Following the discussion here on the healthiest diet for chooks I was
curious because I didn't actually know what was in the mash/pellets.
This is what I found, and considering the source I'd say it's pretty
reliable.

Composition of typical NZ poultry layer feed
http://www.eggfarmers.org.nz/feed.asp

Wheat 52%
Barley 20%
Broll 9%
Meat and bone meal 10%
Vitamins & minerals 9%

I didn't know what broll was so I googled it and found info about its
use as a food for dairy cattle


BROLL

Broll is a coarse product obtained whilst milling wheat flour and is a
mixture of bran and pollard. This is a valuable feed for ruminants
as a source of slowly degradable carbohydrate. This is a “rumen
friendly” product (does not rapidly lower the rumen acidity), which
provides the rumen bugs with a source of energy required for them to
process the protein from grass and other forages into forms of
protein which are useable by the cow for milk production and growth.
Due to the special nature of this product, the results in milk
production and growth far exceed that which would be expected based on
the analyses of Broll. Broll is a very useful tool for reducing the
post peak decline in milk production levels through the summer.


Specification

Dry Matter 85.0% minimum
Metabolisable Energy 9.5% minimum
Crude Protein 14.0% minimum
Fibre 11.5% minimum
Fat 5.0% minimum
Ca 1.4g/kg minimum
P 11g/kg

So I wonder what broll does in the diet of chooks - perhaps it has
similarly beneficial effects on their ability to metabolise grains and
assists in conversion of feed to lovely yummy eggs!

A L P

BROLL

Broll is a coarse product obtained whilst milling wheat flour and is a
mixture of bran and pollard.

A_ L _P wrote:
Following the discussion here on the healthiest diet for chooks I was
curious because I didn't actually know what was in the mash/pellets.
This is what I found, and considering the source I'd say it's pretty
reliable.

Composition of typical NZ poultry layer feed
http://www.eggfarmers.org.nz/feed.asp

Wheat 52%
Barley 20%
Broll 9%
Meat and bone meal 10%
Vitamins & minerals 9%

Feed merchants here are not allowed to use meat and bone meal over here.

What do they use as the protein, legumes? If so how bioavailable are

I didn't know what broll was so I googled it and found info about its
use as a food for dairy cattle


BROLL

Broll is a coarse product obtained whilst milling wheat flour and is a
mixture of bran and pollard.
(snip)
Specification

Dry Matter 85.0% minimum
Metabolisable Energy 9.5% minimum
Crude Protein 14.0% minimum
Fibre 11.5% minimum
Fat 5.0% minimum
Ca 1.4g/kg minimum
P 11g/kg

So I wonder what broll does in the diet of chooks - perhaps it has
similarly beneficial effects on their ability to metabolise grains and
assists in conversion of feed to lovely yummy eggs!

A L P


ITs bank holiday here so haven't got time to do more googling -- what is
Pollard?

That seems a low protein feed -- our free range smallholder feeds are 16
% and the commercial feeds inside and out are all 18%

A_ L _P wrote:


BROLL

Broll is a coarse product obtained whilst milling wheat flour and is a
mixture of bran and pollard.

Wonder if its involved balancing the Ca and P ??

I could not resist !!! - its lunchtime

Bran
Bran, a by-product of flour production, is mainly made up of the outer
covering of the wheat grain. It does not contain as much energy as
pollard or some grains, has a poor amino acid balance and is low in
calcium. Bran has a very low calcium/phosphorus ratio, which can lead to
weak bones if fed in large quantities without extra calcium to balance
the phosphorus. It is not an essential horse feed, but is useful for
mixing supplements and powders into a feed with molasses as it is so
palatable. It often gives the horse a tasty meal and the owner a warm
and fuzzy feeling. As with all processed feeds, bran should not have a
musty odour, as this indicates the presence of moisture. Bran shouldn’t
make up more than 10% of the feed and contrary to popular opinion, it is
not especially high in fibre and is not a good laxative.

Pollard
Pollard is the remains of the inner kernel of wheat left after Flour
milling. It is low in fibre, protein and calcium, high in phosphorus and
can cause digestive upsets if it is not fed damp with chaff. Pollard is
often used for fattening horses, but rice pollard and grains will do
this just as effectively and with less potential problems.


