Instructions
Feed the laying hen a balanced diet containing five or more whole, live, unmilled grains. Allow free access to grains and remove before nightfall. Feed legumes such as boiled soybeans daily to balance the B vitamin profiles of the grains along with a calcium supplement derived from oyster shells or grass-fed bone sources.
Mix defatted fish silage into the daily feed ration. It is recommended to keep fish fat from fish silage at no more than 12 percent of the total protein ration.
Test the egg weight, egg quality, and egg composition of selected sample eggs to determine whether you are feeding the right percentage of fish fat. Although high levels of fish fat caused modest increases in omega-3 polyunsaturated levels in egg yolks, it also led to reduced sensory quality and lower egg weight, according to researchers at the University of Norway.
How to Feed Fish Silage to Laying Hens
Fish silage is made using byproducts from the fish farming and fishing industries. Experiments with fish oils in the diets of laying hens determined that levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in egg yolk are positively related to the fish oil level of the diets, according to research at the Agricultural University of Norway. Fish silage is as good a source of protein as fish meal for laying hens, according to experiments performed at the university.