Which is most important for chickens, amino acids or protein?
Amino Acids for Chickens
Laying hens need a diet of 16-18% protein. Insufficient protein is a common cause of poor laying and health issues in backyard flocks. But what about amino acids?
Protein requirements are complicated. Chickens need a certain amount of protein, but it is the amino acids in protein that are actually important.
Amino acids and protein: What’s the difference?
Amino acids, also called peptides, are the chemical building blocks of protein. A protein is just chains of amino acids, linked together.
In the digestive process, proteins are broken down into amino acids. These amino acids have important roles in the body and can also be recombined to form new proteins, for example keratin for feathers or ovalbumin for egg whites.
The cycle of breaking down and rebuilding proteins is constant. The amino acids in a protein can be reused many times, but there is also waste. This is why chickens need a constant supply of protein.
Which is more important for chickens, amino acids or protein?
For chicken health, individual amino acids are more important than overall protein. That said, we still look at chicken feed in terms of overall protein because amino acid content is rarely listed on the bag!
Chickens need 22 different amino acids to be healthy. Some amino acids must be consumed – these are called essential amino acids. Others, called non-essential amino acids, can be manufactured in the body.
For good health and productivity, chickens must consume enough of the essential amino acids to meet their needs. However, new research suggests that perhaps some of the non-essential amino acids are essential too!
How do I know if my chickens are getting enough amino acids?
Because of the way that amino acids work together in the body, chicken health and productivity are determined by whichever amino acid they have the least of, relative to their needs.
In practical terms, this means that if your chickens are low in one essential amino acid, it doesn’t matter how much other protein they are consuming. Their health and productivity depends on that one determining factor.
Amino acid deficiency in chickens is difficult to identify. Deficiencies are often mild and the most common indicators, such as poor laying, can be caused by any number of deficiencies and diseases.
Amino acid deficiency, and protein deficiency more generally, are most often seen in underperforming flocks. There is nothing actually wrong with the chickens, but they look bedraggled and do not lay well, and you cannot put your finger on the cause.
Symptoms of amino acid deficiency and protein deficiency can include:
- Poor growth
- Poor laying
- Reduced egg size
- Poor feathering, particularly after moult
- General ill-health
- Feather-pecking and eating
- Poor appetite
What to do for amino acid deficiency in your flock
The most common approach to what may be an amino acid deficiency is usually to increase protein intake.
However, this approach is problematic for two reasons:
- Because a single amino acid is always the limiting factor, any protein in excess to that is excreted. So unless it is carefully chosen, more protein will often lead to little improvement and a much smellier chicken coop.
- Not all proteins are created equal. While animal proteins tend to contain fairly balanced amounts of essential amino acids, vegetable proteins are more unbalanced and cannot always be absorbed efficiently.
While individual amino acid supplements can be used to address a particular deficiency, it is often hard to pinpoint the culprit and these types of supplements are difficult for backyard chicken keepers to source.
Here are a few tips for if you suspect an amino acid deficiency in your flock:
- Choose animal proteins – Chickens are naturally omnivores. A NSW study demonstrated that chickens prefer animal protein to vegetable protein when given the choice.
- Provide supplements that are high in amino acids – Dried Mealworms and Dried Black Soldier Fly Larvae are both rich in amino acids
- Cut out other scraps and treats
- Ensure you have chosen a high quality feed (see below)
Protein and amino acids: Choosing the best chicken feed
Protein content is essential when choosing a layer feed. But it is not the only factor. Just because a chicken feed has high levels of protein doesn’t mean it has all of the amino acids that your chickens need to thrive.
To make sure your chickens are getting all of the amino acids they need:
- Choose a premium feed made from high-quality ingredients.
- Look for 17 % protein, but also consider the source of protein and whether the feed contains amino acid supplements.
- Feeds containing animal proteins (e.g. meat meal or blood meal) may have a more balanced amino acid ratio and the proteins may be more digestible.
- If you prefer a vegetarian feed for your chickens, soybean meal is generally considered the best protein option and can be supplemented with dried insects.
- Look for a feed that is supplemented with some of the most important amino acids. Lysine, methionine, and cystine are the most common limiting amino acids in chickens.
We love Laucke Mills feeds like Red Hen 17, which we use in our own chicken coop. As well as containing the perfect amount of protein – 17 % - this is a quality feed that has been carefully balanced to ensure the correct ratio of essential amino acids for laying hens.
Too much of a good thing
Avoid going over-board. Too much protein can be as harmful to chickens as too little.
Keep things simple by sticking with a quality layer feed with around 17 % protein and a few Dried Mealworms every day or so.
Avoid feeding your chickens things like cat food and tinned tuna. Although backyard chicken keepers often recommend it, these treats are usually too high in protein for chickens. Plus, unlike chicken feed, they don't contain the right amino acids in the right ratios, so they probably won't help improve productivity very much.
When chickens consume excess protein, it is excreted from the body as nitrogen-rich poop. This poop is wetter than normal chicken poo, and it often smells strongly of ammonia. So if your coop is getting smelly as soon as you have cleaned it, diet might be the problem!
Do you want to learn more about chicken nutrition and health? Check out these other blog posts:
Happy chicken keeping!
Rachael at Dine a Chook Australia