Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>]

I'm no chicken expert but this site looks useful. BTW egg prices are up at 
the markets.

paul tradingpost@lobo.net
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A Winter Menu
Changing Poultry Feed by the Season
By Lisa Jansen Mathews
faroutfarmer@hotmail.com
http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/issues/1/1-5/Lisa_Jansen_Mathews.html

I receive calls each winter concerning loss of chickens or the reduction in 
egg production. Both of these issues are related to diet. The callers are 
pleased to get manageable answers. I am not sure why the poultry feed 
industry builds its rations on growth stage alone. It is true that chicks 
need the higher protein in chick starter. Layers require less protein and 
higher calcium found in layer rations. However, these are not the only 
nutritional needs of the flock. As a college nutrition science major I look 
at poultry diet differently. I look at the calories, vitamins and minerals 
needed for the stage of development, the desired output, and the weather.
Spring Means Higher Protein Rations

In the spring I allow my hens to hatch chicks. I prefer to renew my flock in 
this manner. Breeding and setting require more protein. I put my breeders on 
20 percent or higher rations. Additionally, in spring my layers increase 
their egg production. They are putting out a high protein, high calcium, high 
fat and vitamin A and E product. They require an increase in these same 
nutrients. If you pasture your flock you can choose pasture grasses that 
contain good levels of these nutrients. I plant alfalfa and legumes in my 
pasture. Alfalfa is 20% protein and high in both vitamins A and E. Legumes 
are high in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin A. Adding scratch to the diet 
increases vitamin E.
A jar of sprouts plus good information from the AAFCO Official Publication 
equals great eggs and healthy chickens.
A jar of sprouts plus good information from the AAFCO Official Publication 
equals great eggs and healthy chickens.
Winter Means Increased Calories

In winter my flock reduces egg production and has to endure cold weather. 
These are the issues about which small flock owner's contact me. To meet 
these changes I reduce calcium and protein while increasing calories. The 
increase in calories allows the bird to stay warm. When birds are able to 
stay warm they are less likely to become ill or die. I decrease their protein 
intake to 17 percent. This is the standard protein content of most layer 
rations. I reduce calcium by reducing the availability of oyster shell. To 
increase calories I increase the proportion of scratch. Scratch is low 
protein but high calorie. I allow my hens to reduce egg production in winter 
to prepare for spring breeding. If you don't want to allow reduction of egg 
production you can increase protein with sprouting.
Increase Protein With Sprouts

Sprouting is simply allowing grains and legumes to sprout. This source of 
amino acids, vitamins and calories will increase winter egg yields and boost 
your birds' immune systems to ward off illness. Poultry get cold and flu 
viruses just like we do. Sprouting can be done in your kitchen window. Fill a 
mason jar 30% full with wheat, barley, and oats or any bean. Cover the seeds 
with water and tuck the jar away in a warm dark place. Empty the jar of water 
after eight hours. Then rinse the seeds daily. Drain the seeds well. When 
they begin to sprout place the jar in a sunny kitchen window. Continue to 
rinse daily. When the sprouts have greened up nicely feed them to your birds.

My husband is a hopeless junk collector. He is always bringing home items 
discarded at work. One day he came home with a stack of plastic yellow 
toolbox trays. They sat in front of the barn for months. When trying to 
streamline my sprouting process, I discovered I could sprinkle sprouts on a 
thin layer of potting soil in the trays. The trays are easy to place in with 
pullets. I limit the time I leave the tray in the pullet enclosure so the 
birds don't munch the sprouts down to the plastic. When the tray is removed 
it can be watered and continue to grow for another serving. My 
junk-collecting husband is a genius!

Chickens love sprouts no matter how you serve them. I have sprouted flax, 
mung beans, vetch, lentils, buckwheat and alfalfa in addition to the seeds 
mentioned above. I have omitted poppy seeds to avoid getting my chickens 
loaded. I am not sure but I think poppy seeds are an opiate. Peaceful Valley 
Farm and Garden Supply offer a number of seeds and seed blends in their cover 
crop section I like to sprout. Their website is www.groworganic.com. I highly 
recommend the omega-3 egg blend on page 48 of their 2006 master catalog.
Compare & Adjust Rations

In order to properly provide and change poultry diet as needed one must learn 
to read poultry ration tags. The tag is usually attached to the bottom of the 
bag. I keep a collection of poultry tags to show students in my poultry 
classes. Poultry rations are required to have the percentage of protein, fat, 
fiber and ash listed on the tag. The tags list the ingredients too. I like to 
know the sources of nutrients. Ingredient listings can help you adjust 
nutrient levels in the diet and compare the quality of rations. For example, 
there are three brands of layer feed sold in my area. One of them is slightly 
cheaper but, according to the tag, contains a lower percentage of protein. 
Therefore, the cheaper feed is not a savings but a lower protein feed.

Knowing ingredients is useful information. An example of this is the brand of 
food I always tell my students about. I will not mention the brand name, but 
it contained dried bakery products. Some folks may not mind feeding their 
birds dried bakery products but I do. I am looking for nutrient dense foods, 
not empty calories and sugar. I advise my students to read their feed labels 
on a regular basis. The above-mentioned food did not contain bakery products 
when I began purchasing it. I also keep tabs on the amount of soy in rations. 
I have a theory about plant estrogens and ovary diseases in layers.
Lisa's Buff Orpington pullets enjoy a tray of wheat grass.
Lisa's Buff Orpington pullets enjoy a tray of wheat grass.

If you want to know even more about what you are feeding your birds I 
recommend "The Association of American Feed Officials' Official Publication." 
This publication defines the ingredients listed on poultry and other feed 
labels. If your layer ration lists soybean meal as an ingredient it means 
"the grindings of soy flakes after the extraction of most of the oil from 
dehulled soybeans." Ground corn means the entire kernel of corn ground up. 
Dried bakery goods is "a mixture of breads, cookies, cakes, crackers, flours 
and doughs, which has been mechanically separated from non-edible materials." 
(Association of American Feed Officials' Official Publication, 2004) For 
further information about obtaining a copy of the American Feed Association 
Publication go to www.aafco.org.

At times I have mixed my own rations. Knowing the nutrient content of each 
grain or other ingredients, such as fish or kelp meal, is necessary. A good 
table for nutrient content is in the book Ducks & Geese in Your Backyard, by 
Rick and Gail Luttmann. I have a copy of the 1978 edition. The nutrient table 
is on pages 122 and 123. Some poultry keepers prefer vegetarian ingredients 
only. I have a great respect for fishmeal with its 65 percent protein level. 
I encourage you to think about what you expect from your birds and then look 
at the rations you feed. If you expect your chickens to survive cold winters 
in poorly insulated housing be sure to increase their calorie intake. If you 
want rich healthy eggs provide rich healthy rations!