Short answer: Sunflower cake is a useful protein source when it is dehulled, but partly dehulled cake is high in fibre and low in energy, and the protein is short of lysine. Use dehulled cake in grower and layer rations, keep it to about 5 to 10 per cent of the mix, add lysine and soya where the protein is needed, and read the spec sheet before every sack.
Key takeaways
- Dehulled sunflower cake has about 36 to 38 per cent protein. Partly dehulled cake is far lower and far higher in fibre.
- Hull content decides the share, so ask for the crude fibre figure before you ask for the price.
- The protein is short of lysine and high in arginine, so the mix needs a lysine source to balance it.
- Keep chick and broiler starter shares small, and keep hull-rich cake out of young birds altogether.
- Watch the first eggs after a change, since some sunflower meals are linked to greener yolks.
- Test the feed on a group for 14 days, and measure weight, feed conversion or egg size, not just appearance.
A sack that looks the same and performs differently
A sack of sunflower cake can carry 38 per cent protein or 25 per cent, and once both are in the mash they can look almost the same. The difference is in the hull, the part of the seed that is pressed along with the kernel when nobody removes it first. The hull is mostly fibre, and fibre is what turns a good protein into a poor feed.
Most sacks say only "sunflower cake" on the front. That is not enough information to decide anything. Look for the crude protein, the crude fibre and a note on whether the cake is dehulled. If the seller cannot tell you, the cake is probably not dehulled, and you should price it as if it were the coarser product.
Dehulled cake is pale and grey-brown, fine and even. Cake with hull in it shows dark flecks all through, and when you open the sack it smells more like straw than like seed. Those two things tell you more than the price tag does.
Dehulled or not: the question that decides the share
Sunflower cake comes in three broad grades, and each one belongs in a different place in the programme. The table gives approximate figures. Your supplier's analysis for the batch you are buying always comes first.
| Grade (approximate) | Crude protein | Crude fibre | Energy for poultry | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dehulled (solvent-extracted) | About 36 to 38 per cent | About 10 to 13 per cent | Moderate, roughly 1,900 to 2,100 kcal per kg | Grower and layer rations, in measured shares |
| Partly dehulled (expeller) | About 28 to 32 per cent | About 18 to 22 per cent | Lower, because the hull dilutes the energy | Layers and pullets only, at small shares |
| Hull-rich or whole-seed cake | About 20 to 25 per cent | Above 25 per cent | Low | Older birds on a fibre-tolerant plan, or not at all |
Of the three, the dehulled grade is the one to pay for if you are using sunflower as your main protein source beside soya. The partly dehulled grade is the one that tempts farmers, because the protein number still looks respectable. It is not the same product.
Protein quality: the lysine gap and the arginine excess
Crude protein is only a total. What the bird can use depends on the amino acids inside it. Sunflower protein is short of lysine, roughly half the level you get from soya meal weight for weight. It is reasonable in methionine and cystine, which are the sulphur amino acids, and that is one reason it pairs well with soya. The arginine in it is high relative to the lysine, and in young birds that imbalance can slow growth unless more lysine is added.
This is why we do not treat sunflower cake as a one-to-one replacement for soya. Soya has more protein and far more lysine. Sunflower can take part of the load, but the lysine has to come from a lysine source, usually synthetic lysine added by the feed mill, or from soya in the same mix. Our protein sources guide compares the options.
Fishmeal is the other common partner. It is rich in lysine and in methionine, and a small share of it can correct much of the gap. If you use fishmeal, read our fishmeal article first, because its quality varies a great deal.
Chlorogenic acid and the greener yolk
Sunflower seed carries chlorogenic acid, a polyphenol that is also found in coffee. Feed scientists have linked high levels of sunflower meal to a greenish tinge in egg yolks, and the usual explanation involves the acid reacting with iron in the yolk. The egg is still safe to eat. The change is a sign that the feed has altered, and a flock that suddenly lays off-colour eggs has usually had a change of feed.
This is one more reason to keep the layer share in the range we give below, and to check the first eggs after any change. If the yolks shift colour in the first week, you have your answer about the share, and you can lower it before the flock is affected in any other way.
