The benefits and uses of lucerne in poultry production

Lucerne is becoming more commonplace in UK poultry systems because of the benefits the crop provides to the welfare and productivity of flocks.

Lucerne bales provide hens with important foraging material, are a good source of fibre and typically have a crude protein content in excess of 16%.

More poultry farmers are now growing their own lucerne to give them control over its quality, but it is becoming big business for agricultural supply firms too.

See also: Advice on managing welfare issues in multi-tier layer systems

When done correctly, there are benefits from making bales a regular feature in poultry houses, says vet Charlotte Cole, of St David’s Poultry Team.

She works with free-range egg and broiler producers across North Yorkshire and sees its benefits first-hand, from improved shell quality in layers to drier litter.

She recommends its use in both multi-tier and flat deck systems.

Vet Charlotte Cole of St David’s Poultry Team © Charlotte Cole

Healthy gut

The protein and digestible fibre content of the plant reduce reliance on manufactured feeds, while increased fibre intake also gives the bird a fuller and more satisfied feeling.

This reduces feed intake and promotes a healthier gut.

That, combined with balance in the diet and lucerne’s very high dry matter content, makes the birds’ dung drier, so the bedding is preserved in better condition for longer.

For hens, chop length needs to be short (5-10cm), and the addition of insoluble grit will aid digestion, Charlotte advises.

Less pecking

Lucerne also helps to encourage foraging behaviours and prolongs feeding times. These are effective ways to prevent feather pecking, she says.

“As an industry, we are always trying to work out how to prevent feather pecking in chickens, and providing lucerne is a really good way to help with redirecting that aggressive behaviour.

“While pecking blocks are good, giving birds something destructible to pull apart with their beaks is really helpful.”

Recent studies have demonstrated that feeding more fibre reduces pecking. This is likely due in part to the bird feeling fuller.

Feather pecking results in higher feed costs and can lead to mortality and reduced egg production. The cost of introducing enrichment is easily offset, Charlotte adds.

Some schemes for egg production assurance require that at least two enrichments are provided for every 1,000 hens.

Some of these enrichments must be destructible, and lucerne would fall into that category.

Charlotte points to further research that shows lower levels of stress in chickens supplemented with lucerne hay.

A study carried out in South Korea in 2022 showed that this material (also commonly referred to as alfalfa) had a positive effect on mitigating stress, as did pumice stone.

Stress can occur when transferring from the rearing house to the laying house, so it is important that these have similar environmental conditions.

© Tim Scrivener

Level of enrichment

There is a growing body of evidence that variety in poultry diets has positive effects on the gut microbiome.

But Charlotte advises that lucerne should account for no more than 10% of a bird’s diet.

“If we over-supplement, for example, by including it in the diet instead of offering as an enrichment, it can have an anti-nutritional effect,” she says.

“This is because the hens have to eat more to get the same nutritional benefit as they would from other ingredients.”

Enrichment, however, is beneficial, she stresses: it helps to strengthen the gut mucosal barrier.

This promotes better gut health and digestion, providing a stable environment for bacteria to flourish.

“We are growing our knowledge in human research on how bacteria contribute positively to the digestion of nutrients and how that interacts with the brain.

“So making sure there are the right bacteria in the gut in early life could be very beneficial, whether in humans or in other species like chickens,” she says.

Lucerne litter

One of Charlotte’s clients provides lucerne not only as bales for the hens to peck at, but by using it as litter when pullets are introduced to the layer shed.

“The birds spend a lot of time scratching and foraging in it,” she says, adding that his farm introduces lucerne to birds as early as two weeks old to provide nutritional variety to help with early development of the gut.

“It encourages early foraging behaviour, which we know is associated with lower levels of stress and feather pecking in adult layers,” she says.

Although that business has not seen a reduction in consumption of feed from other sources, it has seen benefits in litter quality and the behaviour of birds.

Overall, it is helping the business in its ambition to extend laying cycles in its free-range layers beyond 80 weeks.

Lower emissions

Lucerne also scores well on its environmental credentials. Because of its positive effect on gut function, leading to drier dung containing less nutrient, ammonia emissions are lower.

And because bedding condition is maintained for longer, less is needed.

Growing and harvesting lucerne for poultry

© Tim Scrivener

In North Yorkshire, agricultural contractor Nick Dale has been harvesting, baling and packing lucerne grown by a local free-range egg business.

Baling lucerne is a new and growing strand to his business at W Dale & Son as the crop becomes more commonplace in UK poultry systems.

As well as baling lucerne for clients, agricultural contractor Nick Dale also grows the crop on his own farm near Ripon.

He aims to use lucerne varieties with a higher dormancy rating as they are better suited to UK growing conditions.

The crop is cut with roller conditioner mowers to aid leaf retention and achieve a faster wilt rate.

He tries to dry as much in the field as possible, without leaving it out so long that bleaching and nutrient loss occur.

“A long stubble must be left so as not to damage the crown of the plant and to ensure quick regrowth,” he adds.

The lucerne is raked and chopped with a self-propelled forage harvester and transported to the drying plant on the farm.

Here, a biomass boiler provides heat for the crop to be dried for at least two hours at a high air temperature, to ensure any pathogens are killed.

Once dried, the lucerne is baled into 20kg bales.