Question on feed for Red Bro

[CampTopisaw]

I am finishing up what will be, hopefully, my last batch of Cornish X. I'd really like to go to Red Bros, but I would also like to feed my chickens a diet based more on grains available at the local feed mill and get away from using non-medicated commercial game bird feeds, which has become so expensive. Will the Red Bros grow okay on a diet of grains, or what would you suggest? I really don't care if it takes 12 weeks or more to grow to size. I just want a less stressful experience than the one I have with Cornish X. Thanks

 

[greyfields]

Well any grain you can get is only going to be in the 8-12% protein range where most broiler rations are 20-22%. If you could supplement/mix the grain with some seedmeal, I think you could do it.

However, it's not a complete ration and you could have some strange health issues associated with nutrient deficiencies. That's true of any chicken or livestock, not just broilers.

 

[CampTopisaw]

What do you feed yours? I would really like to get away from game bird feed, but will feed it if necessary. Would it if work to feed some of the high protein feed with additional grains? That would give me a lower protein % than 22, and I know the birds would grow more slowly, but I'm fine with that. What feed regimen is used in France with the label rouge program? Don't they grow them until 81 days old? Anyone know?

 

[greyfields]

81 days old is the standard for organic or label rouge in the EU from what I have read (correct me if I'm wrong anyone). I have no idea how they feed them. Try googling it, but obviously they must throttle the food or they would get too large.

I think it's fine to mix a broiler ration with whole grains to lower the protein.

 

[SimplyAbundantFarm]

I have found a link that will help you calculate just how much adding someting to your feed ration will increase or decrease your protein ration. I used to use the same type of info all the time in the past when I used to raise dairy goats and was mixing my own feed rations.

CAVEAT:

Grey is right, though...you need to make sure that what you are feeding is nutritionally balanced, too. That's why it's always best to find an expert in the area of animal nutrition (some feed mill folks are truly experts and some have no clue...so ask a lot of questions until you get to a point where you are comfortable with the fact that they know what they are talking about before you dive in and follow advice blindly.)

That said...here's the link and some general info on calculating protein percentages.


Hope it helps...

www.lionsgrip.com/protein.html

PEARSON'S SQUARE
From Colorado State University

For mixing a GRAIN and a PROTEIN CONCENTRATE
to get a desired protein percentage
(see diagram below)

Draw a square and put the desired protein percentage in the center. Example: "finished feed 16%".

Put the grain in the upper left corner as a protein percentage . See the "Protein in Chicken Feeds" chart (below) to get amounts.
Example: "wheat 12.5%".


Put the grain in the upper right corner as parts to mix .
Example: "wheat_________ parts".

Put the protein concentrate in the lower left corner, as a protein percentage.
Example: "soybeans 37%".

Put the protein concentrate in the lower right corner as parts to mix.
Example, "soybeans ________ parts".

Grain:===========================================Grain:
wheat 12.5% ________ parts
| * * |
| * * |
| * * |
| Desired * |
| protein amount: |
| 16% * |
| * * |
| * * |
| * * |
| * * |
| * * |
Protein concentrate:===============Protein concentrate:
soybeans roasted 37% _________ parts


Now subtract diagonally through the center, from corner to corner. Ignore changes of sign.

Going from top left to bottom right, 12.5 minus 16 equals 3.5. This number goes in the lower right corner.

Going from bottom left to top right, 37 minus 16 equals 21. This goes in the upper right corner.

The result is 21 parts of wheat to 3.5 parts of soybeans.



Kim's Rectangle
for calculating the protein in a
MIXTURE OF GRAINS

Of course, you will want to use a mixture of grains, we hope! To calculate the protein content of a mix of grains, do three things:

1. Multiply each grain's protein content by the number of parts of that grain in the mix.

2. Add those figures.

3. Divide that total by the total number of parts.

Example:
Say you make a mix that is three parts wheat,
one part corn and one part oats. You want to
know how much protein is in the mix.

GRAIN PARTS PROTEIN % (see list below)

Wheat 3 X 12.5 = 37.5
Corn 1 X 9 = 9
Oats 1 X 12 = 12

TOTALS 5 58.5

58.5 divided by 5 = 11.7% Protein
in mix

After getting the protein percentage for your mix of grains, next use PEARSON'S SQUARE (above) to calculate how much protein concentrate to add to this mix. Where it says "Grain" in the Pearson's Square, just put in your amounts for the total mix.

(3) A List of the Protein Levels of Different Feeds


FOOD SOURCE %PROTEIN, BY WT


Dried fish flakes 76
Dried liver 76
Dried earthworms 76
Duckweed 50
Torula yeast 50
Brewers yeast 39
Soybeans (dry roasted) 37
Flaxseed 37
Alfalfa seed 35
Beef, lean 28
Earthworms 28
Fish 28
Sunflower seeds 26.3
Wheat germ 25
Peas & Beans, dried 24.5
Sesame seed 19.3
Soybeans (boiled) 17
Wheat bran 16.6
Oats, whole 14
Rice polish 12.8
Rye 12.5
Wheat 12.5
Barley 12.3
Oats 12
Corn 9
Millet 9
Milo 9
Rice, brown 7.5