Need a Chicken Feed Expert please

Hello,

I need to know what you think of this formula make up please?

Crude Protein min 17%
Lysine min 1.10%
Crude Fat min 4.5%
Crude Fiber min 3.0%
Calcium min .60%
Calcium max 1.0%
Phosphorus min .50%
Salt min .20%
Salt max .70%
Sodium min .20%
Sodium max .70%
Selenium min .30 ppm
Zinc min 125 ppm

Do you think this would be ok to feed chickens? A local Mill makes this and there are people in our area that "SHOW" chickens and say this is all they feed their birds.

I do provide oyster shell for the birds as well.

Here is the table they have listed. I am not sure what grains are used to make up the Protein...but Protein is Protein correct? It's above the 16% that my current feed uses AND this stuff is milled very good... no clay used to make pellets... almost looks like cornmeal in consistency.

Crude Protein min 17.0%
Lysine min 1.10%
Crude Fat min 4.5%
Crude Fiber max 3.0%
Calcium min 0.60%
Calcium max 1.00%
Phosphorus min 0.50%
Salt min 0.20%
Salt max 0.70%
Sodium min 0.20%
Sodium max 0.70%
Selenium min 0.30 ppm
Zinc min 125 ppm

mrchaos101 said:

Here is the table they have listed.  I am not sure what grains are used to make up the Protein...but Protein is Protein correct?

Click to expand...

The short of it no, protein is not protein... They all differ in their amino acid makeup and digestibility...

MeepBeep said:

The short of it no, protein is not protein... They all differ in their amino acid makeup and digestibility...

Click to expand...

Ok, so with the information they have provided there is no way to tell if this truly is a good enough chicken feed?

Do you see anything they have listed that you feel is bad?

It's probably 'good enough' but that isn't to say it's great or perfect... Personally I don't believe any single commercial feed blend is perfect although they are likely very good and will produce decent and and generally sufficient nutritional results as a sole diet... But, at the end of the day I'm a strong believer in dietary variety, supplements and treats (or free range to pick and choose) can go a long way towards filling micro and trace nutrient gaps that a staple commercial diet might lack...

I would like to know what is actually in it, myself as the simple breakdowns like that only tell part of the story... For example we have no idea if it has any vitamin supplements in it, or where the protein is derived from... If asked I would hope the feed store would be willing to disclose the ingredients to you...
Some good reading...

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/p...ltry/nutritional_requirements_of_poultry.html

MeepBeep said:

It's probably 'good enough' but that isn't to say it's great or perfect... Personally I don't believe any single commercial feed blend is perfect although they are likely very good and will produce decent and and generally sufficient nutritional results as a sole diet... But, at the end of the day I'm a strong believer in dietary variety, supplements and treats (or free range to pick and choose) can go a long way towards filling micro and trace nutrient gaps that a staple commercial diet might lack...

I would like to know what is actually in it, myself as the simple breakdowns like that only tell part of the story... For example we have no idea if it has any vitamin supplements in it, or where the protein is derived from... If asked I would hope the feed store would be willing to disclose the ingredients to you...
Some good reading...

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/p...ltry/nutritional_requirements_of_poultry.html

Click to expand...

Its a local feed mill. They buy feed and mill this stuff. It isnt mad for chickens but I know a few people using it as their food including a lerson who shows birds. The stuff is called Show Pig.

I think it sounds good on all but the calcium...but providing oyster shells you should be fine :-D

mrchaos101 said:

Its a local feed mill. They buy feed and mill this stuff. It isnt mad for chickens but I know a few people using it as their food including a lerson who shows birds. The stuff is called Show Pig.

Click to expand...

Pig/Swine feed itself isn't bad for chickens as it's nearly the same basic ingredients as poultry feed, in fact I feed it to my birds on occasion... BUT it lacks the proper amino acids and vitamin supplementation levels that are specific and required for an optimal poultry feed... Thus I would not really consider it a balanced and complete diet in itself, even though birds will sustain on it...

If the birds free range or have access to a variety of other foods and treats I wouldn't hesitate using it as a primary feed... Or you can make it just that much better by tossing in some of your own supplementation...

I'm not saying this is the best supplementation out there as it's real generic and not geared towards poultry, but it's reasonably cheap and my local feed store carries it in stock so I use it when I stray away from poultry specific feeds, like when I use pig feed... If you are even a bit curious as to why I use pig feed occasionally it's because Walmart has better store hours than the feed stores and I can swing by any time of the day and pick up a several bags of Walmart's Hog 14 to hold my birds over when I'm unable to get to the feed store and get real poultry feed... Yeah Walmart carries a layer feed as well but I like to skip the excess protein in the feed since I have a mixed flock thus I generally grab their hog feed instead...

Anyway here is the additive I use...

http://www.diamondv.com/wp-content/uploads/productprofile_xp_original.pdf

And as for dosing with the above, I pretty much wing it and just mix about a 3/4 full 2 quart pitcher of the Diamond VXP into 150-200 lbs of hog feed...

FYI my birds get fresh treats every day so I'm not overly concerned with their base diet being perfect, so don't take my supplementation choice of Diamond VXP as being complete, but it's certainly not bad...

Well that is good to know. Birds roam over 1/2 acre lot. I toss a scoop of cracked corn now and then as they like that...and a bowel of live meal worms once in a while.

The hog feed is 10.00 for 50lb bag. It is 4.00 a bag cheaper then the chicken feed. If it can work.. even if i have to add a lil to it....I can get it much cheaper by paying for 3 tons at a time.

A lot of today's chicken feed is formulated to satisfy the human customer and not the chicken end user. Therefor some of the best ingredients in chicken feed may dis-satisfy the political correct among us. Chicken feed needs from 16 to 22 Percent protein and as was mentioned previously not all proteins are created equal.

Pig feed or hog chow is not as subject to fads and they are generally superior to many commercial chicken feeds. It also doesn't hurt that pig food is up to 50% cheaper. A list of the real food in the feed sack is better than a dry list or report from a chemistry lab. The list provided above is short in the calcium hens need for strong eggshells.

If there was a "bad" ingredient in the food then the feed company would not list it. It is cheaper to rename the bad stuff (actually the not as good a stuff) than to replace it. That is why you need a REAL list of the stuff in any chicken feed that you buy.

There is for instance a listing for the minimum fat but not a listing for the maximum fat. Whats with that?