Should I cook lentils and rice before feeding?

[messianicmom]

Thank you;

I want to sprout some, too.
How long do you let the lentils/peas sprout for and how do you dry them?

I have an Excalibur dehydrator I would use to dry, just don't know what temp. or for how long.

Yes, I'm wondering about garbanzos, too.

Rachel

 

[crittersitter]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2593-Treats_Chart

At bottom of page is a list of bad treats

 

[txchickie]

No need to cook lentils first! However, try sprouting them....my chickens loove sprouts!

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
That is not all true..
I fed a Pigeon Feed as a Scratch that has
Canada peas, popcorn, red milo, safflower, mung bean, maple peas, whole kafir, whole wheat, white millet, austrian peas, canary seed, red millet, rice, buckwheat, vetch.
None of witch is cooked....
If you look at that list it says that popcorn should be popped but most good scratch grains game fowl feed have popcorn in it....
All so on the list of "not to feed" foods is Citrus, I see people on here say it is because chickens shouldn't have the "Citrus acid".. Well they use Citrus acid in mos good poultry electrolytes..

I think that it should have sayed soy bean is to be cooked or roasted....

Below is from -
Poultry Foods and Feeding by DUNCAN FORBES LAURIE

LEGUMINOUS SEEDS
Peas There are several varieties of the common
feeding pea, and, in addition, the garden varieties, which
are heavy croppers, are desirable as poultry food. Peas
should be more freely used than is the case. Readers
who study Part II. of this book, will be struck by the
remarkable similarity in the chemical composition of
the protein of the pea and the protein of fowl's flesh.
I have always been a strong believer in peas as poultry
food, and there are many others who also appreciate
the value of this legume. The protein content is remarkably
high (22 to 24%}, and this points to a good flesh
former and egg producer. The value of peas in bacon producing
pigs is well known ; it is of all foods the one
which gives the necessary meat in what too often is
" too fat " bacon. With fowls, the high protein content
enables us to keep the fowls going in cases where other
foods would lead to too much fat production and consequent
diminution in the egg supply.
Peas are generally used in the cold weather, but
their analysis shows them equally suited to hot weather
feeding. They may, however, be regarded as a concentrated
protein food, and are better fed, in due proportion, with other grains, or as pea meal mixed with
the mash. Fowls will soon become accustomed to whole
peas, and will eat them readily, but they seem to dislike
crushed peas. The pea has a bitter principle in it and
it is this that the fowl dislike's which is evidently
accentuated by crushing. Peas have a better mineral
percentage than wheat, oats, and barley, but still there
is a shortage which must be made up.
Lentils are very valuable, but as a rule are expensive,
and their use must then be confined to chickens. The
protein content is richer than in peas, and there is a
little more fat (under 5%}.. The starch content is about
the same as in peas. The mineral salts also are a little
more in evidence. In actual practice lentils prove themselves
very valuable, and they doubtless contain some
active principle beneficial to poultry. For many years
I have added a part of cracked lentils to chicken mixtures,
and this part is always eaten readily. When cheap,
lentils can be ground and added to the mash fed to
poultry. Similar seeds ground and added to mash
mixed with skim milk must be regarded as very valuable.


Chris

 

[crittersitter]

Thanks Chris. good info. Perhaps the treat list should be modified

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

great info chris. I ususally cook my rice and peas because m y birds seem to eat it better. But after reading that I see it may be because I am feeding split peas. I was under the impression that the protien content was much lower though,have you resourced that info elsewhere?

 

[messianicmom]

Thank you Chris for that post.

I have discovered that raw lentils, chickpeas and split peas are higher in protein than their cooked counterparts. Also, sprouted lentils have a suffiecient levels of all amino acids
and when mixed with rice makes a traditionally good balance. I found (roughly, there were a a couple grams off at different sites) that for:
7 oz., raw brown rice has 13 g of protein-boiled rice has about 5gr.;
7 oz. raw split peas has 50 gr. protein-for 1 c. cooked, 11+ gr. protein;
7 oz. raw Garbanzos has about 17gr. protein-cooked, 1c. has 15 gr. protein

HOwever, I read that split peas cannot be sprouted; has anyone done it anyway?


I've been feeding mine raw, cracked field peas (no more than 10% of total); they'll even eat them whole so I will throw a few in there. However, cracking them is really hard on my grain mill so I want to find an alternative high protein grain that either doesn't need to be cracked or is easy on the mill.

Also, mine love citrus. They clean up the inside for me and then I cut them and compost them.

Rachel

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
I have did some research on that information.
Some of the researching I did was on Pigeon and Game-fowl sites that I found informational.
Most common being Canadian, Maple, and Austrian. Peas have a protein content around 24%
Now Blackeyed peas are a subspecies of cowpea which is also around 22% protein but higher in fiber than field peas.
The above percentages are for 100 lbs of grain...

Chris

 

[flockof4]

This is great info. I have been fearful of feeding my hens uncooked peas, lentils, garbanzos. Now I know. Should we be careful to clearly delineate between field peas and beans? Am I correct in believing that black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans etc. need to be soaked and cooked before being fed to chickens? Or are they ok raw?

 

[messianicmom]

I did read that the other beans, like those you mentioned (black, pinto, kidney, etc) should be cooked.

Rachel