Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

livingontheland - [Livingontheland] Changing Poultry Feed by the Season

livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] Changing Poultry Feed by the Season
  • Date: Sat, 11 Oct 2008 10:26:38 -0600



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

paul tradingpost@lobo.net
------------------------------------------

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!





  • [Livingontheland] Changing Poultry Feed by the Season, Tradingpost, 10/11/2008

Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page