Inexpensive ways to raise protein level in feed?

[thoeffel1994]

The local feed and farm stores nearby are lousy. And I noticed feed price at the stores are going up. There's a place that has feed with good quality ingredients with 16.5% protein but I need something with around 20%. A 50lb bags cost $20 any idea what I could add to boost it and how to calculate that? It would have to be something I could order online or something because I doubt a local store would have it.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Its simple math.

If you have a feed at 16.5% protein, and you want something at 20% protein, you need to combine X parts of 16.5 with Y parts of whatever, then divide the whole thing by (X + Y) such that it equals 20.

Written differently (16.5 times X) plus (Protein content of new ingredient times Y) = 20 (X + Y).

and having said that, crude protein should NOT be your only concern, because most readily available high protein products are frequently also high fat sources, so your average energy content of your feed is being changed in unpredicatble ways. Additionally, the amino acid profile of many high protein sources isn't optimal - so you could end up witht he desired crude protein, but end up with much of the improvement wasted for lack of adequate amounts of Methionine and Lysine. There are also anti nutritional concerns to factor in, often tannins, certain fibers, lignins most frequently.

Better, MUCH better, to simply find a higher quality feed more closely matching your desires than to pretend you are a poulry nutritionist and try to "fix" a feed made (in theory) by someone who knows more on the subject than you do.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

if you would still like to try it, try sourcing some high protein soy meal, or some fish meal - both are commercially available in bulk, high crude protein, decent AA profiles, and at reasonable inclusion rates, don't have other factors you need to then compensate for.

 

[4th generation farmer]

Its simple math.

If you have a feed at 16.5% protein, and you want something at 20% protein, you need to combine X parts of 16.5 with Y parts of whatever, then divide the whole thing by (X + Y) such that it equals 20.

Written differently (16.5 times X) plus (Protein content of new ingredient times Y) = 20 (X + Y).

and having said that, crude protein should NOT be your only concern, because most readily available high protein products are frequently also high fat sources, so your average energy content of your feed is being changed in unpredicatble ways. Additionally, the amino acid profile of many high protein sources isn't optimal - so you could end up witht he desired crude protein, but end up with much of the improvement wasted for lack of adequate amounts of Methionine and Lysine. There are also anti nutritional concerns to factor in, often tannins, certain fibers, lignins most frequently.

Better, MUCH better, to simply find a higher quality feed more closely matching your desires than to pretend you are a poulry nutritionist and try to "fix" a feed made (in theory) by someone who knows more on the subject than you do.

Ok I understand what ur saying...kinda...the math and equations and stuff it's like a whole other language tho ...I suck at math I truly do and always have so reading ur response while informative after the math lesson was migraine inducing for me during the math lesson...so saying this and al this with respect btw could u possibly dumb down the equation a touch so I could use it myself when trying to find my feed source mix for this comming warm season

 

[Huntmaster]

@4th generation farmer I would thi k it be fine bc from October till March my birds chickens ducks geese all live off pure cracked corn and access to the yard so only thing thwy get besides the provided cracked corn is whatever big thwy find on their own when free ranging theu the yard...I have done this for 10 years or better and when warmer weather sets in I co ti ue with the 247 access to cracked corn but provide about 3 pounds of layer pellets in the warm months to help egg production...and again my birds have been thriving the corn hasn't affected any of them including ducks and geese From reading your post yes, I would say you need to find a new mix.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Ok I understand what ur saying...kinda...the math and equations and stuff it's like a whole other language tho ...I suck at math I truly do and always have so reading ur response while informative after the math lesson was migraine inducing for me during the math lesson...so saying this and al this with respect btw could u possibly dumb down the equation a touch so I could use it myself when trying to find my feed source mix for this comming warm season

In that case, crowd source.

Provide us what you are feeding. What you are mixing. and what your target is. One of us can do the math for you in seconds.

 

[Shadrach]

Fish meal was used in chicken feed to boost protein in wheat based feeds not that many years ago. Finding locally produced fishmeal that isn't from intensive farming with some rather unpleasant chemicals in it has become difficult in the UK. It may be easier in the USA.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Fish meal was used in chicken feed to boost protein in wheat based feeds not that many years ago. Finding locally produced fishmeal that isn't from intensive farming with some rather unpleasant chemicals in it has become difficult in the UK. It may be easier in the USA.

Sadly, it isn't in the US either. There may be some intensely local sources, but they are just that - intensely local. Nationally, we are dominated by a few large suppliers. Garcivel in Miami, FL, LaBudde in Wisconsin, and supplies thru the megasources like ADM (ArcherDanielsMidlands).

If you did your own aquaculture in significant quantity, learning how to dry and grind the waste might be worthwile, or it might be too labor and equipment instensive to offset its costs. I've not more than skimmed the process, and would be more likely to simply throw my leftovers to the birds directly, rather than try to reduce it to some condition capable of long term storage.

 

[Shadrach]

Sadly, it isn't in the US either. There may be some intensely local sources, but they are just that - intensely local. Nationally, we are dominated by a few large suppliers. Garcivel in Miami, FL, LaBudde in Wisconsin, and supplies thru the megasources like ADM (ArcherDanielsMidlands).

If you did your own aquaculture in significant quantity, learning how to dry and grind the waste might be worthwile, or it might be too labor and equipment instensive to offset its costs. I've not more than skimmed the process, and would be more likely to simply throw my leftovers to the birds directly, rather than try to reduce it to some condition capable of long term storage.

There are other options but all I've looked into work out more expensive than buying a higher protein commercial feed if one wishes to stick to commercial feed as the base diet.
Drying ones own fish can be cost effective in the right climate (sun dried) with a source of cheap local fish but I doubt it's practical for most chicken keepers.
A move away from commercial feed is an option which may work out to be marginally cheaper than commercial feed, but one needs to research the topic at some depth.
A lot depends on the keeping circumstances as to what one can get away with and what one can't.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

A lot depends on the keeping circumstances as to what one can get away with and what one can't.

Truer words...