What the hulls cost in fibre and energy
Fibre is not a problem in small amounts. A little of it helps the gut work and keeps a bird full between meals. The trouble is the amount. Hull fibre is largely insoluble, and it passes through the gut quickly, carrying some of the nutrients with it. A bird on a bulky mash eats more to reach the same energy intake, and the feed conversion ratio suffers.
The hull also dilutes the energy. A partly dehulled cake can be a quarter or more lower in energy than the dehulled grade, even when the two look similar in the sack. That matters most in a broiler finisher, where every point of energy is working for weight gain, and in a layer at peak, where the hen needs a full energy intake to hold her egg size. For a deeper look at how bulk changes intake, our wheat and rice bran article covers the same mechanism with a different ingredient.
How much to use, by stage
The figures below are the highest shares we would consider for each grade, with the lysine balance checked. They assume the cake is fresh, dry and tested. Most farms should sit below them, and a flock that shows any sign of trouble should drop the share first and ask questions afterwards.
| Stage | Dehulled cake, max % of mix | Partly dehulled cake, max % of mix | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chick starter, 0 to 6 weeks | 0 to 5 | 0 | Keep it small, and balance lysine before it goes in. |
| Broiler starter | 0 to 5 | 0 | Early growth is the most sensitive period for the amino acid balance. |
| Broiler grower and finisher | 0 to 8 | 0 | Only with lysine balanced. Watch feed conversion. |
| Pullet grower, 7 to 18 weeks | 0 to 10 | 0 to 5 | Weigh a sample weekly, and keep birds on the breed weight chart. |
| Layer, point of lay to peak | 5 to 10 | 0 to 5 | Watch yolk colour and egg size in the first two weeks. |
| Layer, late lay | Up to 10 | Up to 5 | Hens need less protein at this stage, so the share can hold. |
| Breeder flock | 0 to 5 | 0 | Hatchability is the first thing to check. |
A worked example: soya swapped for sunflower
Say a layer mash has 8 kg of soya meal per 100 kg, and you want to replace that soya with 8 kg of dehulled sunflower cake to save money. The protein sum comes first. Soya meal at about 44 per cent protein gives 3.5 kg of protein from 8 kg. Dehulled sunflower at about 36 per cent gives 2.9 kg. The mash loses about 0.6 kg of protein, which means the crude protein drops by 0.6 percentage points.
The lysine sum is the one that causes trouble. Soya meal carries roughly 2.8 per cent lysine, and dehulled sunflower carries roughly 1.3 per cent. The 8 kg of soya contributes about 0.22 kg of lysine, and the 8 kg of sunflower about 0.10 kg. The mash loses about 0.12 points of lysine. If the layer target is 0.8 per cent, the mash has fallen to about 0.68, which is roughly 15 per cent short.
The fix is to add synthetic lysine in the amount the feed mill calculates for the new mix. Do not add it by the scoop, and do not assume the protein drop is harmless because the sunflower looks like a good cake on the sack. Once the lysine is restored, the swap can save money. Before that, it is a loss that shows up in egg size and feather cover.
Where sunflower cake comes from in Ghana
Sunflower is grown mainly in the north of the country, and the seed is crushed for oil at mills in and around the growing areas. Some cake also comes in through the ports. The local cake can be fresher, but the quality varies between mills, and the imported product carries its own paperwork. Ask which it is, and ask for the analysis either way.
Where you can, go to the crusher itself and get the pressing date written on the sheet. A cake that has sat for weeks in a damp store is a different feed from one that left the mill last month. A seller who can give you the protein, the fibre and the date is worth more than one who sells on price alone. Our cottonseed cake article covers another northern cake, and the buying checks are much the same.
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What to check on the sack before it goes in
Run this list each time a new sack comes into the store. Most of it takes a few minutes, and it prevents the mistakes that cost the most.
- Read the spec sheet for crude protein, crude fibre and whether the cake is dehulled.
- Look at the colour. Pale and even is good. Dark flecks mean hull.
- Smell it. Fresh cake smells mildly nutty. Straw, sour or musty means reject.
- Squeeze a handful. It should be loose. Clumps that hold their shape mean damp or oil gone off.
- Check for webbing, black spots and insects, and sieve a sample if anything looks wrong.
- Recalculate the lysine and protein of the mix with the new share in it.
- Write the date and the batch on the sack, and use the oldest stock first.
