protien in feed

[Mac in Wisco]

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Fish meal, soybean meal, alfalfa...

Why are you interested in upping the protein though?

Extra protein is not a magic bullet. A hen will only lay to her potential and that decreases as she ages. Feeding extra protein is not going to change that.

A hen needs a certain amount of protein each day depending upon her stage of growth and how well she is laying. The amount of protein required is generally at its highest when the hen is at peak lay and declines slowly thereafter. That amount is a fixed amount, let's say a bird at peak production needs 20 grams of protein to maintain herself and sustain high production. She needs to eat a certain amount of food to get that 20 grams into her. If she is eating a moderate amount of feed, say 120 grams of feed a day, then she needs a layer feed that is 17% protein. (20 / 120 = 16.6%). In colder weather a bird will eat more to keep warm. If she is eating more, then she is getting plenty of protein from a standard layer ration. When it is hot outside (above 85 F or so), feed consumption decreases. That is when a higher protein feed is beneficial, and 18% or 20% feed can ensure a hen is getting enough protein in the summer heat.

There is no specific percentage that is "correct". Generally, a 16% or 17% layer ration will suffice for the average layer in moderate temperatures. In the cold of wintertime, that percentage of protein can go down (this can be accomplished by adding a little scratch for energy in the winter, which dilutes their ration). In the summertime heat it can be raised to ensure adequate intake (and by cutting out any extra treats that may be diluting their ration). More, just for the sake of providing it, is not necessarily beneficial.

 

[chickened]

My hens do much better overall on animal protein versus plant protein. (but not limited to laying)

 

[Chris09]

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I produce eggs for the retail market. The greatest demand is for Large eggs, thus our cooperative pays a higher price as an incentive to keep the average egg size within that range. While Extra-Large and Jumbo eggs are sold in stores, they are a smaller part of sales. It's easy to sell a truckload of Large eggs to the retail market, not so easy to sell a truckload of Jumbos.

I control egg size by limiting the protein to an amount that allows the hens, and thus the egg size, to grow ever so slowly throughout the production cycle. Right now our flock average egg size is hovering right below Extra-Large. If I upped their protein a few points they would all be laying Jumbo eggs within a month's time.

Mac I know BOSS has good protein but what else is good to up protein?

BOSS (Black Oil Sunflower Seed) may be a good sores of Protein but most BOSS is only between 14 and 16 percent protein.
Now most good laying feed is between 18 and 20 percent protein so by adding BOSS to a layer feed you are in fact depleting the amount of protein you are feeding your layers.

Example -
If you add 10 lbs of 16 percent protein Boss to 90 lbs 18 percent protein layer.
16% (the amount of BOSS protein) ÷ 100 = .16 percent protein per pound of BOSS
18% (the amount of layer protein) ÷ 100 = .18 percent protein per pound of Layer

.16% (the amount of BOSS protein per lb) x 10lbs (the of BOSS in feed mix) = 1.6 percent protein
.18% (the amount of layer protein per lb) x 90lbs (the of layer in feed mix) = 16.2 percent protein

1.6 (the amount of BOSS protein per 10lb) + 16.2 (the amount of layer protein per 90 lb) = 17.8 percent protein

By adding just 10 pounds BOSS to 90 pounds Layer you dropped a 18% layer feed to 17.8% layer feed.

Chris

 

[marquisella]

My question is feeding a 20% protein mash, how much would a medium large hen need to eat a day? I switched to the mash, and although is seems like less per quart, it weighs more so its more condensed. I would like a way to know how much to give per hen...say, 1/4 or 1/2 cup now?

 

[Mac in Wisco]

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There's no way of figuring it out to an exact amount. Generally, light breed layers eat around .25 to .30 lbs a day. Maybe .35 lbs for a heavier, dual-purpose breed, in moderate temperatures. You don't need to over think it or ration out their feed. They eat to fulfill their energy requirements. If the feed is a little low in energy or if if it's cold outside, they eat more. If the feed is higher in energy or it's hot outside they less.

If you really think you need to cut them back on feed for some reason, let's say to get them to clean up what they've spilled or to get them to eat any minerals that may be settling out of the mash into the bottom of the feeder, then let the feeders go empty in the middle of the day for a few hours. They should have full access to a layer ration in the morning and the evening though.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

I'm in a different position than others here to be able to manage production to the extent that I can. I can calculate what they are eating pretty accurately due to the quantities involved. I have 2465 hens right now. The last time I bought feed I bought six tons. If that feed lasts 18 days, I can calculate that they are eating about .27 lbs per hen.

On the production side, I pack up about 200 dozen eggs a day. I pack them on filler flats and make stacks (half cases) of 15 dozen eggs. Before I put each stack in the egg cooler, I weigh it and mark down the weight. At the end of the day I have 12 or 13 of these 15 dozen stacks. I average the weight of the stacks to get an average egg weight for the day. Right now they average 25.05 lbs per stack which correlates to an average egg size of large. At 25.1 lbs per stack they are averaging Extra Large in size, at 26.6 lbs per stack they are averaging out as Jumbos in size.

By tracking the egg weights in this way I can see day to day variations in egg weights of less than 1%. If the egg weights start dropping, it means that the birds aren't getting enough protein for some reason (not enough in the feed, not drinking enough water, off their feed for some reason, etc.). If this continues then production will soon drop and the birds may also start losing feathers. The egg weight has to slowly increase throughout the production cycle for us to keep the birds in good health while still meeting market needs.

Our feed is made to order and delivered by the local mill and I can specify the protein in .5% increments. By noting how much they are eating and how fast the egg size is increasing I can generally gauge how much protein they need...


That being said, that is about impossible to accomplish for the small backyard flock. The bottom line is this: Let them eat ad libitum, they'll eat what they need. 16% or 17% layer feed plus a little scratch in cold weather should be just fine for the average layer hen, conversely, 18% or 20% feed in the heat of summer can ensure they getting enough protein. If your hens are well feathered and producing what you'd expect them to produce for their age then they are getting enough protein. On the other hand, if they are all laying Super Jumbo eggs, or you are occasionally losing birds to prolapse or egg binding because of excessive egg size, then the amount of protein may be excessive.

 

[seminolewind]

According to the Vet text book I have, 15-16% is what they need. Even going higher can be unhealthy (stones in kidneys). I wouldn't feed higher than 16% unless my chickens had free range as well

 

[GiddyMoon]

When I was researching feeds, I was told by a chicken show guy he raises all his birds on 30% game bird feed. I found this to be odd, but he swore by it. Larger birds, healthier, less feather picking, etc. I then posted questions and kept researching..while some people said the birds would not use the extra protein, others came in who had chickens on it and swore by it too. So, gamebird scratch is what I used..and I cannot believe how big my chickens are, with great feather development compared to many people who put up their pictures of the same aged chick assortment.

I have also been using an organic feed with fishmeal as well as a daily treat.. I agree that meat protein is important..but there is no doubt the extra protein in the feed has been used. I am curious as to what will happen with the eggs.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

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Is your gamebird scratch also 30% protein?

 

[GiddyMoon]

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Is your gamebird scratch also 30% protein?

The gamebird is the 30%. The organic is 20%. They get maybe a cup of the organic spread out in the coop a day for them to pick at.