Author: Alex Prediger (Deck Farm Intern from April 2014 to April 2015)
Background:
In order to test the efficiency of a new soaked-feed layer
ration, we undertook a feed trial last fall. In this trial, we compared two
different organic feeds: a complete-ration layer pellet and a Deck Family Farm
milled and soaked feed.
The layer pellet was from Payback, had a minimum crude
protein of 16%, and contained corn, barley, flax, soybean meal, mineral, and
vitamins. The DFF milled feed had 15% protein, was soy free, and consisted of
soft white wheat, peas, rolled corn, rolled barley, fish meal, mineral mix, and
lime. The feed was milled using a PTO powered Gehl hammer-mill/mixer with a 3/8" screen. Half-way through the trial, we
incorporated an organic dairy source into the milled feed.
Here’s the recipe for our DFF organic soaked feed:
|
% protein
|
Lbs
|
% of overall ration
|
Lbs of protein
|
Chickens total lbs @ 1600*365*.23
|
amount needed per year in tons
|
Soft White Wheat
|
10.00%
|
500
|
25.00%
|
50
|
134320
|
16.79
|
Peas
|
22.00%
|
660
|
33.00%
|
145.2
|
134320
|
22.16
|
rolled corn
|
9.00%
|
250
|
12.50%
|
22.5
|
134320
|
8.40
|
Barley
|
13.00%
|
250
|
12.50%
|
32.5
|
134320
|
8.40
|
fish meal
|
65.00%
|
80
|
4.00%
|
52
|
134320
|
2.69
|
Flax
|
24.00%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
0
|
134320
|
0.00
|
mineral mix
|
|
60
|
3.00%
|
0
|
134320
|
2.01
|
Lime
|
|
200
|
10.00%
|
0
|
134320
|
6.72
|
Total
|
15.11%
|
2000
|
|
302.2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
There were several reasons that we soaked our milled feed,
not the least of which was the fact that all seeds contain enzyme inhibitors,
which can hinder digestion. When you soak the seed, it gears up to germinate
and turns off these inhibitors, making protein and other nutrients more readily
available. This process, however, decreases the energy/carbohydrates in the
seed. As we aren’t entirely sure the extent to which this happens, we weren’t
able to know exactly what the protein content was of the feed, so we had to
make an educated guess. It was our hope that in soaking the feed for 2 days
with a dairy inoculant, we might encourage a bit of fermentation as well.
Experimental
Conditions:
Our experiment consisted of two groups of ~10 laying hens per
group (the number varied throughout the experiment due to several skilled
escape artists). The control group received ~0.25 lb/chicken of the layer pellet
which has been the staple feed for our flock. The experimental group was fed ~0.25
lbs/chicken/day of the milled feed, which was soaked for 2 days with water (and
later yogurt) beforehand to help make nutrients more readily available to the
birds. Both groups were also supplemented with grit and oyster shell.
That’s the basic layout of the experiment! Onto the really
interesting stuff: the results!
Here’s a little extra information that may be helpful in
interpreting the results.
We began our experiment one month before we started
recording data, in order to allow the birds to adjust to the change in diet. Also,
some artificial lighting was added during the second month of the experiment to
account for the change in photoperiod. We switched feeds at this point to try
to control for the possibility that one flock was simply better at laying than
the other. Another consideration is the
fact that our hens are normally on pasture and get a good amount of added
nutrition from foraging for insects and plants. This experiment occurred over
winter and the hens in these flocks where confined in pens with no forage,
which could have impacted the results.
Results:
We took two different averages to further analyze our
results. In the overall average, we simply compared the average percent of lay of
birds fed soaked feed to that of birds fed pelleted feed over the course of our
5 month experiment: .27 (soaked) and 0.50 (pelleted). We also compared the
average percent lay for birds fed soaked with yogurt to the same time period
for those fed pellets: 0.32 (soaked with yogurt) and 0.63 (pelleted). Here we see that the yogurt bumped up production
a little bit. It is possible that this increase could also be related to a
gradually increasing photoperiod though as the pelleted birds also produced
more. In considering these results it is important to note that both the age of
the birds (>1 year) and the time of year (winter) could have affected the
outcome, as well as numerous other variables.
Analysis:
In conclusion, it
appears as though feeding soaked feed, even with supplemental yogurt, results
in reduced percent lay when compared to a complete, pelleted ration. For the
future, we plan to send in a feed analysis sample of our soaked feed, as well
as tweak the recipe a little. We are
considering a program that would incorporate a milled feed source during the
time of the year when the chickens are better able to supplement their diets
due to ample foraging. In this system we would switch back to pellets during
the winter, when the pasture provides less supplemental nutrition.