What are some ways to increase protein?

[birddog2]

With the colder weather and loss of insects, my free rangers have slowed in egg production. I have read about alfalfa meal and bean meal and just wondered what some of you use to increase protein to keep the girls laying. Thanks

[Evy]

Dry dog or cat food, as long as ''real meat'' (animal by-products) is among the first couple ingredients on the label & NOT soy or soy products.

There was a discussion on this recently. Try finding some of the earlier posts.

[Antwerptom03]

Catfish pellets are 40% protein but high in fat. The birds eat them just fine
Gotta be careful you don't feed too much

[Pathfinders]

I'm with Evy (what a big surprise.)

Cat fud.

[Bresis]

I do the cat food thing as well as a can of tuna fish. Omega-3s ahoy!

[Rich]

My first assumption is that you are currently feeding a complete ration to your hens. A ration that is formulated for laying hens generally will have enough protein in it to meet the birds needs. The second thing to consider is light. The main reason, most birds do not lay as much in the winter is that there is less light (which is responsible for ovulation in the hen). If you are already feeding a laying feed, I would consider artificial lighting to increase daylength to 14 hours per day as my next step to improve rate of lay.

[birddog2]

I have increased light, given free choice layer ration and supplemented with corn, milo, and boiled soybeans. Also have started using electric waters that keep the water completely thawed at all times. The hens have responded well :D

[HunterFarmer]

I add turkey/game bird grower pellets and also utilize animal carcasses, suit and grease in cold weather.

[Pathfinders]

I have increased light, given free choice layer ration and supplemented with corn, milo, and boiled soybeans. Also have started using electric waters that keep the water completely thawed at all times. The hens have responded well :D

When you "supplement" your layer ration with other grains, all you're doing is messing with the carbo/protein ratio. No need to do that, really. As Rich says, light was probably the issue.

[Rich]

Like Pathfinders mentions, the corn and milo supplementation will only reduce the protein content. If you are interested in increasing the protein, the boiled soybeans would be one way to do it or by using soybean oilseed meal.

[FreedomDove]

I give a flake of alfalfa and eggs. My chickens produce way more eggs then I can get rid of so I steam them in a veggy steamer and break them on the ground. I also keep them on 14 hours of light all year long. I live in the desert so insects are not over populated, on my property anyway. I give them the alfalfa and eggs all year long. They get lay pellets as their staple diet, ad lib.

[goosedragon]

I give a flake of alfalfa and eggs. My chickens produce way more eggs then I can get rid of so I steam them in a veggy steamer and break them on the ground. I also keep them on 14 hours of light all year long. I live in the desert so insects are not over populated, on my property anyway. I give them the alfalfa and eggs all year long. They get lay pellets as their staple diet, ad lib.

I usually ask a stupid question at least twice a month....If you are getting more eggs than you need why are you keeping the birds on 14 hours of light? I am assuming that chickens are born with a limited number of egg cells and when they are gone they are gone. Why not allow the girls to slack off in the winter time like mother nature intended?~gd

[FreedomDove]

It goes in waves as to how many eggs I need by what my customers want. Sometimes I am sold out and sometimes I have extra. I would rather them stay on the same light cycle and have eggs. If I got more then I needed all the time I would change it.

[Brian Paul Witt]

What are some ways to increase protein?

There is a short and a long answer.
First, know what kind of protein you want to increase. Soy and alfalfa will give you an increase, but soy protein ain't something I want to give to my birds.

Fishmeal or meat meal (cow/hog) is what you want. Right now, meat meal about 1/5 the price of fishmeal and I have been getting the same results. It is an animal product and that is what a poultry breeder wants.

I get mine in NC; that is the nearest place I've found it (I live in the best state in the US--South Carolina!!). I do think it can be found in other places where cattle and hogs are slaughtered in large numbers.

BP

[goosedragon]

What are some ways to increase protein?

There is a short and a long answer.
First, know what kind of protein you want to increase. Soy and alfalfa will give you an increase, but soy protein ain't something I want to give to my birds.

Fishmeal or meat meal (cow/hog) is what you want. Right now, meat meal about 1/5 the price of fishmeal and I have been getting the same results. It is an animal product and that is what a poultry breeder wants.

