Switching chickens diet to animal proteins

[JRD2002]

Does anyone have an experience with this? I am about to do a little experiment with 20 6 week old roosters that I was planning to cull anyway. Plan to feed them their daily protein requirement with shredded wild hog meat and then also supply them with some fermented wheat to eat throughout the rest of the day.

 

[Noreaster Egger]

That's it? Do they free range? If not it sounds nutritionally deficient unless you're grinding in some organs too.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I don't think it is a good plan.
The meat will be a good source of protein but still won't be complete nutritionally, even with the wheat.
That would be akin to feeding children only pulled pork sandwiches. No veggies, no fruit, et. al..

Unless you feed a much more diverse array of feedstuffs, they'll develop nutritional deficiencies.
What would be a better idea is to feed a 15% finisher feed or a 12.5% gamebird maintenance feed and supplement that with the pork.
That way, they'll get all the vitamins and minerals in the appropriate ratios that galliformes need.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Quote:
Before Political Correctness became a craze, all chicken feed had an ingredient called "Tankage" Tankage along with milk by products is the best source of protein for Gallus Gallus Domesticus. No animal feed is formulated for backyard chickens. All such chicken feed is intended to appeal to the small flock keeper, not the poor chickens.

 

[Labradors]

So what is tankage?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

So what is tankage?

Refuse from slaughter houses.

 

[JRD2002]

I am going to give it a go as planned and see what results I have. The wheat and pork are free and am not really looking in to spending money on these birds. I figure I am going to have to get rid of them when they start crowing anyway so I am really only interested in putting weight on them fast and cheap. If they don't make a decent slaughter weight by the time they start crowing I will probably use them to feed my other pets (dog/cat).

I am not sure what it was like before mad cow disease but am pretty sure that had a big impact on the commercial feed markets moving to vegetable protein vs animal proteins.

Animal proteins provide more complete amino acids so I am curious to see if they even exhibit any signs of nutritional deficiencies. I figure the biggest health risk would be burning up their kidneys with a very high protein diet...but like I said these birds will not have a long life to begin with.

 

[lazy gardener]

Too high protein will send them into ketosis and prevent them from putting on the weight (IMO). I think you're on a good plan, but I'd also add some corn.

 

[Little Fuzzy]

Wouldn't bother me, at least it doesn't go to waste. People are too squeamish these days. Waste not want not. As long as it's not rendered pets.

 

[donrae]

I tend to skim when I read, I caught the part about the pork being free and was thinking "I'd rather eat the pork myself!"....then went back and re-read the part where it's wild hog

I think it's an intriguing idea. I'm thinking these are dual purpose birds, correct? I agree I would plan on a good amount of wheat, but it will be interesting to see how much they choose to eat of what if allowed to self regulate.

Will you keep us updated?