missing egg taste and aroma

[Lady of McCamley]

Exactly what science are you basing this opinion on?

Laying feeds with average 14-16% protein(meant as a MIN for small bodied layers e.g. leghorns etc.) are not optimum for our larger breeds (especially dual purpose heritage birds) where 21% or so meat bird with real animal protein seems to be the best (even some would argue compromise) for a mixed age mixed bird flock.

Modern commercial layers need less protein and more calcium and vitamins than meat birds to replenish their bodies for egg production. Higher protein meat bird feed is meant for faster growing, heavier bodied meat birds, with little to no egg production. Feeding too much protein, especially to growing layer types, can actually harm them. It can cause overgrowth in muscles and tendons creating leg problems. It can also delay egg production and cause laying problems.

I can find science studies in my back archived links, but a simple review of feed labels comparing meat bird feed nutrients to layer feed nutrients to even all flock feed will give you evidence. You will see substantial differences in vitamins, minerals, amino acids and additional elements.The feed companies base their feeds and profits on years of science nutrition experience with extensive research studies to produce the best type of feed for production needs in the shortest amount of time with the best feed to production conversion for the animal type.

Most people on BYC own commercial lines, or commercially influenced birds. Unless you are a breeder who is working from ground one and specifically manipulating birds for specific qualities, the feed companies have done the research for you.

LofMc

 

[mixedbreeds]

I like to use fodder this time of year I grow it around 7 to 10 days in flats. Hard red wheat, black oil sunflower seeds, a little mung beans and lentils. The chickens love it once they get going on it and it makes the eggs taste excellent. I don’t feed it till around 11:00 in the morning after they have filled up on there regular feed. Then I give them as much as they will eat at a setting, I do cut it up for them so they don’t get crop problems.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I vote:
d) the grass was always greener and the sky was always brighter back when...

Everyone's who'd had our homegrown eggs compliments how nicely they cook up and how tasty they are. Frankly... I don't taste any real difference between our eggs and most store eggs and I'm super picky as I'm pretty passionate about cooking. The difference is noticeable in texture, which I attribute mainly to the freshness factor.

 

[Kris5902]

After just a few months of living of the farm I was spoiled... and now I have to force myself to eat regular eggs when we travel. Ours are much better in flavor and texture... thicker whites and nice firm high yolks. And this is from the production reds that never see grass or sunlight, are on a 50/50 layer pellet/whole wheat feed, with kale, chard, and lettuce daily from the garden. I’m working on getting them out into pasture... hopefully they will get even better then! (Or at least the girls will be happier and healthier)

 

[Aceoky]

Ok, now we must define "too much protein" and then wonder what the real protein levels are on really free ranged layers with a majority of their diet coming from bugs, snails, grubs, worms, mice, snakes , etc. etc. etc. Since some folks feed > 28% feed and have beautiful/healthy birds at what point is it "too much"?????

I think then we have to find out realistically IF it's "higher" plant or meat protein levels that may be an issue.( I suspect it's plant based proteins)

A major reason some of us are feeding the 21% Country Road is the meat protein which we obviously think is quite important for healthy birds.

A lower protein layer diet- some as low as 14% maybe even less? (meant as a MIN for smaller framed caged chickens) is not always better for outside moving, feeding larger sized heritage breeds, much less mixed flocks of varying ages & genders.

IMHO

 

[Melky]

After just a few months of living of the farm I was spoiled... and now I have to force myself to eat regular eggs when we travel. Ours are much better in flavor and texture... thicker whites and nice firm high yolks. And this is from the production reds that never see grass or sunlight, are on a 50/50 layer pellet/whole wheat feed, with kale, chard, and lettuce daily from the garden. I’m working on getting them out into pasture... hopefully they will get even better then! (Or at least the girls will be happier and healthier)

This is curious to me, why do you mix the feed? Are you switching over or use this as a regular feed mix?

 

[Kris5902]

This is curious to me, why do you mix the feed? Are you switching over or use this as a regular feed mix?

I Don’t know why they mix the feed. My husbands Grandmother (had a degree in agriculture from way back when, now deceased) did it this way when his Father and siblings were growing up... so it’s “the way they’ve always fed them”... could’ve been feed availability/price at the time in the 30’s or 40’s, and everything had to be hauled in by boat then* horses to the farm back then... so it’s just what they do.

