Organic, soy free, low fish meal feed recipe?

[Mac_]

The organic fish meal that I've been buying to mix layer and grower on our farm is driving up the overall cost of feed. I have to have the fish meal shipped UPS, and it's not cheap even without shipping.

I've come up with the following recipe using ingredients that I can buy in bulk from a local organic dairy farm. I do realize that egg, meat production might drop off a little, but, the cost of feed will drop off more.

Your input would be greatly appreciated.

Layer Recipe

Oats 15% 750#
Field Peas 20% 585#
Alfalfa Meal 17% 450#
Corn 9% 100#
Fish Meal 60% 15#
Calc. (Limestone) 100#
Nutribalancer 60#

All the birds are on good pasture daily.

We also plant plots of the following that we cut and feed daily:

Crimson Clover 20%
Rye 15-26%?
Millet 11-16%
Rape 19-20%
Chicory 25-30%

Thanks!

Mac_

 

[Organics North]

Hi,
So are you dropping the fish meal? Or is that 15# the new reduced amount?

What is the protein level without the fish meal?

I have two concerns.

First, is keeping protein at needed levels. You could increase the field peas, maybe add Flax (Expensive too).
Second, is the amino acid Methionine... Black oil sunflower is an OK plant source for it, but I doubt you can find it organic. (It is my only non organic ingredient.)

ON

 

[Mac_]

The 15# of fish meal is the reduced amount. It was about 200#.

 

[Mac_]

Thanks, Bill

The nutritive value of field peas (Pisum sativum) in an oat-based diet for laying hens - Davidson - 2006 - Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture - Wiley Online Library

Abstract
In an experiment with laying hens, an oat-based diet containing one-third ground field peas (Pisum sativum) supported egg production which was only half that on a control diet containing fishmeal. Either the addition of methionine to the diet or processing the peas by heating and flaking, increased egg production to about three-quarters of the control output. Methionine supplementation in addition to heat processing of the peas allowed full egg production.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jsfa.2740311013/abstract

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Organic Poultry Production in the US: Feed Issues - Poultry Articles from The Poultry Site

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/1307/organic-poultry-production-in-the-us-feed-issues

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Organic Poultry Production: Providing Adequate Methionine

http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/methionine.html

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Essential Amino Acid Characteristics of Feed Peas (90% DM BASIS)
Amino Acid
Avg. Level in %

Arginine 1.40
Histidine 0.72
Isoleucine 1.10
Leucine 1.80
Lysine 1.67
Methionine 0.27
Cystine 0.21
Phenylalanine + Tyrosine 1.74
Threonine 0.94
Tryptophan 0.24
Valine 1.30​

 

[Organics North]

Interesting!
Thanks for posting.
ON