sunflower seeds

[cw]

im wonderin if i can subsititute sunflower seeds for soybean in there feed
i feed a custom milled feed to a flock of both layers and broilers, also any nutrional info would be helpful

 

[Chris09]

I would say no... But you can use safflower seed or ground peanuts instead of soybean..
soybean is about 30% protein
safflower is 30% protein
peanuts is 30% protein
sunflower seed 15%protein
One other thing when I say peanuts I meen the hearts
( the inside ) most all good feed mills will have them.

 

[Chris09]

Quick question for you..
why are you wanting to kick out the soybean...
If I know this I beable to help better...

 

[Davaroo]

Good question. Second, what is it costing you to produce (or have produced) custom milled feed?

 

[AHappychick]

I use sunflowers to boost my protein for my quail, I get the kind that is just the "meat" and grind it up and add it to the starter feed since I am unable to get organic game bird feed around here. The bag says that sunflower seeds are 22% crude protein

 

[caralouise1974]

I have to say that I've been trying to find feeds with lower soybean content, as I'm concerned about the 'synthetic oestrogen' properties of soybeans that have been demonstrated to have detrimental effects on humans.

Our bluebelle superovulates (sometimes up to four eggs a day!) and I have to admit that since I changed her feed to one with a lower soybean content (the protein coming from other sources) she has had far less laying problems. I feel sure that the high soybean content of her old feed was exacerbating her problems.

(I also feed my hens sunflower seeds as a protein boost by the way - they adore them too!

)

 

[cw]

i am kickin out the soybean because i would like to have a more self sufficient, organic,feed, after thinking about it for a min may the answer aint to kick out the soybean, but try to find a good soy replacement,(hairloom vierty)(opposed to the hybrid)and use the sunflower in the feed also,

also some asked about cost, well i could by a bag of the 20% for 12.50 per 50lbs, or buy the ingredients, (minus the arsenic) and mix it myself for 7.41 per 50 lbs, using local grown grains, plus i am getting a cleaner bag of feed, the upsides is i see whats in it, down side it aint medicated, we do free range all year as well,

 

[cw]

oh yea, any more opinions or ?s would be appreciated,

 

[espressola]

I am interested in low or no soybean for the same reasons as Caralouise. I am concerned mostly for my children and myself having too much estrogen in our systems and think it would be best to not have too much soy filtering to us (and the hens!). I'd love to find a feed that had low or no soy and got most of the protein from animal sources. I don't care about it being organic, probably would prefer not since it's too $$$. I also would like a higher level of nutrition for my girls than layer feed which I feel is a very basic level. I am in Northern CA and my birds can freerange quite a bit, plus they get kitchen scraps. I am also raising mealworms for them. I've had pig feed and gamebird ration suggested to me, but then people tell me to worry about too much protein- I thought higher would be better- what is the problem with "too much" and how much is too much? Does the quality of the protein matter- eg. hydrolyzed chicken feathers vs meat or fish meal? Where can I buy fish meal? Any comments?
Thanks, Patty N. ;-)

 

[cw]

i dont know, i hope we get more input