Progress report for FNC23-1391
Project Information
Malaina Schlautman: Malaina grew up working with her family in a York County, NE corn-soy operation while also raising beef. She currently raises and markets grass-fed and grain-finished Braunvieh beef, Kernza(R) perennial grain, and vegetable crops. She was active in 4-H and FFA and is now helping her daughters do the same.
Bailey Peters: Bailey grew up working with her family in a York and Hamilton County, NE corn/soy operation. Bailey is a recent college grad with interests and certifications in food and nutritional sciences, which she has brought back to her family farm in central NE. She is a beginning farmer that is working to help diversify her families farming operation to include alternative grains, cover crops, fruits and vegetables. She currently raises layer hens and broilers.
Sophie Schlautman: Sophie is the daughter of Malaina Schlautman. She is a junior 4-Her in York County, NE. She shows beef and raises laying hens, broilers, and meat and laying ducks. She is interested in learning more about producing poultry for her local community while using chicken tractors, locally sourced grain, and other sustainable practices.
Broiler dietary needs are well known. They have high protein requirements (16-22%) throughout the starter, grower, finisher growth stages. Much of the energy and protein in broiler feed mixes is derived from corn and soy. There is increasing interest among small-scale poultry producers to find alternative, sustainable non-corn or -soy derived sources of protein and energy. Alternative cereal grains (e.g wheat or barley) are sometimes used, but rarely have sufficient protein content to meet the high protein demands of growing broilers ( > 16%). Alternative grain legumes (e.g. pea or lentil) can be used to replace soy protein in broiler diets, but at a steep increase in price.
Kernza(R) perennial grain production is increasing throughout the US as an ecologically and nutritionally sound component of human and animal diets. It's high protein content (18-21%) could allow it to replace at least a portion of the soy-derived protein and corn-derived energy in broiler diets. While the price of human-grade Kernza(R) grain remains high, Kernza(R) screenings, mostly composed of cracked Kernza(R) grain, might be an affordable non-soy protein source for small scale poultry producers and provide an outlet for the by-product as the Kernza(R) industry and infrastructure expands in the US.
Solution:
The sustainability benefits of Kernza(R) perennial grain production are well-documented throughout research literature and in the media. As the industry expands, uses for by-products like Kernza(R) screenings or non-food grain Kernza(R) grain (e.g. off-flavored or high aflatoxin or vomitoxin content) will be needed as key infrastructure to support the Kernza(R) food and agriculture system. Our research explores using Kernza(R) screenings that we can source from local growers as a non-soy or -corn derived portion of broiler grower and finisher diets.
Design: We will grow out 4 batches (16 groups) of broilers. Each batch will be composed of 4 groups of broilers with 15-20 broilers per group. From each batch, two groups will be grown at Malaina's farm and two groups will be grown at Bailey's to have replicates of the treatments. Within each farm there will be a control group fed a normal grower/finisher ration and a test group fed a normal grower/finisher ration that is replaced with 10-40% Kernza screenings. Within each batch, all 60-80 broilers will be brooded together using the same starter diet from the feed store until 14 days, then split into groups and fed the proposed diets and timeline are shown in the table below until processing. Bailey and Malaina will mix the feed together rather than purchasing and formulating separately.
| Batch | Timeline | Control group diet | Test group diet |
| 1 (Groups 1-4) | Spring 2023 | Grower/finisher mix from feed store. | Grower/finisher mix + 10% Kernza(R) screenings |
| 2 (Groups 5-8) | Summer 2023 | Grower/finisher mix from feed store. | Grower/finisher mix + 20% Kernza(R) screenings |
| 3 (Groups 9-12) | Spring 2024 | Grower/finisher mix from feed store. | Grower/finisher mix + 30% Kernza(R) screenings |
| 4 (Groups 13-16) | Summer 2024 | Grower/finisher mix from feed store. | Grower/finisher mix + 40% Kernza(R) screenings |
Measurements: We plan to collect measurements on the weight of feed consumed and the weight of broilers at different growth stages and at processing. We will also send our feed mixes to Kansas State University to evaluate for nutritional content to be sure we are meeting broiler dietary guidelines. We will also ask our local vet to visit on processing day to evaluate the health and wellness of the control and test groups. If the test feed mix or health and wellness of broilers in any batch is not acceptable, we will work with Chad (Kstate) and the vet to adjust our proposed diet plan for future batches. We will use the cost of feed consumed and the weight of processed broilers to compare net incomes among and within batches. The measurement plan is in the table below.