Storing it through the rains and the harmattan
The two seasons ask different things of the store. In the rains the air is damp, and sunflower cake takes up moisture and grows mould quickly. In the harmattan the air is dry and dusty, which does little harm to the cake itself but coats every surface and makes the store hard to keep clean. Both need the same basic habits: off the floor, clear of the wall, sealed, and used within a few weeks.
Oil in the cake goes off in heat. A store that gets hot in the afternoon will turn a batch rancid faster than one that stays cool, and rancid cake loses value and can upset the birds. Keep stock moderate, rotate it, and do not buy a season's supply in one go. Our feed storage guide sets out the store layout and the testing schedule that goes with it.
Measuring the result on the flock
A feed can look right in the trough and still be wrong for the birds. Measure what the bird does. For broilers, weigh 20 birds at the start and end of each week, and record the feed used so you can work out the feed conversion ratio. Our feed conversion article shows how to calculate it.
For layers, weigh a fixed sample of eggs on two days each week, count the eggs daily, and check the yolks for colour. If egg size falls or the yolks shift in the first fortnight after a change, lower the share before you change anything else. Our layer feeding guide lists the checks that matter most in the first weeks of lay.
The mistakes we see with sunflower cake
Most problems with sunflower cake trace back to the same few habits. Each one is easy to correct once you know it is happening.
- Buying on protein alone. A partly dehulled cake with a respectable protein figure can still be too fibrous and too low in energy.
- Swapping soya one for one. The lysine falls, and the flock shows it in feathers and egg size.
- Putting it in chick starter for the protein. Chicks cannot carry the bulk or the amino acid imbalance.
- Ignoring the colour of the first eggs. A yolk shift is cheap to spot and cheap to fix.
- Storing a season's supply in a hot shed. Rancid oil and mould cost more than the discount was worth.
Our view, and where to start
We think sunflower cake is a sensible protein for a grower or layer mix when it is dehulled, tested and balanced with lysine. We would not use the partly dehulled grade for young birds, and we would not put hull-rich cake in any ration that is meant to grow or lay well. The price advantage is real, but only when the spec sheet supports the sum.
If you are starting a flock and want the feed plan sorted alongside your chicks, WhatsApp us on +233 24 915 1503. Our broiler chicks and layer chicks pages set out the stages each breed needs. You can place an order through the order form, and the FAQ answers the common questions about starting a flock on the right feed.
Questions farmers ask
Is sunflower cake good protein for chickens?
It is good protein when it is dehulled, and weaker when it is partly dehulled or hull-rich. The protein is short of lysine, so it works best beside soya or with synthetic lysine added. Read the crude fibre figure on the spec sheet before you decide how much to use.
Can I use sunflower cake in chick starter?
Only in a very small share, and only in a starter that has been balanced for lysine. Our advice is to keep it out of the starter for the first few weeks, when chicks are most sensitive to fibre and to amino acid imbalance. A cheaper starter that is short of protein will cost more in the long run.
Why did my hens lay greenish yolks after a feed change?
Sunflower meal has been linked to a greenish tinge in yolks, usually traced to chlorogenic acid reacting with iron. The egg is safe, but the change tells you the feed has altered. Lower the sunflower share, check the next few days of eggs, and go back to the previous mash if the colour does not return to normal.
Is partly dehulled cake a bad buy?
Not always, but it is a different product. Its energy is lower and its fibre is much higher, so it suits only small layer shares, and it does not replace dehulled cake one for one. Buy it if the price per unit of usable energy and protein works out, and not because the protein figure looks similar.
How do I know if a sunflower cake has gone off?
Rancid cake smells of old oil or paint, and mouldy cake smells musty or sour with white or green fluff. Clumps that hold their shape point to damp. Any of these means reject, and do not mix the cake in to stretch a sack that has been spoiled.
Do I need to add lysine if I use sunflower cake?
In most rations, yes, once the sunflower share is above a few per cent. The mill calculates the amount for the mix, and that is the right way to do it. Do not add lysine by the scoop, because an error in either direction changes the bird's growth and feathering.
Is sunflower cake cheaper than soya?
It can be per kilogram, but the comparison has to be made per unit of usable protein and lysine, after the lysine is restored. Once you add the synthetic lysine and allow for the lower energy, the saving is often smaller than the sack price suggests. Do the full sum before you switch.
