Is Knox Gelatine good for your chickens?

[zldema]

I saw this recipe to help increase protein for your chickens. I'm have a problem with one hen picking feathers off the others. Everything I've read is that its a protein deficiency. So I'm will to try anything to get her to stop.

Use 1/4 oz. (1 pack from a 1oz box of Knox Gelatine) to 4-5 oz of seeds mix. Dissolve the gelatine in 1/4 cup of water, stir in seeds, add a touch of honey if you like and then pack it into a mold.

Thank for any feed back.

Lodema

 

[MeepBeep]

Although the gelatin powder itself is high in protein, 85% or more by the time you mix it with seeds and water the final protein content is LOW...

Consider this... That 1/4 oz packet of gelatin @ 85% protein is about 0.21 oz of protein... Mix in 2 oz water with zero protein and you are all the sudden down to an 11% protein mix combined by weight... Mix in the bird seed and you are probably closer to a 10% protein mix... Yes, the water content throws off a 1:1 comparison to dry feed but in then end I doubt you are providing any real protein boost by feeding them a treat like this...

If a boost in protein is your goal, I would instead just give them some dry cat food, meal worms, ground meats, cooked eggs or a higher protein feed...

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I agree with MeepBeep.
Another thing to consider is that protein is made up of amino acids - essential (those required by the body) and non-essential (those the body can make from the essential ones).
If memory serves, humans have 9 amino acids that must be provided by the diet. Chickens have 13 they can't assimilate from other sources.
Gelatin is mostly made up of non-essential amino acids like glycine and proline. It contains no tryptophan and is deficient in isoleucine, threonine, and methionine.
For that reason, I wouldn't consider it beneficial at all as a protein supplement for chickens.

Chicken feed is normally vegetable based and those vegetative sources are missing some essential amino acids and therefor has added methionine, lysine and sometimes tryptophan to supplement what is missing.
If you want to add some protein to the diet, add a higher protein starter feed or some animal protein.
A cheap and simple technique is canned Mackerel. It's about a quarter the price of tuna yet high quality animal protein. Be careful with cat food. Some of it is no higher in protein than chicken feed.

It is helpful to think of protein as a wooden barrel with each stave made up of an essential amino acid. If one stave is deficient, the barrel will only hold as much water as that short stave allows. The other amino acids are excess and will be discarded as nitrogenous waste and eventually produce ammonia in the feces.

 

[Mhays]

Sooo...necroposting, but reading this thread carefully: I want to supplement the food my quail get. I have a ton of gelatin powder, but knew the issues with the lack of quality of that protein (I mean, it's basically glue.)

Looked up whey protein isolate - that looks like it covers all your aminos, and it's about 90% protein. Seems like just a little bit (buying plain unflavored) would be an easy way to up the protein levels of feed...