| Timeline | Broiler Weight Measurements | Feed Weight Measurements | Feed Quality Measurements |
| day 0 | all chicks | ||
| day 7 | all chicks | starter consumed | |
| day 14 | each broiler group | starter consumed | Grower mix |
| day 21 | Grower consumed | ||
| day 28 | each broiler group | Grower consumed | Finisher mix |
| day 35 | Finisher consumed | ||
| day 42 | each broiler group (live and processed) + vet inspection | Finisher consumed |
Objectives:
- Determine whether broiler weight gain and health and wellness is affected by substituting a portion (10-40%) of the grower and finisher diets with Kernza(R) screenings.
- Determine how the nutritional value of broiler grower/finisher changes when fortified with Kernza(R) screenings.
- Determine how net income is affected by including Kernza(R) screenings in broiler grower/finisher diets
- Determine the price-point at which including Kernza(R) screenings in broiler diets is a viable outlet for the by-product of Kernza(R) agriculture and food system.
Cooperators
- - Producer
- - Producer
Research
Broiler Diet Formulation:
We conducted nutritional analyses of Kernza(R) screenings (mostly composed of broken Kernza kernels) that are a byproduct from Kernza(R) cleaning and dehulling. Our monogastric nutritionist used those analyses to guide formulation of four different broiler pelleted diets containing 0%, 15%, 30%, and 45% Kernza screenings.
|
Table 1: Broiler Diet formulations with Kernza(R) screenings. |
||||
|
% Kernza Screening |
||||
|
Ingredient, % |
0 |
15 |
30 |
45 |
|
Corn |
65.64 |
53.02 |
40.40 |
27.79 |
|
Kernza Screenings |
- |
15.00 |
30.00 |
45.00 |
|
Soybean meal |
30.18 |
27.79 |
25.40 |
23.01 |
|
Soy oil |
1.50 |
1.50 |
1.50 |
1.50 |
|
Dicalcium phosphate |
0.42 |
0.45 |
0.48 |
0.51 |
|
Limestone |
0.96 |
0.95 |
0.93 |
0.920 |
|
Sodium chloride |
0.42 |
0.42 |
0.42 |
0.42 |
|
L-Lys |
0.192 |
0.216 |
0.239 |
0.263 |
|
DL-Met |
0.277 |
0.249 |
0.221 |
0.193 |
|
L-Thr |
0.111 |
0.106 |
0.102 |
0.098 |
|
Phytase |
0.015 |
0.015 |
0.015 |
0.015 |
|
Choline Choloride |
0.040 |
0.040 |
0.040 |
0.040 |
|
Vitamin trace mineral premix |
0.25 |
0.25 |
0.25 |
0.25 |
|
Total |
100 |
100 |
100 |
100 |
Materials and Supplies
First we built four chicken tractors of equal size and dimensions using a modification of the Suscovich chicken tractor design that included round rather than peaked conduit. We purchased broiler feeder troughs and waterers for each chicken tractor. We also purchased a tub with a lid to store the feed for each chicken tractor.
Experimental Procedure.
Cohort 1
We purchased 130 all male cornish cross broilers August 30, 2023. The 130 broilers were fed a broiler starter crumble mix from our local feed store for three weeks in a single brooder. At three weeks the broilers were randomly split into four batches (pens) of equal size and moved to chicken tractors (one batch/pen per chicken tractor). Two chicken tractors were located at Malaina's and two at Bailey's. The chicken tractors were randomly assigned to one of the four pelleted diets (Table 2). Broilers were fed daily at each location with pellets of the appropriate diet from weeks 3 to slaughter (47 days). The total live broilers (n) and total weight (lb) of each chicken tractor was recorded at harvest.
