Protein percentage is only part of the story when it comes to feeding poultry well. What matters is how protein, amino acids, fats, fiber, and the other components of a diet work together.

In this PK360 discussion, Rip Stalvey, Jeff Mattocks, and Carey Blackmon take a deeper look at three major components of poultry diets—protein, fat, and fiber—and explain why simply choosing the feed with the highest protein number may not give your birds what they actually need.

We discuss vegetable and animal protein sources, why amino acids such as lysine, methionine, and cysteine matter, and how protein needs change as birds grow and enter production. The conversation also explores fish meal, fiber and gut health, the relationship between fat and fiber, different sources of dietary fat, and some of the practical compromises involved in mash, pellet, and crumble feeds. The discussion emphasizes that protein percentage alone can be misleading when amino-acid balance and total feed intake aren't considered.

You'll also hear practical discussion about reading feed tags, feeding chicks and growing birds, breeding-season nutrition, whole grains, oats, feed freshness and storage, and questions from poultry keepers watching the original PK360 LIVE.
Use the chapters below to listen from beginning to end or jump directly to the subject you need.

Poultry Keepers 360 brings together practical experience and thoughtful poultry education to help poultry keepers better understand their birds and make informed decisions about breeding, management, and nutrition.

If you enjoy thoughtful, experience-based poultry information like this, that’s what this channel is all about.

Chapters & Timestamps

0:00 Welcome & What We’re Covering
1:07 Protein Sources in Poultry Diets
3:31 Why Amino Acid Balance Matters
5:03 Animal vs. Vegetable Protein
9:02 Fish Meal & Sustainable Sources
12:13 Fish Meal, Feather Quality & Eggs
16:25 Lysine, Methionine & Cysteine
19:21 How Much Protein Do Chicks Need?
25:07 Protein Needs for Growing Birds
26:13 Developer & Layer Feed
28:30 Do Some Breeds Need More Protein?
29:22 Nutrition for Breeding Stock
30:34 Fertrell Sponsor Break
31:40 Why Fiber Matters
34:31 Fiber, Gut Health & Bird Behavior
35:42 Choosing Effective Fiber Sources
37:42 Whole Oats & Diet Self-Selection
39:00 Balancing Fat and Fiber
40:23 Choosing Better Fat Sources
41:48 Animal Fat & Shelf Life
43:58 Vegetable vs. Animal Fats
45:24 What Fat Does for the Bird
47:35 Reading Fat & Fiber on Feed Tags
49:22 Why Good Fat & Fiber Levels Are Hard to Find
51:15 Whole Grains & Feeding Grit
52:49 Ergot Risk in Rye
53:44 Feed Freshness & Shelf Life
56:09 Mash vs. Pellets
57:32 Chick Feed & Breeder Supplement
58:12 What Is Mash Feed?
1:00:23 How Long Does Feed Stay Nutritious?
1:00:52 Calcium in Poultry Feed
1:03:40 How Long Can Whole Grains Be Stored?
1:05:07 Closing Thoughts

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