Fish meal alternative in homemade layer feed

[happymom99]

Hi there. I'd like to start making my own lay feed for my chickens. The recipe I'd like to use calls for fish meal, which I am having a hard time sourcing. I'm assuming the fish meal is to be a protein source in the feed. I'm wondering if it would be safe and healthy for my girls replace the 10% ratio of fish meal called for in the recipe with Black Oil Sunflower Seeds. Thank you!

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

That reminds me to the first supermarket-eggs my mom bought from the first supermarket, that opened in my home-town in the late 60's: They must have fed an eggcessive amount of fish-products to the laying hens, because those eggs had a fishy smell and taste!
I think mom used those for baking and we went back to the fresh eggs from the local farmers, even though they were twice as eggspensive. Can't beat taste!

You could replace the fish-meal with press-cake from oil-mills: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Press_cake
Soybean, Corn and Rapeseed press-cakes contain a lot of protein.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

Just stumbled upon this web-site:
https://www.feedipedia.org/

 

[Fluffyflufffluff]

That reminds me to the first supermarket-eggs my mom bought from the first supermarket, that opened in my home-town in the late 60's: They must have fed an eggcessive amount of fish-products to the laying hens, because those eggs had a fishy smell and taste!
I think mom used those for baking and we went back to the fresh eggs from the local farmers, even though they were twice as eggspensive. Can't beat taste!

You could replace the fish-meal with press-cake from oil-mills: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Press_cake
Soybean, Corn and Rapeseed press-cakes contain a lot of protein.

I would not recommend that, in many soy-free chicken feeds, fish meal is used as a replacement for soy. The concentration of purine that forms uric acid is very high. The commercially produced fish meal can contain high mercury and radiation levels which can affect chickens ' health and the quality of their eggs and poultry. Too risky!!

 

[Perris]

this site has handy lists of foods containing relatively high levels of protein/inorganics etc. if you really want to try and make your own chicken feed (it is focused on human nutrition note) https://www.myfooddata.com/

 

[happymom99]

I’m just trying to find something healthy, that is easy for me to find and reasonably priced, to replace the fish meal. What I am considering is black oil sunflower seeds and/or flax seed. I just don’t know for sure that they are a good substitute.

 

[Perris]

round here a supermarket own brand 120g tin of sardines in sunflower oil costs about 30p. It has about the same proportion of fats and twice as much protein per 100g as does an egg (both are essentially 0 for sugars and carbs), and nearly 400mg calcium/100g, so is particularly suitable for layers. It does not make the eggs smell or taste fishy in my experience, though I only give it occasionally so that may make a difference. The chickens love it. And being tinned it lasts a lot better than packet foods, if you should find a deal to buy in quantity at a discount.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

@happymom99 I see you are located in CA: If there is a winery in closer proximity, you could ask them what they do with their grape-pomace. -> https://www.feedipedia.org/node/691

You could do the same with Breweries -> https://www.feedipedia.org/content/brewery-products-0
And Distilleries -> https://www.feedipedia.org/node/4266

If you have large farms around where you live, just call them or stop by and ask in person what kind of "waste" products they have that you may can use. However also ask about pesticides, fertilizer and what else they're using...

 

[Folly's place]

There's nothing about sunflower seeds that makes them a substitute for fish meal!
Mary

 

[happymom99]

There's nothing about sunflower seeds that makes them a substitute for fish meal!
Mary

Oh thank you. I was just thinking for protein source. Do you know what would be a good substitute?