Methods and Key Technical Points for Raising Chickens with Mulberry Leaves

SummaryGenerally, after young chicks are born, they can be fed powder made from ground dried mulberry leaves, so that the young chicks slowly adapt to the taste of mulberry leaves. When the young chicks grow into young chickens, they can be put into a mulberry field to eat mulberry leaves and build up their bodies. Generally, fresh mulberry leaves have a high moisture content, and during this period they also need to be fed other feed.

I. Methods of using mulberry leaves to raise chickens

1. Generally, chickens do not eat mulberry leaves, but after they come out of the eggshell, if the first feed they eat contains mulberry leaves, over time they will gradually adapt to this taste.

2. In order to let young chicks gradually get used to the taste of mulberry leaves, generally the first thing they are given is not fresh mulberry leaves, but mulberry leaf powder, that is, powder made by grinding dried mulberry leaves.

3. During this period, mix the mulberry leaf powder with the young chick feed, so that the young chicks eat it from birth, which will slowly make the young chicks adapt to the taste of mulberry leaves. When the young chicks grow into young chickens, they can be put into a mulberry field to eat mulberry leaves and build up their bodies.

4. Mulberry leaves used as feed for livestock and poultry can not only be eaten fresh, but can also be dried and crushed, and then used in combination with other feed. However, because the moisture content of fresh mulberry leaves is slightly higher than that of grasses or other tree leaves, usually around 70%, the proportion of mulberry leaves in the daily ration should not be too large, and they should generally be used in combination with other feed.

5. After drying and crushing the picked mulberry leaves and adding them to chicken feed at a ratio of 5%-10%, the yolk color can generally be significantly improved, and the quality and quantity of eggs produced will also increase. The taste of the chicken meat will also be significantly improved, and it can effectively reduce ammonia emissions in chicken manure.

II. Benefits of using mulberry leaves to raise chickens

1. The domestic livestock industry consumes about 80-90 million tons of feed grain each year. With the continuous growth of the domestic population, land resources are also in short supply. At present, it is no longer realistic to rely entirely on grain conversion to solve feed needs.

2. Generally, mulberry leaves contain a variety of amino acids, and in suitable proportions. Among them, glutamic acid, which plays a key role in glucose metabolism and protein metabolism, is relatively high in content, while the contents of lysine and threonine are also relatively high. Choosing to add mulberry leaves to livestock and poultry feed can effectively regulate the amino acid balance of the feed.

3. Mulberry leaves have good palatability for most livestock. When animals come into contact with mulberry leaves for the first time, they easily accept them. If the animals are already familiar with the taste of mulberry leaves, they will preferentially eat mulberry leaves rather than other forage grasses.

4. According to experiments, the digestibility of mulberry leaves is very high. Both in vivo digestion experiments and in vitro digestion experiments have shown it to be greater than about 80%, and the overall digestibility is equal to that of most tropical forage grasses.

5. Therefore, mulberry leaf protein is an excellent protein resource and also an ideal raw material for new types of livestock animal feed. Generally, fresh mulberry leaves can be used directly for raising cattle, pigs, sheep, chickens, and so on. This will not only break the traditional livestock industry's complete reliance on grain conversion for livestock and poultry feed, but is also superior to most plant feeds in terms of nutritional value and yield.