Scratch mix, or cracked lupins as treats?

[Sussex19]

I like to feed my chickens some treats, (and I know all the usual stuff about not feeding to many treats) which is normally a bit of scratch mix. However, I was wondering about using cracked lupins instead, as they seem to have more protein, and less fat.
Here is an analysis I found online from a feed company,

Are there any downsides to lupins? (Bearing in mind they are just for treats, but I would like those treats to be as healthy and shall we say 'useful' as possible)

 

[1muttsfan]

Here is an extension article on the use of lupins in chicken feed. As you can see, the answer is yes, but in limited quantities due to certain ingredients such as Pectins. So mixed into a scratch grain mix used as a treat it should be fine.

https://poultry.extension.org/artic...umes-in-poultry-feed/lupins-in-poultry-diets/

 

[EddieSalita]

I asked a similar question a while back. Like you the research indicated it to be a perfectly decent feed if kept under 40% or so of the diet. Admittedly this was Broiler diet. So I just use them minimally for laying hens.

The laucke layer feed I buy has lupins in it. I can get 20kg bags of whole lupins pretty cheap. They are sold up here in qld as high protein horse feed. I believe they are all grown in WA. I didn't want to buy a whole bag though in case they didn't like it. The stockfeed guy offered to open a bag and sell be a couple kg to try. He does that with various things like bird seed etc.

Anyway.... They about small pea size and dried hard.....so they didn't really know what to do with them right away, so I dropped them through the little greenfield wood chipper which effectively cracked em much like corn is cracked. They had no problem figuring out what to do with cracked lupins. Gobbled them up real quick. I also tried some soaked for 24hrs. That was their favourite.

So I say go for it, I used them as a high protein treat. I will probably get a whole bag, crack them and mix with whole wheat once ive used up the scratch grain i have. We're pretty fortunate to be able to get them so cheap in quantity in oz so if your chooks like em I think it's a great option. Maybe just see if you can get a small amount to try first.

 

[1muttsfan]

I would definitely not feed them whole, it takes dry whole beans a long time to soak up water and that would be an issue in the digestive tract.

 

[Sussex19]

Thanks guys!
@EddieSalita can you buy pre-cracked ones? I once tried cracking them when the shop was out of cracked ones, and it was a horrendous job.

 

[EddieSalita]

I can't get them..... only because the rural supplies won't order them in for me. But according to Google both cracked and pelleted form is around. Maybe being in nsw you might have better luck getting hold of those. We're pretty backwards up here for some things

I don't know if I could crack them reliably without the little horizontal woodchipper. Agreed it woukd be a horrendous job.

https://www.independentsown.com.au/our-products/feed-nutrition/premium-grains/io-cracked-lupins/

https://www.wyongproduce.com.au/cracked-lupins