What can I feed in the future for protein?

[Pet Duck Boy]

Right now I'm just thinking ahead. I was orignally going to stick with starter with my 7 week old chicks, and give a choice of oyster shells once they started laying. But my feed store is lowering their stock, and said they won't be carrying starter in the next few months. To be sure I had enough, I had to get my dad to buy 3 bags of 50 pound starter. Quite a lot, but it won't last forever. In the coming months I'll stick with the starter as long as I have it, but once I run out...I'll have to switch to 16% layer crumbles. I like the idea of giving my chickens a higher protein content in their food, as I hear lots of good things about it making their feathers shiny, better eggs, happier chickens, etc.. Currently I'm letting my chicks out of their kennel for a few hours a day, during that time they eat lots of grass and weeds. Maybe a few bugs, but I can't tell. Once laying hens, what can I give them to increase their protein intake? Whether it be a weekly treat, something I put in their feed, or a snack a few times a day? I would like it to be something I can easily get a hold of....should I maybe start a compost pile to attract all sorts of bugs, then let the chickens at it once a week? Or would that be too big of a risk of introducing parasites? Thanks.

 

[TXmom]

I toss BOSS (Black Oil Sunflower Seeds) to my chickens a few times a week to help with protein. Also, I feed some dinner leftovers like Spaghetti with meat sauce, and sometimes when I have too many eggs, I scramble them up and feed them back to the chickens...they LOVE LOVE LOVE eggs!

 

[BlackBart]

A bit of whole flaxseed mixed in their feed. I feed BOSS too.

 

[ErieSpurs]

For ducks that feed on fish (mergansers) people add pond fish food to their feed for extra protein. You can find these pellets at most TSC or farm stores. I assume you could do the same with chickens.

You could also try grinding acorns if you have some nearby oak trees.

 

[little_grey_bantam]

I mix my crumble with other seeds (wheat, milo, etc.) to make it last longer...
And with time, I feed them what I have in the freezer, ground up rabbit meat, elk, deer, etc. etc. Or I will sit down and cut up roasts we have left over (raw and frozen for at least 3 months).

 

[MimiChick]

BOSS is great protein and easily found at almost any store. Leftover meats or fish will also add protein, as will old/extra eggs (cooked of course). The other thing you might want to think about is getting one of the high protein grower feeds. I get a 20% flock raiser and mix it with the layer pellets to keep their protein up. If they are getting free choice oyster shell you can just feed the higher protein feed during molt to help re-grow feathers, then mix it again when they finish molting and start laying. Check with your feed store and see if they carry a high protein feed (I think it's usually for turkeys) that you can use. If not, they might be able to order it for you. Good luck.

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
Boss isn't going to bring the protein up at all unless you are feeding something less than 16% protein...
BOSS (Black Oil Sunflower Seed) is only around 16% protien...

Chris

 

[WoodlandWoman]

It isn't just the total amount of protein in foods that you look at, it's the amino acids in them.

One of the reasons I feed sunflower seeds is for the methionine in them, which is one of the amino acids that grains are lacking in. It's a major component of feathers, also, so very important when they are molting. It's more common in animal ingredients. You can add an ingredient that may not have more total protein, but if it has a lot of an amino acid that your other ingredients are lacking, the USABLE protein in the food goes way up, as then you have more complete protein from the mix. Traditionally, grains and legumes are a good fit, for balance. Different seed types can have quite different amino acid profiles, compared to traditional cerial grains. Quinoa seed is very well balanced, but it's protein can be anywhere from 14-18 percent.