new research debunks trad views on nutrition

[BDutch]

Not enough slow growing chickens for KFC to stop using CX
https://www.theguardian.com/food/20...ledge-to-stop-using-frankenchickens-in-the-uk

I know a solution for this. Eat less chickens at KFC. Ask for vegan/vegetarian food.

 

[NagemTX]

I know a solution for this. Eat less chickens at KFC. Ask for vegan/vegetarian food.

The other solution is to diversify your sources. More small farms and less factory farms.

 

[saysfaa]

The crystallization of natural honey depends on the flower types. ...

Maybe the correlation of quality to crystallization by the people at my local bee club has to do with which flowers are available here - I don't know if it is the same in other climates.

 

[Altairsky]

Maybe the correlation of quality to crystallization by the people at my local bee club has to do with which flowers are available here - I don't know if it is the same in other climates.

Certainly not the same, where I live honey it only takes a couple of hours car drive to find a very different honey, both in taste and texture. Flora changes a lot, especially the wild one. This is not true for honey from cultivated plants though.

 

[saysfaa]

Yes, the flowers available are different. I meant the correlation might not be there in other places because of that.

 

[Perris]

relevant news on honey and food fraud this morning: World Beekeeping Awards axe honey prize due to fraud
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjw0w921nzgo
"Apimondia - the International Federation of Beekeepers’ Associations - said in a statement that the change was "necessitated by the inability to have honey fully tested for adulteration"."

 

[Molpet]

Article about sprouted barley reducing eggs
https://www.allaboutfeed.net/animal...Rj3G0eSKTYm4iHQ&mlnmsg=v-SxNsI_gEp9eyexFZwZrw

 

[BDutch]

Article about sprouted barley reducing eggs
https://www.allaboutfeed.net/animal-feed/raw-materials/sprouted-barley-as-a-potential-feed-supplement-for-laying-hens/?utm_source=Maileon&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=aaf_all_traffic_con_non_base-newsletter_email_oth_regulier-2024-12-06&utm_content=https://www.allaboutfeed.net/animal-feed/raw-materials/sprouted-barley-as-a-potential-feed-supplement-for-laying-hens/&mlnt=djwW3fTSsC3NHlVLRSiiW02l7Vlf1YBrEGowClu00GU8WcBCa0liNw&mlnm=X0o5lynlkeM&mlnl=nKEWpW1jZRQ&mlnc=QzrJAg6mYvg&mlnch=Phf9mGMRj3G0eSKTYm4iHQ&mlnmsg=v-SxNsI_gEp9eyexFZwZrw

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^^ @gtaus are you still sprouting barley every winter?

 

[gtaus]

^^ @gtaus are you still sprouting barley every winter?

Thanks for the shout out.

Yes, I have been sprouting barley for the past 3 to 4 winters. It takes me less than 5 minutes per day to flood and fill my barely tower.

I have not been following this thread, but I did notice that there was some posting that sprouted barley reduced egg laying productivity. After careful reading that screenshot, I noticed that they were giving up to 46g of sprouted barley per day per hen. Let's stop there and consider this...

I only feed sprouted barley to my chickens in the winter months, when we are snow covered for up to 6 months, because my chickens do not have access to any fresh greens otherwise.

I only feed sprouted barley in the winter, when egg production goes down due to our short daylight hours, so reduced egg production happens to me regardless.

I don't advocate using sprouted barley as a main feed. I use it more as a "treat" or "green supplement" to their commercial layer feed during our snow months. I did a quick calculation, and my daily sprouted barley comes out to about 10g per bird. That is only 10%, or less, of their daily intake. Again, I consider it a green treat.

My chickens seem to enjoy pecking and scratching apart the sprouted barley root mats I toss into the chicken run and/or coop. Some chickens like to eat the grains in the bottom of the root mat, others like to eat the blades of barley grass, some both. Frankly, it's about the only scratching and pecking my chickens can do in the winter months because everything else out in the chicken run is frozen solid.

The reason I continue to supplement my chickens with sprouted barley in the winter is because the egg yolks get a darker orange color. If the hens are only on commercial feed, the egg yolks get a brighter yellow color. We sell our excess eggs to people who appreciate the darker orange egg yolks compared to the pale yellow egg yolks of commercial eggs at the store. They think a darker yolk means a more healthy egg. I don't know if that is true, or not, but they are buying the eggs and that's what they believe.

Honestly, I think a darker orange egg yolk looks better and tastes better. But I could only be fooling myself.

My commercial feed consumption goes down a bit when I give my chickens sprouted barley, but that is not the reason I give them fresh green barley grass in the winter. I just want them to have access to fresh greens in the winter.

Again, a well-balanced commercial layer feed is what I use. Sprouted barley is only used as a green treat at less than 10% of their daily intake. With the tower system I use, I spend almost no time per day growing barley sprouts. For my minimal efforts, I get darker colored egg yolks in the winter and the chickens get to scratch and peck for some of their food. To me, that's worth it.

 

[BDutch]

Again, a well-balanced commercial layer feed is what I use. Sprouted barley is only used as a green treat at less than 10% of their daily intake. With the tower system I use, I spend almost no time per day growing barley sprouts. For my minimal efforts, I get darker colored egg yolks in the winter and the chickens get to scratch and peck for some of their food. To me, that's worth it.

Thanks for replying and your view on fresh food in winter. I think you are absolutely right and do the right thing giving sprouted barley in winter as a fresh extra.

My chickens have access to fresh greenery (grasses and a few herbs) all winter except for maybe 1 week or 2 when they free range. I do give my chickens more mealworms in winter bc there are very few insect to find during the colder months (-5 to + 15 C).
I do believe that if chickens can eat a variety of food , including fresh food the eggs taste better.

Mine and Dutch store always have a yellow to almost orange yolk. Supplementing beta carotene in the feed (mostly corn) is enough to make the people who buy them happy. Number 1 in the ingredient list is corn in most chicken feed/many brands here. Alfalfa sprouts , grass, red peppers and carrots seem to do the trick too.