⠀ Protein

[MeepBeep]

I know this was covered above, at the end of the day if you are already feeding them a staple diet of poultry feed and just want a little more protein boost, mixing in some dry cat food is the simplest cost effective way... And although cat food isn't designed for chickens the fact that you are still giving a staple of poultry feed will fill in the gaps as a temporary ration... As said look at the bag of cat food and see what it contains and what level of protein it has...

I'm not going to get into a cat food debate, sure there are better cat foods but in this instance IMO for a temporary protein boost you don't need top of the line...

Take for example a bag of 9 Lives Indoor complete @ 30% protein...

One 20lb bag of 9 Lives @ 30% mixed with one 50lb bag of 18% poultry feed, gives you about 21.4% protein final...

 

[Zinniah]

My flock needs more protein, what can I give them, how much, and for how long?

Dubia roaches. Better than meal worms and cricket in terms of size and protein, easier to raise in my opinion as well.

 

[TherryChicken]

I know this was covered above, at the end of the day if you are already feeding them a staple diet of poultry feed and just want a little more protein boost, mixing in some dry cat food is the simplest cost effective way... And although cat food isn't designed for chickens the fact that you are still giving a staple of poultry feed will fill in the gaps as a temporary ration... As said look at the bag of cat food and see what it contains and what level of protein it has...

I'm not going to get into a cat food debate, sure there are better cat foods but in this instance IMO for a temporary protein boost you don't need top of the line...

Take for example a bag of 9 Lives Indoor complete @ 30% protein...

One 20lb bag of 9 Lives @ 30% mixed with one 50lb bag of 18% poultry feed, gives you about 21.4% protein final...

I only have canned food

 

[TherryChicken]

Dubia roaches. Better than meal worms and cricket in terms of size and protein, easier to raise in my opinion as well.

Oh no. I'm dead afraid of roaches

 

[Zinniah]

Oh no. I'm dead afraid of roaches

I am too, but these are a bit different from the house roach, they aren't as "gross" or "scary" i don't hold them like others do (yes, they hold them!). I let them crawl into a empty paper towel roll and then into a plastic bin, then out to the chickens. I had a house roach crawl up my leg while i was in the shower, it felt like water in reverse and i thought that's strange.... so I looked down and a huge roach... Eww!!!! Every since then I've been terrified. I keep my house thoroughly poisoned. But hey meal worms are fine.

 

[MeepBeep]

I know this was covered above, at the end of the day if you are already feeding them a staple diet of poultry feed and just want a little more protein boost, mixing in some dry cat food is the simplest cost effective way... And although cat food isn't designed for chickens the fact that you are still giving a staple of poultry feed will fill in the gaps as a temporary ration... As said look at the bag of cat food and see what it contains and what level of protein it has...

I'm not going to get into a cat food debate, sure there are better cat foods but in this instance IMO for a temporary protein boost you don't need top of the line...

Take for example a bag of 9 Lives Indoor complete @ 30% protein...

One 20lb bag of 9 Lives @ 30% mixed with one 50lb bag of 18% poultry feed, gives you about 21.4% protein final...

I only have canned food

You can use the canned food until you can purchase some dry food, canned is just a lot harder to portion out and avoid only a few birds gorging themselves and others going without...

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I only have canned food

OK but what is the protein percentage on the label. As I said, not all cat food is created equal.

 

[TherryChicken]

I am too, but these are a bit different from the house roach, they aren't as "gross" or "scary" i don't hold them like others do (yes, they hold them!). I let them crawl into a empty paper towel roll and then into a plastic bin, then out to the chickens. I had a house roach crawl up my leg while i was in the shower, it felt like water in reverse and i thought that's strange.... so I looked down and a huge roach... Eww!!!! Every since then I've been terrified. I keep my house thoroughly poisoned. But hey meal worms are fine.

Omg! I see them and if they are withen 10 feet of me I will LITTERALLY have a mini heart attack lol

 

[TherryChicken]

The cat food is only 11% protein so I guess that's out.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I've seen that so many times. People are told to add cat food for protein. I look at cat food labels at the pet store so it can be anywhere from 11 to 30% or more. So just saying cat food isn't the answer. It is feeding something that is actually higher in protein than chicken feed. Some canned cat foods don't fit the bill, some dog foods don't and definitely eggs aren't higher than chicken feed.