When is it too much protein?

[AnneLovesChickens]

Hi everyone! I was wondering from your research and experience the best way to go about chicken health. I don’t keep my chickens for meat or eggs. Just pets. I want them to live long happy healthy lives and grow up to have the most beautiful feathers. I got them around a week old and They started out on medicated starter feed, but now they are almost 3 months old and eat NatureWise all flock, mixed with brewers yeast and coop kelp. Do you think this is a good diet or bad one? I just want them to be the healthiest chickens ever. Thank you

 

[wyochick10]

I’m not sure what is considered too much protein but I feed Flock Raiser and it’s 18% protein. My flock is currently molting so I am giving a little more protein now in the form of extra meal worms and some dry cat food( both in moderation). I’m sure someone else will come along with more info soon as I have not used brewers yeast for chickens nor kelp.

 

[BDutch]

I’m not sure what is considered too much protein but I feed Flock Raiser and it’s 18% protein. My flock is currently molting so I am giving a little more protein now in the form of extra meal worms and some dry cat food( both in moderation). I’m sure someone else will come along with more info soon as I have not used brewers yeast for chickens nor kelp.

Flock raiser with 18% is quit high in proteïne. Probably meant for raising chicks for meat? Anyway. You shouldn't give extra proteine with this feed.

When I had chicks I gave biological feed for chicks. This has only 14% proteïne. I gave a little bit of dried mealworms as a treat.

The hens in the flock ate this too when the little ones started to mingle in the flock. Chicks and chickens did just fine. From about 18 weeks they started to eat layer feed and chicken mix (grains/wheat/barley/mais) spread on the ground as extra feed. There is always a bowl with small stones and oyster grit (calcium) available.

To keep them healthy it is good to let them free range in a natural garden or a very large run where they can eat grasses, herbs and search for insects.

 

[Acre4Me]

18% is fine to feed. I feed a 20% all flock pellet, but I also have standard to very large breeds, and find the extra protein helps, plus it is what the feed store sells for an all flock. It is generally stated on here that 16% is the minimum for maintenance, although some layer feeds are 15%. So, your 18% is a good level.

if you really want beautiful feathers and showy birds, you can look into specialty feeds for showing birds, as they have feeds specifically for beautiful feathers etc. start by going to the websites for feed companies. Pretty sure Purina has choices in this category. But other companies do too. If you can’t find what you want locally, there are companies that ship, such as chewy dot com. I’ve never gone this route, but others have. Also, your feed store may be able to order some in for you.

 

[chickens really]

18% protein is good for certain breeds of chickens. Certain ones require higher protein.

 

[Fairview01]

The protein content of commercially available feeds is determined by poultry nutrition experts to return the best acceptable returns for minimal costs in commercial operations. This in turn has led people who think they are experts but aren't to condemn any thoughts about feeding a higher or lower protein content.

I raise exhibition heritage white cornish. I feed a custom feed i created that averages around 35% protein. Much of it animal sourced. The challenge to feeding that level of protein is inadequate levels of choline chloride. Although not an amino acid, choline chloride is derived from methionine which is. When methionine is deficient as os a common case with feeds that are solely plant sourced protein ls, choline becomes a limiting growth factor which results in fatty liver disease and perosis.

Higher levels of protein can be fed and poultry can efficiently use it IF the feed is balanced with additional essential amino acids and limiting growth factors.

It's impossible to get this sort of growth on a

7 month old cockerel feeding 21% plant sourced protein.

 

[AnneLovesChickens]

I’m not sure what is considered too much protein but I feed Flock Raiser and it’s 18% protein. My flock is currently molting so I am giving a little more protein now in the form of extra meal worms and some dry cat food( both in moderation). I’m sure someone else will come along with more info soon as I have not used brewers yeast for chickens nor kelp.

Thank you! Every opinion counts to me

 

[AnneLovesChickens]

Flock raiser with 18% is quit high in proteïne. Probably meant for raising chicks for meat? Anyway. You shouldn't give extra proteine with this feed.

When I had chicks I gave biological feed for chicks. This has only 14% proteïne. I gave a little bit of dried mealworms as a treat.

The hens in the flock ate this too when the little ones started to mingle in the flock. Chicks and chickens did just fine. From about 18 weeks they started to eat layer feed and chicken mix (grains/wheat/barley/mais) spread on the ground as extra feed. There is always a bowl with small stones and oyster grit (calcium) available.

To keep them healthy it is good to let them free range in a natural garden or a very large run where they can eat grasses, herbs and search for insects.

We’re building them an extra large Fort Knox coop and then hopefully expanding even more across our property. We have 20 acres, but sometimes daytime coyotes, foxes, and hawks.

 

[AnneLovesChickens]

The protein content of commercially available feeds is determined by poultry nutrition experts to return the best acceptable returns for minimal costs in commercial operations. This in turn has led people who think they are experts but aren't to condemn any thoughts about feeding a higher or lower protein content.

I raise exhibition heritage white cornish. I feed a custom feed i created that averages around 35% protein. Much of it animal sourced. The challenge to feeding that level of protein is inadequate levels of choline chloride. Although not an amino acid, choline chloride is derived from methionine which is. When methionine is deficient as os a common case with feeds that are solely plant sourced protein ls, choline becomes a limiting growth factor which results in fatty liver disease and perosis.

Higher levels of protein can be fed and poultry can efficiently use it IF the feed is balanced with additional essential amino acids and limiting growth factors.

It's impossible to get this sort of growth on aView attachment 1971043 View attachment 1971044 View attachment 1971045 7 month old cockerel feeding 21% plant sourced protein.

Wow! What a beautiful coat!! I’m seriously wondering if nutritional value of long living poultry is often neglected since they are raised to be killed within a year or 2. I have 4 ducks too and one is a drake blue Swedish, and it’s feathers are coming in with extra colors all over his body. Do you think this could be from eating so healthy?

 

[cmom]

I feed my chicks Game Bird starter which I think is 26% protein. I used to feed them a high protein starter but the company I deal with no longer makes it and suggested I use the Game Bird starter. When The chicks are around 8 weeks I switch them over to grower pellets which is 21% protein. When the birds start laying I switch them over to Game Bird Breeder pellets 20% protein. During the hot summer months here in Florida I feed the birds a 16% layer feed. When they start molting I switch them back to the Game Bird Breeder 20% protein since their feathers are made of primarily protein. After they molt I give them a mix of regular Layer and the Game Bird Breeder. When I set up my breeding pens I switch the birds over the the Game Bird Breeder. I did a lot of researched and contacted people I know who are breeders. I do show my birds at poultry shows. Good luck and have fun...