I will be pasturing/maybe free ranging my breeders/layers with broiler pellets and oystershell on the side, won’t know how their eggs taste for several more months though!

 

[Aceoky]

I like to use fodder this time of year I grow it around 7 to 10 days in flats. Hard red wheat, black oil sunflower seeds, a little mung beans and lentils. The chickens love it once they get going on it and it makes the eggs taste excellent. I don’t feed it till around 11:00 in the morning after they have filled up on there regular feed. Then I give them as much as they will eat at a setting, I do cut it up for them so they don’t get crop problems.

I plant some wheat/rye/oats under pallets right in the run (along with growing it outside the run for them) so it comes up past the pallets they can eat it but not scratch it all up destroying it in the "off season" FWIW

 

[Lady of McCamley]

@Aceoky
It is the amino acid content that is more important than crude protein. Then the vitamins (especially B's) and mineral traces, which are essential for healthy growth in meat birds and layer production.

Then importantly, bird type. Layers have different mineral needs than meat birds and vice versa. Obviously layers need significantly greater calcium earlier. Study indicates that many layers need both layer feed AND oyster shell or calcite free choice. Meat birds are especially in need of trace minerals such as manganese.

Here are some of those links for you for your own research. Each owner must decide which is most effective for their flock given their flock type, environment, and cost requirements.

Food for thought...and poultry
LofMc

Nutrition Requirements of Poultry, 9th Edition (excerpts)
"Excessive crude protein intakes are to be avoided. Daily intakes of 27 g per hen had adverse effects on hatchability (Pearson and Herron, 1981, 1982). Lower crude protein intakes may be satisfactory if additional amino acid supplementation is practiced. Bornstein et al. (1979) calculated that a daily crude protein intake of 15.6 to 16.5 g per hen would be sufficient in terms of an ideal amino acid mixture. Performance of hens fed corn-soybean meal diets providing 16 g protein per day was not improved by supplemental lysine and methionine. (Waldroup et al., 1976b)."

"Leeson and Summers (1989) concluded that pullet growth is initially most sensitive to dietary protein and amino acids, whereas energy intake becomes more critical as the bird approaches maturity."

There are helpful charts and comparisons in this article showing low protein (less than 15%) vs. high protein (18%) effects. No where does it indicate an above 22% need in layers. Birds tend to eat more or less what they need...higher protein they eat less; lower protein they eat more, assuming adequate amino acids and minerals and vitamins.

https://www.nap.edu/read/2114/chapter/4#33

*********************************
Then from the Future Consideration of Poultry Feed Symposium 2011, which recognizes poultry needs have not changed in the last 50 years, and are not expected to change in the next 10 to 15...

On meat birds:
There will be no major change in the nutrient requirements of meat birds and layers over the next 10 to 15 yr, just as they have changed little over the preceding 50 yr. On the other hand, diet formulation, feeding programs, and production goals are continually changing, and these 3 factors effect ever-evolving diet specifications (Leeson and Summers, 2005). Formulation will be dictated by the need to accommodate ever-increasing genetic potential, the need to grow birds on diets containing less pharmaceutical products, and the impact of poultry products on human health. If we want meat birds to achieve ever-increasing weight-for-age or more specifically decreasing age-for-weight, then greater emphasis will have to be placed on both early and late-phase nutrition."
Later on... "Formulating prestarter diets revolves around the selection of highly digestible ingredients rather than there being a need for higher nutrient density"

...and later
Energy Costs
"Both layers and meat birds still eat quite precisely to their energy requirements. The key to successful use of lower-energy diets lies in prediction of change in feed intake and corresponding adjustment to all other nutrients in the diet."

https://academic.oup.com/ps/article/91/6/1281/1547144

As you read that piece, you will find the greatest change in poultry feed is the consumer concerns with removal of antibiotics in the feed and concern over fatty acid contents in eggs and meat (addition of flaxseed and fish oil to poultry diet).

 

[MissChick@dee]

I plant some wheat/rye/oats under pallets right in the run (along with growing it outside the run for them) so it comes up past the pallets they can eat it but not scratch it all up destroying it in the "off season" FWIW

Oh! I love the pallet idea.