High Protein Treats?

[ChickenCanoe]

... bone meal … will fill the bill.

... I am not keen on poultry meal etc. It's high protein content is mostly feathers and feathers are hard for a chicken to digest.

... I suspect that sometimes the peas listed as an ingredient in some chicken feeds are in fact peanut hulls that came out of a shelling plant. While high in protein peanut hulls or shells are difficult for your chickens to digest. …

Meal worms are the larva stage of the darkling beetle. This insect is a serious, and did I mention dangerous pest in commercial chicken houses. They spread the eggs of internal parasites as well as dangerous germs and viruses that they pick up from their environment and the poultry litter, manure and chicken feed laying on the floor in commercial broiler chicken operations. These poultry houses are an awesome place to produce meal worms. Meal worms also destroy buildings by boring into the walls and insulation of buildings including homes while looking for a place to metamorphose into adult beetles. But like I said about apple cider vinegar, your home or chicken coop belongs to you (hopefully) so knock yourself out in the meal worm department, just know the truth.

.../

You and I agree on a lot of things and manage flocks in similar ways. For example, all my birds free range and trapped raccoons get skinned, grilled and fed back to chickens.
However there are several things in this post that are either misleading or utterly false and I have to clarify to insure others have correct information.

Bone meal can be a source of calcium and phosphorus for layers but doesn't provide any protein.
https://www.feedipedia.org/node/219

True that feathers aren't a great source of animal protein. They are, however, utilized by some commercial broiler and layer operations because they are otherwise a waste product. Nevertheless the heat and steam processing of feathers into meal creates a cysteine rich animal protein that is 60% digestible. They are also used in feeding ruminants.
Most bagged chicken feed is vegetarian but even in those that contain animal protein, which might be fishmeal or porcine meal, yet I've never seen feather meal in a bag of poultry feed.
https://afs.ca.uky.edu/poultry/poultry-feathers-what-can-they-be-used
There is a difference between poultry meal, poultry by-product meal and feather meal. The first two are exclusive of feathers.

Suspicions aside, when peas are listed as a primary ingredient, they are one of a variety of field peas like trapper, Austrian winter, cow, crowder, etc.. Regardless of whether they are green or yellow peas, there is little variation in the nutrients therein. They are added as a source of protein because they average around 23% CP and though rich in lysine, they are deficient in methionine and cystine. They complement other vegetative seed/grain ingredients like canola which have a different amino acid profile.

I want to stress and assure others that there is no chance of peanut hulls being in chicken feed whether the label lists peas or not. The hulls themselves contain about 60% fiber and no protein. They may be a low quality source of roughage for ruminants but of no value as a fiber source to monogastric animals. Aside from peanut hulls having no nutritive value for poultry, a high fungal aflatoxin potential associated with peanuts would preclude any manufacturer from considering them as an ingredient in chicken feed.
https://www.feedipedia.org/node/696

While I agree that darkling beetles and their larvae may carry a variety of parasites when found in coop, henhouse and commercial poultry bedding, mealworms bought from pet stores and online sources haven't been exposed to those parasites.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I have had my six ex-battery/caged hens for about 2.5 weeks now and they are doing really well. They are eating layers crumble/mash as that is what they are accustomed to but I am starting to mix in some layers pellets so they get used to those. They have occasionally had a little mixed corn as a treat late in the afternoon.

I understand that growing new feathers requires a lot of protein and was wondering whether to incorporate some high protein snacks a few times a week? Several of them are quite bald and are growing new feathers. I know they shouldn't have snacks or treats until later in the day when they've mostly filled up on proper food.

What high protein treats do you recommend? I know that scrambled egg is a popular choice, as well as peas, mealworms and all sorts of other things.

Regardless of what you feed now, you aren't likely to see a dramatic improvement in feathering till after molt.

 

[HollyWoozle]

Regardless of what you feed now, you aren't likely to see a dramatic improvement in feathering till after molt.

Thank you. I just wondered if I ought to be supplementing their diet for optimum health, given that they are likely putting a lot of energy into feathering (one hen in particular is growing feathers like mad). Your replies are very helpful.

 

[gator75]

Fish, eggs, chicken, turkey.

