How much wheat is too much?

[RADK]

Hello, feed related question here:

I have 12 BSLs who are about 16 weeks. Just started the transition from grower to layer feed. This is my first time having chickens and I am loving it!

I also have about 10 feed bags of wheat, saved from a spill during our grain harvest last year. The grain is mixed with some dirt and chaff which makes it unfit to sell. I scooped it up in hopes that we can feed it to our sheep and chickens and still get some value out of it.

I realize that wheat is a dense feed ingredient and don’t want to impact production or health of the hens. Is it safe to mix a little in with their feed, and if so how much would you recommend?

I know that layer feed is already a complete ration for what they need. But would love a bit of price saving as well as not having the spilled wheat go to waste. Appreciate any input you might have.

Currently there is always feed available in their coop, but choose to spend most of the day outside in a large fenced off yard (over 5000 square feet) where they forage and have plenty of grass. They get veggie scraps as well. This will change when the snow comes and they will be in a smaller covered run without the same foraging access.

 

[nuthatched]

You can sprout it in the winter for fresh forage. It'll keep until then.
You can use as a scratch right now if you want but I wouldn't mix any into their feed.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Wheat is NOT a dense feed ingredient. Assuming it to be soft wheat, adding it will lower yur average crude protein, lower your average Met, Lys, Thre, Tryp (because of the low CP overall) and raise the average energy value of your feed.

Layer is designed/intended to be the minimum needed nutrition to support commercial layers in commercial conditions - feeding it to your birds wont help they lay, its simply a maintenance diet plus calcium. Adding wheat to it drags it below even that low bar. Hard wheat is better, around 15% CP as fed, real close to 0.3% met, and likely near the current levels of Thre and Tryp in your feed, so less effect in total.

I'm in the all flock, all the time, camp - with free choice grit, oyster (sperate dishes) and plenty of fresh cool water all the time. But if you wanted to go another bag of grower, and mix some wheat into that, you could go 3 parts 20% cp grower, 1 art soft wheat or 4 parts 18% grower, 1 part soft wheat and likely still be fine.

Or, you can prout it as forage, where it will be even less dense nutritionally, and allow your birds to graze on it - consider it enrichment. not diestary enrichment, but more enrichment as a boredom buster. Its good for the brain, its good for behaviors, and if it attracts some nice tasty insects, so much the better.

 

[RADK]

Wheat is NOT a dense feed ingredient. Assuming it to be soft wheat, adding it will lower yur average crude protein, lower your average Met, Lys, Thre, Tryp (because of the low CP overall) and raise the average energy value of your feed.

Layer is designed/intended to be the minimum needed nutrition to support commercial layers in commercial conditions - feeding it to your birds wont help they lay, its simply a maintenance diet plus calcium. Adding wheat to it drags it below even that low bar. Hard wheat is better, around 15% CP as fed, real close to 0.3% met, and likely near the current levels of Thre and Tryp in your feed, so less effect in total.

I'm in the all flock, all the time, camp - with free choice grit, oyster (sperate dishes) and plenty of fresh cool water all the time. But if you wanted to go another bag of grower, and mix some wheat into that, you could go 3 parts 20% cp grower, 1 art soft wheat or 4 parts 18% grower, 1 part soft wheat and likely still be fine.

Or, you can prout it as forage, where it will be even less dense nutritionally, and allow your birds to graze on it - consider it enrichment. not diestary enrichment, but more enrichment as a boredom buster. Its good for the brain, its good for behaviors, and if it attracts some nice tasty insects, so much the better.

Thank you! Very helpful.

 

[Penpal]

My chickens get hard wheat every day, fermented.

I would presoak some wheat for three days before giving it to them. Sprouting is also a great idea, especially when they can't access the lawn/pasture.