Bug Bites: Poly Peptide Bars For Molting Chickens

 Molting is the procedure all chickens larn through to supercede former feathers alongside novel ones. Since feathers consist of but about 85% protein, adding a piffling extra poly peptide to the flock's daily diet tin flaming help facilitate the procedure nutritionally too restore the birds' dignity every bit presently every bit possible. While switching to a feed containing 20-22% poly peptide is adequate, I similar to mix things upward too proceed life interesting, too so I bake a piffling special something for my pet chickens occasionally. In previous years, I bring baked my flock Molt Muffins, Flock Block Substitute too Alfalfa Cakes. This year, I went into recipe evolution means for my molting birds, creating Bug Bites, which are a phenomenal root of poly peptide and calcium for molting chickens! 

This Partridge Plymouth Rock hen went from fully feathered too fabulous to "OMG, somebody give her a jacket!" inwards but a few weeks! 

The next recipe feeds but about 25 chickens, one, 2" square. The recipe tin flaming locomote frozen too thawed or served frozen inwards hot weather.

BUG BITES™ INGREDIENTS

Serves but about 25 chickens, i 2" foursquare slice each

12 eggs, including shells, crushed

1/2 loving cup of dried insects intended for chickens (mealworms, etc)

three Tablespoons water

Cooking spray

8"x8" baking pan lined alongside parchment paper

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking pan alongside parchment newspaper too spray parchment alongside cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl, add together eggs too crushed shells, whisking to scramble.

Add remaining ingredients too pour inwards prepared pan.

Bake 20-30 minutes or until eggs are cooked through.

Remove from oven too cool earlier cutting too serving.

TIPS FOR HELPING CHICKENS THROUGH H5N1 MOLT

1.  Reduce their stress score every bit much every bit possible. Try non to deed them to a novel living quarters or introduce whatsoever novel flock members during a molt.
2. Limit handling to avoid inflicting hurting too to proceed stress to a minimum.

3. Supplement their diet with extra poly peptide inwards moderation.*
Much to a greater extent than nigh the procedure of molting too plume growth, HERE.

*USE CAUTION WHEN INCREASING PROTEIN LEVELS IN HENS' DIET 

Only provide extra poly peptide to backyard chickens when appropriate, such every bit during a molt. “The consumption of high poly peptide diets, peculiarly meats too eggs, tin flaming significantly increment the rates of types of aggression betwixt hens.” 1"Incorrect diets that comprise excessive levels of poly peptide causes wetter droppings since the extra poly peptide is converted into urates. This causes your chicken to drinkable to a greater extent than hence you lot volition run into an increment inwards urates leading to wet, damp bedding."2

TREATS IN MODERATION

Bug Bites should locomote offered inwards small-scale amounts exclusively during a molt. When chickens consume treats, they’re non eating feed, which is their primary root of nutrition. Commercially prepared feed is rattling carefully formulated yesteryear poultry nutritionists who closely monitor the composition of ingredients to ensure that a chicken’s daily vitamin, mineral too poly peptide requirements are met. Supplemental foods (treats/snacks) supercede a component of those essential dietary elements. 

Excessive treats, fifty-fifty good for you lot ones, tin flaming crusade whatsoever of the following: obesity, reduced egg production, malformed eggs, habitual laying of multiple-yolked eggs, vent prolapse, a poly peptide deficiency, feather-picking, fatty liver syndrome, increased endangerment of heat stroke and pump problems. Treats should locomote express to no to a greater extent than than 5% of a chicken's diet, which amounts to but about two tablespoons of treats inwards whatsoever given day. Treats/scraps/snacks should non locomote fed to chickens daily due to the obesity-related wellness concerns which bring reached epidemic proportions inwards backyard chickens.

Sources & farther reading
1 The Chicken: H5N1 Natural History.  Barber, Daly, Rutland, Cawthray, Hauber  . Race Point Publishing, 2012  p. 109 

2 The Chicken Vet, Diarrhoea  

 Poultry Diseases, Pattison, McMullin, Bradbury & Alexander. 2008

Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens, Damerow. 1995

The Chicken Health Handbook, Damerow. 1994