|
Table 2: Cohort 1 Treatments |
||||
|
Cage # / % Kernza |
||||
|
Malaina's |
#1 / 0% |
#2 / 45% |
- | - |
|
Bailey's |
- | - | #3 / 15%
|
#4 / 30% |
Cohort 2
We purchased 150 all male cornish cross broilers April 16, 2024. The 150 broilers were fed a broiler starter crumble mix from our local feed store for three weeks in a single brooder. At three weeks the broilers were randomly split into four batches (pens) of equal size and moved to chicken tractors (one batch/pen per chicken tractor). Two chicken tractors were located at Malaina's and two at Bailey's. The chicken tractors were randomly assigned to one of the four pelleted diets (Table 3). Broilers were fed daily at each location with pellets of the appropriate diet from weeks 3 to slaughter (50 days). The total live broilers (n) and total weight (lb) of each chicken tractor was recorded at harvest.
|
Table 3: Cohort 2 Treatments |
||||
|
Cage # / % Kernza |
||||
|
Malaina's |
#1 / 15% |
#2 / 45% |
- | - |
|
Bailey's |
- | - | #3 / 0%
|
#4 / 30% |
Broiler Diet Formulation:
Our feed nutritionists found that the pellet durability of pelleted broiler diets compared to the control diet improves as the percentage of Kernza(R) inclusion increases (Friesen, et al. 2024). We were able to successfully make and feed all four pelleted Kernza(R) broiler diets according to (Table 1).
Feeding Trials:
We conducted feeding trials with two cohorts (1 = fall 2023, 2 = spring 2024) of broilers. We were able to successfully raise and slaughter broilers fed all four diets formulated with increasing percentages of Kernza(R) screeings. We did not observe any obvious differences in carcass color, shape, or size while slaughtering the broilers. We did notice that the birds seemed to consume considerably more fresh water when fed the higher Kernza percentage diets compared to the controls, although we did not notice large differences in the total amount of feed consumed.
We did not observe any trend in differences in final slaughter weights of the broilers fed the different diets in the first two cohorts. We expected to see a trend of carcass weights that correlated (positively or negatively) with the increasing inclusion of Kernza(R) screenings in the diet.
| Table 4. Number of broilers (n) and average broiler weight at slaughter (lb) per chicken tractor | ||||
| Kernza screening percent (Chicken Tractor) | ||||
| 0% | 15% | 30% | 45% | |
| Cohort 1 | 24 / 5.34lb | 29 / 5.55lb | 24 / 5.45lb | 23 / 5.70lb |
| Cohort 2 | 27 / 6.14lb | 30 / 5.92lb | 28 / 6.26lb | 29 / 6.01lb |
Next Steps
Improved data analysis - We plan to conduct another cohort in fall 2024. During this cohort we will buy an extra scale so that we can get weekly broiler weights and the total weight of the feed consumed from each chicken tractor. We also plan to get the final weight of each carcass after slaughter so that we can assess the variability of carcass weights within the cages.
Meat quality - We also will plan to do some sort of sensory analysis study. Our plan is to take 5 pictures of 4 slaughtered broilers selected randomly from each tractor. Each picture will include one broiler carcass from each treatment. The five pictures will be shared with 15 participants who are asked to rank the four carcasses in each image from 1 (best) to 4 (worst) based on the desirability of the carcasses.
Educational & Outreach Activities
Participation Summary:
Our feed nutritionist collaborators at Kansas State University published a research article (Friesen, et al. 2024) that described their research studying the potential of including Kernza in broiler diets. This article describes both the potential for including Kernza(R) in specialty poultry diets and specific barriers/follow-up research that should be conducted in the future.
We grew and slaughtered to cohorts of broilers so far. Multiple farmers (~ 5) and their families (including 4hers and ffaers) stopped by to see the birds in the chicken tractors and to see the birds during and after slaughter. These visits introduced new farms in our county to chicken tractors and the simplicity they create for managing bird health and manure distribution in pastured poultry. These families also were introduced to Kernza(R) and Kernza(R) screenings, with some families beginning to use the Kernza(R) screenings as a free choice ration in their small home egg layer flocks.
We have also shared the data about the Kernza(R) screening quality and pellet quality research article with feed mills in KS and NE, who have expressed interest in them especially in gamebird diets.
We plan to make a presentation about our research at the Nebraska Sustainable Ag Society meeting this winter and the Heartland Community Schools 4-H club will come visit to see cohort 3 of the broiler trial.
We also plan to take more pictures to share in the final report.