protein ideas

[raspeary]

i need protein ideas for my girls (aka my chickens). I was using country max feed but egg production really dropped and I think it was cause they weren't getting enough protein. they were on a food from a local mill before and was getting lots of eggs. i am switching them slowly over to the food from the local mill but am mixing that food with country max food cause i don't want to waste it. But in the mean time, i'd like to try and build their protein up aagain. What can i give them other than their own eggs cuase i can't afford t not have eggs this time of year, with as much baking as i do.

 

[pontoosuc]

chicken, steak, seafood...LOL.
how about some cat food?

 

[raspeary]

they did get turkey the other week after thanksgiving, and i was hoping to see alittle boost in eggs but didn't happen....i'll have to try some cat food, have plenty of that.

 

[Organics North]

I am HUGE fan of protein.................

My girls were dropping egg production.. I gave them a some cooked up ground Venison..(Road kill parts that we could not eat..) and know and the egg numbers shot up the last few days......
(Yes it is very dark and cold in N WI this time of year.) (I will give them a break after the holidays... But now with a whole bunch of molting birds the protein is what they need since their is no free range..

ON
I realllllly believe in protein if the range is poor.. (Any way you can get it.) For me I do not feed chicken to chicken.. EVERYTHING else is fair game..

Heck if I die feed me to the chickens..

ON

 

[HorizonSon]

Mealworms for the chicks and entire flock during the winter; Black soldier fly grubs for adults and duckweed for all. Plus comfrey for all and free ranging for teenagers and older

At least; that's the plan. As half of this is still in the R&D phase

 

[shaft0463]

I use Costco cat food. Soy free, and meat is the main first ingredient. No by-products. It's pretty cheap too.

Depending on the protein of the stuff you were using, you can also do alfalfa pellets, ground or soaked. Alfalfa is 17% protein, minimum. It's generally higher than that. It's also high in many of the vitamins and minerals that an egg-laying or growing chicken would need.

 

[curliet]

I was wondering about the same thing. We had a box of frozen fish that we had purchased at a sale recently and decided that we didn't care for it. I hated to waste it, so put it out in the garage. Still cold enough not to completely thaw, but warm enough to make it easy to separate the fillets. I was thinking that my chooks would consider this a real treat, and it would be good for them at the same time. Threw a few in the coop, and my chickens wouldn't have anything to do with it. Stoopid birds. I ended up having to throw the box in the trash. Sure didn't save money on that inexpensive fish, did I?!


edited for bad typing

 

[bywaterdog]

Quote:
Duckweed is 50% protein and usually can be had for free. ( I am in the DEEP South.)

 

[bywaterdog]

Quote:
Be careful, too much fish=fishy smelling eggs.

 

[PunkinPeep]

I will sometimes get calf manna (or whatever your particular place calls it) mixed in with the food to help boost their nutrients, and it does a good job.