and yes, I'm sure some people use it, is high in both fat and fiber, would be a better choice for waterfowl (assuming it has the enhanced niacin levels they need). You should also be aware that its high calcium (3.25% +/-), not good for the long term health of any roosters in your breeding flock. A higher than typical phospherus level (.7) may slightly help to mitigate, but the feed does not use alternative calcium sources known for lower toxicity than calcium carbonate. The methionine levels in that feed are adequate (needs decrease as birds age, so for mature birds, those are very good levels), the lysine levels in that feed are quite good, particularly for mature birds - lysine being critical for skeletal and breast muscle development, while methionine is associated with connective tissue building, not just in the joints, but also in the development and maintenance of the intestinal tract.

The only studies I can find suggesting fat levels of 5% and higher relate to optimum feed programs for raising CornishX for table - obviously such studies are not concerned with the long term health of the birds. High fat diets are associated with sudden fowl death, often due to fatty liver disease - but how much is "too much" isn't well studied, and relates to a host of factors - age, breed (assumedly), species (obviously), activity levels, and even climate (most likely).


* Crumble so hatchlings can eat it. If you have no hatchlings or juveniles, go ahead and feed pellet if you want.


Hope that's helpful?
 
That is Kalmbach show feed that actually has porcine meal in it & I would love to find that except it is slightly high protein for my egg layers. I am not a breeder, but another feed from Kalmbach that might work is Full Plume & Feathering Feed, basically a layer feed with 20% protein. I really like the feed.

ETA- I think they are both mini pellets, which my flock absolutely loves.
 

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