I get mine in NC; that is the nearest place I've found it (I live in the best state in the US--South Carolina!!). I do think it can be found in other places where cattle and hogs are slaughtered in large numbers.

BP

All of us up here in the Old North State are pleased with your patronage. Does our meat meal state that it is cow/hog origin? We also slaughter a lot of poultry up here. If it is from cows it would have to be labeled because it is a federal crime to feed it back to cattle, one of those anti-Mad Cow disease measures you know. ~gd

[Evy]

Someone told me that the ''bunny huggers'' also managed to put an end to horses being slaughtered for any reason in the US. True ? I do know a truckload every month or more goes from here to Canada for both pet & human consumption. I aussumed it was because of preferences & the price was better.

[Rich]

Horses are no longer slaughtered in the US, hence the need to ship them to Canada or Mexico where the process is still done. The American Veterinary Medical Association did not support the ban, however it passed anyway. Lots of horse lovers in this country that assume that all horses have the right to live thier days out in a pristine pasture somewhere, however those individuals also don't realize the costs associated with keeping a horse, that in many cases cannot be ridden, may be hurt in some way or is just too old to do anything. Now the option is to either ship them out of the country (certainly less stressful than slaughtering them here) or to euthanize them and trash the meat, and dispose of the carcasses some way so as not to pollute the environment. I know a nutritionist at a zoo that currently purchases her Horsemeat for the carnivores at the zoo from Canada or they have substituted beef. (more costly for them too). Don't you love it when emotion takes the place of common sense.

[Pathfinders]

As a horse owner whose family has had horses for about 80 years or so, I am firmly against the ban on horse slaughter in the US (no one wants to say they are for horse slaughter, you understand.) Of course, it's a terrible thing to think of a horse going off to the knacker man. But the alternative is for horses to get shipped even longer distances to plants that may or may not have the same standard of humane guidelines in place that we did here in the US (can't imagine Mexico is better than Texas or IL was.)

The real problem is that now horses who used to go to slaughter are being abandoned in parks to "fend for themselves", shoved into small paddocks and not fed, or simply left in pastures to die. Carcasses left lying around create major problems with predators, disease, insects, and potential runoff into streams. People who formerly would sell an animal to the knacker man will generally not have or be willing to pay the money it takes to have an animal humanely put down and then buried (it's not cheap!)

It's my feeling that while horse slaughter houses were not wonderful places, the alternative we have now is worse.

[Neil E. Grassbaugh]

Did you know that there is a move afoot in some states to criminalize any practices that support horse slaughter in any other state or country (especially transportation of the animals). Tough to enforce except at key choke points but this would make a bad situation even worse.

I really see nothing beautiful, pretty or wonderful about a starving or otherwise neglected horse or any other domesticated animal for that matter.

[Evy]

[quote="Neil E. Grassbaugh"]Did you know that there is a move afoot in some states to criminalize any practices that support horse slaughter in any other state or country (especially transportation of the animals). Tough to enforce except at key choke points but this would make a bad situation even worse.

It happened a couple years ago to the man in my area. He had the misfortune to get stopped for some infraction...maybe weight...near Syracuse. Somehow, the animal rights nuts found out where he was going ( Canada ) & managed to get his load confiscated. The local TV got involved, the load of downer horses were stabled at the state fairgrounds & pleas made for adoptions. I believe one or 2 got homes & a small fortune spent on rehab. I believe the rest that survived were finally sent on their way. A lot of money wasted on a useless project.

Meanwhile, people are now abandoning dogs because it's gotten so expensive to feed them & we're trying to find good poultry feed.

[birddog2]

how to get more eggs to horses........go fish

[katschicks]

Protein can be good and protein can be bad. It really depends on the type of protein the breed of animal you have can utilize the best. Chickens , plant protein , yep they need some. But they also need animal protein. A balanced feed is a must. Free range chickens fed a balanced diet commercial feed eat less for the simple fact that the bugs they eat and the grass they eat do the job. And they don`t need as much of the commercial feed. As far as the slaughter horse thing. As a breeder with a sire that has sired World Champion and Reserve World Champion horses in several breeds we need it. It keeps more horses from suffering an agonising " DEATH " Just me. Rog