What kind of (if any) spices do you add to your feed?

[BoundlessLove]

None

 

[kattabelly]

Thanks for the links.

The first study did show a slight improvement in feed conversion, no difference in egg quality. But, there were only 5 birds per replicate, not a large number for a study. More so, there were wide swings in the feed conversion of the control group and the three groups of levels of spice given in the diet. Up to .25 points, from 2.068 to 2.3. This was in Egypt so the climate might have been more important than the spice in the feed. Super hot in one test, less not in the other, and they didn't report the differences in temperature or other factors in the weeks of testing.

But, say they are right and the test could be duplicated independantly, chicken feed is less than $1.00 per kg while spice on a wholesale level is $2.50 per kg but retail, the cheapest walmart great value brand is over $25.00 per kg. One kg would treat 33 kgs of feed at the 30grams per kg of feed level used in the study at the maximum level. 72 pounds of feed. Now the cheapest pellets I could find was $14.30 with tax. Make it easy to calculate, 1.5 bags is $21.00 and change, then add the $25.00 in oregano.

You more than doubled the cost of your feed if you are buying the spice from Walmart for a 1 to 5% feed conversion gain. Assuming the best outcome of the 12 different cadres in the test.

So using the best improvement in feed conversion from the test and the cheapest spice available to most of us, this is a dismal failure.

If you could raise your own or buy at a wholesale level somehow, $2.50 per kg added to $21 worth of pellets, roughly 12% increase in feed cost for a 5% feed conversion gain.

So, using that one study, and I did read the entire study not just the abstract, and I will read the other studies this weekend, one would have to be delusional to trade 12% cost increase for less than half that in the best possible feed conversion gain.

But, maybe the feed tastes better and maybe it makes others feel better to feed the spice. From this one study, those would be the only rational reasons to feed these two spices to your chickens.

Do the math people. Lots of well intentioned advice from good people is given without a rational or scientific basis. But it it cannot be measured it cannot be trusted.

I'll update by this weekend on the other two studies. Thanks again for taking the time and effort to provide the links.

Ok, but I posted those as examples in response to your claim that there was "no reason" and "no scientific basis" to ever provide anything other than commercial feed.

Profit isn't the only reason to do something - how many people here are even running commercial flocks? I'd imagine most are at least as motivated by other factors like their chickens' health and happiness/quality of life. Much harder to find studies specifically looking at the health etc. of backyard flocks, of course, so all we can really do is assume and extrapolate.

That context is relevant in other ways too. If you're running a massive broiler operation, buying in any feed additives will almost certainly be the only option that makes sense. If I wanted to give my chickens some thyme or oregano I could just pick a handful on my way to them. And for that little effort and no cost, if some studies have shown even minor benefits from feeding those herbs to chickens, which might also be applicable in the context of my flock, why not?

I'm not disagreeing that "because it makes people feel better to do it" isn't a factor here. I just don't think it's fair to suggest it's the only reason.

 

[WildNectarine]

Ok, but I posted those as examples in response to your claim that there was "no reason" and "no scientific basis" to ever provide anything other than commercial feed.

Profit isn't the only reason to do something - how many people here are even running commercial flocks? I'd imagine most are at least as motivated by other factors like their chickens' health and happiness/quality of life. Much harder to find studies specifically looking at the health etc. of backyard flocks, of course, so all we can really do is assume and extrapolate.

That context is relevant in other ways too. If you're running a massive broiler operation, buying in any feed additives will almost certainly be the only option that makes sense. If I wanted to give my chickens some thyme or oregano I could just pick a handful on my way to them. And for that little effort and no cost, if some studies have shown even minor benefits from feeding those herbs to chickens, which might also be applicable in the context of my flock, why not?

I'm not disagreeing that "because it makes people feel better to do it" isn't a factor here. I just don't think it's fair to suggest it's the only reason.

I’d like to add, that over my years of raising quail, I have come to learn that each bird has individual taste. It was shocking to me, as I thought they were supposed to be dumb, “bird-brained”, but they’re actually very picky, and even incredible at solving foraging puzzles, especially for their “favorite” treats. I had a quail who would run to the opening of the enclosure and jump for mealworms, my newest addition eats them last. Even when I throw out seed mixes, one will eat all of what seed they “like” first, and then get the rest after. I’m sure chickens probably have this, too, so even if there’s minor physical benefits to spices as feed additives, I think the psychological benefits are definitely there.