One of the things bran does is absorb huge amounts of water. This may

Jill wrote:
A_ L _P wrote:
Following the discussion here on the healthiest diet for chooks I
was curious because I didn't actually know what was in the
mash/pellets. This is what I found, and considering the source I'd
say it's pretty reliable.

Composition of typical NZ poultry layer feed
http://www.eggfarmers.org.nz/feed.asp

Wheat 52%
Barley 20%
Broll 9%
Meat and bone meal 10%
Vitamins & minerals 9%

Feed merchants here are not allowed to use meat and bone meal over
here.
What do they use as the protein, legumes?

they?

more care than meat-eaters to get the right balance of amino acids and
whatsits by eating the right combinations of foods so as to make up
the right balance that the body needs.

A_ L _P wrote:
Jill wrote:
A_ L _P wrote:
Following the discussion here on the healthiest diet for chooks I
was curious because I didn't actually know what was in the
mash/pellets. This is what I found, and considering the source I'd
say it's pretty reliable.

Composition of typical NZ poultry layer feed
http://www.eggfarmers.org.nz/feed.asp

Wheat 52%
Barley 20%
Broll 9%
Meat and bone meal 10%
Vitamins & minerals 9%

Feed merchants here are not allowed to use meat and bone meal over
here.
What do they use as the protein, legumes?

peas, beans, soya, alfalfa

If so how bioavailable are
they?

interesting but that would need digging in my foodie files -- not this
week <grin

Just thinking of the way vegetarian humans have to take much
more care than meat-eaters to get the right balance of amino acids and
whatsits by eating the right combinations of foods so as to make up
the right balance that the body needs.

I know what you are saying but even when we had MBM they were using 18 %
feeds.

I can't get a layer ration that high here. Most are around 14% protein,

I can't get a layer ration that high here. Most are around 14%
protein, some are lower!

I usually lose that when I open a bag so will check that again when
I'm in town next. I usually use turkey crumbles or pellets as they
have a higher protein - the cost goes up too but the guinea fowl need
a higher protein just to grow so I buy that for them and add meat
meal or lupin mix when I can get it.

Best to let the chooks out when
I can and they eat lots of bugs too.

Ginny wrote:


Best to let the chooks out when
I can and they eat lots of bugs too.

The problem with that is its an extremely seasonal source of nutrition.
Many folks tend to forget that, in most parts of the world, the birds
are only getting anything more than entertainment from the surroundings
in relatively short parts of the year.
Too cold, too wet, too dry : these conditions can all make the native
bugs and seeds available very limited.

Ginny wrote:

I can't get a layer ration that high here. Most are around 14%
protein, some are lower!

Interesting. The industry - both livestock and feed - work so tightly
together to maximise the productivity, efficacy and economy of the birds
and the feed that there will be a reason behind it there.

The tag is sown into the bag closure seam so
I usually lose that when I open a bag so will check that again when
I'm in town next. I usually use turkey crumbles or pellets as they
have a higher protein - the cost goes up too but the guinea fowl need
a higher protein just to grow so I buy that for them and add meat
meal or lupin mix when I can get it.

Yes, my quail customers go for turkey crumbs too -- those birds have a
much higher metabolism and being smaller need more concentrated feeding.

Best to let the chooks out when
I can and they eat lots of bugs too.

The problem with that is its an extremely seasonal source of nutrition.
Many folks tend to forget that, in most parts of the world, the birds
are only getting anything more than entertainment from the surroundings
in relatively short parts of the year.
Too cold, too wet, too dry : these conditions can all make the native
bugs and seeds available very limited.

True but some things can't be helped. I do try to keep the poultry in

True but some things can't be helped. I do try to keep the poultry in
good condition although cost is starting to eat into the fun part of
keeping them. Hubby gave me a s/h silo which holds about 4t grain,
often a mix of wheat, barley, oats and lupins, maybe a bit of canola
and other grains like rye, all the rejects from harvest. I was
interested to read what you said about wheat as it is the staple part
of our birds' diet.

I have never heard of fatty liver syndrome
although I do know barley can make my hens fat but they don't eat a
lot of it and will usually ignore it on the ground.

Is it common in
free range hens in your area?

Just found an article about cockatiels that says a deficiency of Vit
B2 can cause adult hens to develop fatty livers along with several
other problems. Also Vit B12 deficiency causes fatty deposits.
Probably a contributing factor in other poultry no doubt. Will try to
find out some more local info.