Protein % in black oil sunflower seed SPROUTS (not seeds) ?

[nao57]

So...I'm not sure how I missed this.

I have been feeding my ducks black oil sunflower seed sprouts. And recently I read that BB sunflower seeds themselves are about 25% protein.

I wondered how much the protein drops when you convert them from seeds to sprouts?

Now in thinking about this, it SHOULD drop some because whenever you learn about the theory and watch videos on making fodder sprouts they clearly say this that the bigger the sprouts get, the more the nutrients drop. And they say they start dropping nutrient value (slowly?) after day 7 of growing from sprouts. Plus, seeds are very concentrated anyway, people know that.

And people say they believe sprouts to be a quality, and good food for poultry and livestock.

But I'm not sure what the protein % would be at?

My sprouts are probably what people would think of as a 10 to 14 day sprout rather than a 7 day sprout. This brings in some great volume and I do care about getting a quality feed. (Its fun to figure this out also.)

But I'm not entirely sure what the protein % is at for something like a 10 to 14 day window? (I'm guessing its probably a very gradual down slope line on a graph...)

And is it possible a protein percent that high could cause some issues with egg production? (But I think the sprouts are less than 25%, but I'm asking anyway to be safe.)

Thanks.

And very curious what you all think about this.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Sunflower seeds are only about 16% crude protein and 44% fat. Black oil sunflower seeds are not the best treat to give chickens that are already eating a balanced diet because they are too high in fat, sprouted or unsprouted. I was unable to find information regarding crude protein in sprouted seeds used as feed, but I did find info regarding sprouted seeds in terms of human nutrition, and there was no significant change in protein, nor a decrease in fat. If you want to feed them sprouts, stick with wheatgrass, amaranth, brassica, or other sprouted legumes and grains as treats only, meaning a few tablespoons per bird per day. I'm sure if you're using other sprouts, a few sunflower seeds mixed in would be fine, but really, straight sunflower seeds are just not good for chickens. For example, when formulated a whole grain feed for chickens that equals 25 pounds of feed at 4.1% fat and 16% protein (the target needs for a laying hen), the total black oil sunflower seeds, the only significant source of fat in the entire recipe, is only 5% or 1.25 pounds of the entire recipe. Chickens don't need a lot of fat, especially for egg laying as it increases chances of egg binding.

 

[R2elk]

So...I'm not sure how I missed this.

I have been feeding my ducks black oil sunflower seed sprouts. And recently I read that BB sunflower seeds themselves are about 25% protein.

I wondered how much the protein drops when you convert them from seeds to sprouts?

Now in thinking about this, it SHOULD drop some because whenever you learn about the theory and watch videos on making fodder sprouts they clearly say this that the bigger the sprouts get, the more the nutrients drop. And they say they start dropping nutrient value (slowly?) after day 7 of growing from sprouts. Plus, seeds are very concentrated anyway, people know that.

And people say they believe sprouts to be a quality, and good food for poultry and livestock.

But I'm not sure what the protein % would be at?

My sprouts are probably what people would think of as a 10 to 14 day sprout rather than a 7 day sprout. This brings in some great volume and I do care about getting a quality feed. (Its fun to figure this out also.)

But I'm not entirely sure what the protein % is at for something like a 10 to 14 day window? (I'm guessing its probably a very gradual down slope line on a graph...)

And is it possible a protein percent that high could cause some issues with egg production? (But I think the sprouts are less than 25%, but I'm asking anyway to be safe.)

Thanks.

And very curious what you all think about this.

From my search for protein content for BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds) there are some sites claiming as high as 26% protein but none of these sites show a reference that is reliable. Reliable sources show BOSS to only have around 16% protein.

https://www.hiprofeeds.com/products/black-oil-sunflower-seeds/

The problem with BOSS and the main reason it should be regarded as a treat is the high fat content with BOSS being around 40% fat.

 

[nao57]

From my search for protein content for BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds) there are some sites claiming as high as 26% protein but none of these sites show a reference that is reliable. Reliable sources show BOSS to only have around 16% protein.

https://www.hiprofeeds.com/products/black-oil-sunflower-seeds/

The problem with BOSS and the main reason it should be regarded as a treat is the high fat content with BOSS being around 40% fat.

So are you saying you should put a benchmark percentage on your feed for BOSS and not allow it to go above a certain percent of that chosen figure in your feed total?

Do you think that means you shouldn't only do BOSS?

If you do BOSS only, will you still get good eggs?

 

[nao57]

Sunflower seeds are only about 16% crude protein and 44% fat. Black oil sunflower seeds are not the best treat to give chickens that are already eating a balanced diet because they are too high in fat, sprouted or unsprouted. I was unable to find information regarding crude protein in sprouted seeds used as feed, but I did find info regarding sprouted seeds in terms of human nutrition, and there was no significant change in protein, nor a decrease in fat. If you want to feed them sprouts, stick with wheatgrass, amaranth, brassica, or other sprouted legumes and grains as treats only, meaning a few tablespoons per bird per day. I'm sure if you're using other sprouts, a few sunflower seeds mixed in would be fine, but really, straight sunflower seeds are just not good for chickens. For example, when formulated a whole grain feed for chickens that equals 25 pounds of feed at 4.1% fat and 16% protein (the target needs for a laying hen), the total black oil sunflower seeds, the only significant source of fat in the entire recipe, is only 5% or 1.25 pounds of the entire recipe. Chickens don't need a lot of fat, especially for egg laying as it increases chances of egg binding.

Thanks!

Well...if that's the case, maybe a different direction would be instead to still do BOSS sprouts, but when I go to sprout them half half of the sprout seeds be wheat berries, or field pea/barley.

What do you think? Would this work and be more healthy if I tweaked it this way?

 

[R2elk]

So are you saying you should put a benchmark percentage on your feed for BOSS and not allow it to go above a certain percent of that chosen figure in your feed total?

Do you think that means you shouldn't only do BOSS?

If you do BOSS only, will you still get good eggs?

BOSS should be viewed as a treat. All treats combined should be limited to no more than 10% of the total feed.

A diet of BOSS alone will cause the early death of your poultry due to any number of the fatty diseases.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

A nice fodder write up with some nutrient values at different days...
http://www.idosi.org/wasj/wasj16(4)12/9.pdf

I believe that write up indicates the best feed out stage is day 3-4 sprout with less mold issues than fodder.. noting bigger grass just means more water NOT more energy value.. it's dry matter that truly counts is my current understanding.

If doing a mix.. I would do them separately since they don't seem to sprout at the same rates.

I have done barley successfully. My birds get too much free range on lush pasture to be worth my time as they pick the seed off the bottom.. and I don't think it saves a dime. But I do think it's great enrichment still.

The nutritional change seem negligible to me.. with the most important change being the decrease of antinutrients..
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/anti-nutrients/

Agreed, BOSS is a treat that should be fed at NO more than 10% of the total daily intake.. that 10% should also include ANY other treats given.

Nutritional imbalance can cause a whole host of major issues including fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome, neurological issue, difficulty laying, ultimately shortened life.. Folks get wind of something good.. and go all in forgetting there is more to the story.. I have been guilty of this myself!

Excess protein, calcium, fat.. anything in excess (long term) is not good for anyone.

Hope this is helpful.

 

[nao57]

I should clarify I mostly have ducks (2 chickens, the rest are ducks).

I'm still glad you guys told me this stuff. Because I am interested in the chickens somewhat. Sorry my fault for not clarifying further.