Protein of Gray Striped Sunflowers

[BarredBuff]

I know Black Oil SUnflowers have 15 %. How much do the gray striped ones?

 

[kuntrygirl]

Ingredients:Gray Striped Sunflower Seed

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein 11.0% min
Crude Fat 20.0% min
Crude Fiber 56.0% max
Moisture 12.0% max

 

[BarredBuff]

I looked at it on a UniversityWeb and it said 28

 

[kuntrygirl]

ok.

 

[Neil Grassbaugh]

There is very little information on the feed value of striped sunflowers. It is not a feed ingredient used by the poultry and livestock industry in either the raw or as oil extraced meal.

The difference in the protein content mentioned in the two previous posts may be due to one analysis being for the whole seed and the other for just the kernel.

Oilseed sunflower meal (the dry meal left over after the oil is removed) is fairly high in protein content but not a very useful feed for chickens. It is low in the amino acids needed by poultry. This meal is fed mostly to beef cattle and seldom to dairy cattle. If sometning is fed to beef cattle and not dairy cattle it usually means the nutrient value is not as great.

When I am in my exhibition poultry mode I cannot understand why anyone would feed any sunflower product to poultry other than the oil. Added to the feed mix the oil will improve the show condition of the feathers and shanks.

I have used sunflower oil for conditioning and adding fats to the feed in the winter time and for breeding birds. As a feed I think the whole seed is a waste of money. I often wonder why a chicken would even bother with BOSS when there i anything else worthwhile to eat.

Backyard poultry people seem to consider BOSS a treat. Top ehxibition people for the most part use what are often tremed "treats" as a trainig aid. This is usually something that can be held in the fingers and the bird learns to follow the hand and then can be manipulated to show its best charachteristics. Plastic packaged burger stye dog food is probably the most commonly used.

 

[missypebble]

just curious - i see them sell the black/ grey striped sun flower seed at the feed store, but how do chickens eat them? As a whole seed with shell on? It looks a bit big for even a grown chicken? How do you feed the seed to your chicken?