Wheat for food?

[KZN Chicken farmer]

Hi, can I give wheat to my chickens?

 

[Naser]

Yes, but it is not enough, low protein content, I give them some mixed corn " wheat and corn" every evening as a treat.

 

[CindyinSD]

You can definitely give them wheat. White wheat is around 12% protein and hard red winter wheat is around 15%. Ideally layers should have 14-15% protein, more or less. Nobody should live on just one food, of course, and most grains aren’t as high in protein. Corn is around 7-9%, depending on whom you believe and (no doubt) the variety, where and how it was grown and other variables. If you give two parts corn and one part wheat, you’ve diluted your protein percentage by quite a lot. Still, the birds need a varied diet. Black oil sunflower seeds (BOSS) give you around 27% protein by weight. Oats are 15, barley is 12, field peas are 23 (but mine won’t eat them... I’ll have to grind them enough to break them up, so I’ve ordered a grinder). Soy is 39%, which is why most feeds depend on it for protein. Fish meal is 60% and meal worms are 53%. You can grow them yourself if you’re so inclined.

I think the math is kind of complicated, but I’m not a math person. I’m gonna try to figure it out...

Anyway, yes chickens can eat wheat. They just can’t live on wheat alone and since we (more or less) confine them and make them dependent on us for food, it’s on us to make sure they get what they need.