 

[snow5164]

Tuna , eggs, sprouted lentils ( super easy to make), just soak them , drain and they sprout a few leaves ....easy and cheap ..... hope you got the information you were looking for , sounded a bit extreme to me .

 

[Cindy in PA]

You and I agree on a lot of things and manage flocks in similar ways. For example, all my birds free range and trapped raccoons get skinned, grilled and fed back to chickens.
However there are several things in this post that are either misleading or utterly false and I have to clarify to insure others have correct information.

Bone meal can be a source of calcium and phosphorus for layers but doesn't provide any protein.
https://www.feedipedia.org/node/219

True that feathers aren't a great source of animal protein. They are, however, utilized by some commercial broiler and layer operations because they are otherwise a waste product. Nevertheless the heat and steam processing of feathers into meal creates a cysteine rich animal protein that is 60% digestible. They are also used in feeding ruminants.
Most bagged chicken feed is vegetarian but even in those that contain animal protein, which might be fishmeal or porcine meal, yet I've never seen feather meal in a bag of poultry feed.
https://afs.ca.uky.edu/poultry/poultry-feathers-what-can-they-be-used
There is a difference between poultry meal, poultry by-product meal and feather meal. The first two are exclusive of feathers.

Suspicions aside, when peas are listed as a primary ingredient, they are one of a variety of field peas like trapper, Austrian winter, cow, crowder, etc.. Regardless of whether they are green or yellow peas, there is little variation in the nutrients therein. They are added as a source of protein because they average around 23% CP and though rich in lysine, they are deficient in methionine and cystine. They complement other vegetative seed/grain ingredients like canola which have a different amino acid profile.

I want to stress and assure others that there is no chance of peanut hulls being in chicken feed whether the label lists peas or not. The hulls themselves contain about 60% fiber and no protein. They may be a low quality source of roughage for ruminants but of no value as a fiber source to monogastric animals. Aside from peanut hulls having no nutritive value for poultry, a high fungal aflatoxin potential associated with peanuts would preclude any manufacturer from considering them as an ingredient in chicken feed.
https://www.feedipedia.org/node/696

While I agree that darkling beetles and their larvae may carry a variety of parasites when found in coop, henhouse and commercial poultry bedding, mealworms bought from pet stores and online sources haven't been exposed to those parasites.

I was curious about your statement that peanut hulls aren't used in poultry feed. A few years back I tried Homegrown (Purina) no soy feed stocked by my feed store. It had peanut hulls listed as an ingredient. I used the two bags I bought, but decided not to use it again just because peanut hulls didn't sound like a great ingredient to me. Don't know if the feed still has it.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Interesting, I wonder how long ago that was. The feed store closest to me sells Homegrown and I've used it off and on for several years when I don't have time to drive to Illinois for a better feed selection. I've never seen peanut hulls listed.
Here is the current ingredient list.
https://www.arcatapet.com/item.cfm?cat=18407

In one of the outside links I provided, there are several citations from research on the subject of peanut hulls in animal feed.
" In the recent past environmental concerns have led to an interest in using peanut shells for a variety of purposes: fuel, mulch, carrier for chemicals and fertilizers, bedding for livestock and poultry, pet litter, soil conditioners, etc. (Hill, 2002). Peanut hulls are also fed to livestock, particularly ruminants and rabbits, although their high fibre content does not make them suitable for most monogastric species."
Under the "Nutritional Aspects" tab, here are some notes.
"Peanut hulls are mostly comprised of fibre, with a crude fibre content that often exceeds 60% of DM, and a lignin content in the 6-45% DM range."
Due to the high lignin content, digestibility is very low, especially in monogastric animals.
(Effects of lignin in a poultry diet. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22366136)
"Aflatoxins
Peanuts are particularly vulnerable to contamination by fungi Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. These fungi produce aflatoxins that are known to cause cancers in humans...In poultry and livestock, aflatoxins can cause loss of appetite, loss of weight, reduced egg production, and contamination of milk (ICRISAT, 2016).
"Poultry
Peanut hulls do not have any nutritive value for poultry. They can be used as bedding material, as an alternative to wood shavings (Lien et al., 1998). However caution should be taken if hulls are contaminated with aflatoxins."

At any rate, it is difficult to figure how one could conflate a listing of peas with peanut hulls or how they would be equated.