Anyone else use Grubbly Farms feed? Opinions on it?

[CaliforniaMountainChicks]

Very interesting thread. I have a store about an hour away that sells this... thinking of the freedom layers crumbles... you having luck with it?

I have not gotten around to trying it just yet! I still have bags of the grubblies chick feed since my youngest are still only 13 weeks!

 

[Badchickenpun]

I have not gotten around to trying it just yet! I still have bags of the grubblies chick feed since my youngest are still only 13 weeks!

I'm about where you are... got my chicks at end of march

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I just found a corn/soy free feed near me. Tried to upload the pdf of the nutrition tag, but my phone is garbage.

Could you take a look and compare it to the kings freedom feed, we can get that, too, but it's further away.
https://www.krautcreek.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Web-Page-Corn-Soy-Free-Layer-17.pdf

Sure I can, but with the info in THIS post, you should be able to do so w/o me. It isn't magic.

Crude Protein is equal to King's Freedom, and right in the range you would expect for a "layer" type feed.

The Lysine in Kraut Creek is at 0.6, considerably below the 0.8 in the King Freedom. As I said in the linked post, "Its primarily associated with muscle development, particularly the breast. Differences between 0.75% and 0.8% are negligible, particularly in layer breeds and adults (whose nutritional needs decline as they age). Anything over 0.7% is adequate to the needs of most non-broiler birds. Some more recent studies are beginning to offer 0.8 as the target to reach, but there is room for reasonable dispute." I personally consider 0.6% to be below minimum target (by a little), but there are plenty of off the shelf feeds which are mixed to 0.6 as their target. For adult smaller body layer-type breeds, 0.6% should be considered adequate, but not optimal.

Methionine at 0.4 is similar to the ones above. As I said in that post, "I consider .4 to be the minimum target, and seek higher levels for my own flocks. Younger birds need more - much more - with literature suggesting levels between 0.5 and 0.7 as targets, but .4 +/- for layers and .5+/- for broilers are common recommends. You will see other commercial feeds as low as 0.3 (based, seemingly, on studies from the late 70s and early 80s when measuring Met apart from Cys was more difficult)".

Your feed is better on fat and better on fiber than the King Freedom, with 3.5%+/- commonly offered as targets for both. A little more fati si appropriate for waterfowl and for meat birds being fattened for table. Not a lot of benefit to high fiber in poultry diets unless you are deliberately feed restricting with a high volume low nutritional value feed.

Phosphorus level at 0.7% is also good, better than many. As I said above, "0.5 is common in the industry. 0.6 - 0.8 is better."

and sodium is right where I'd expect it to be.

SO really, you are giving up a bit of lysine for much better levels of fat and fiber, and somewhat better levels of phosphorus. If your flock is a bunch of adult red sex link hens like comets, cinnamon queens, (or other small body high production layers), etc I'd judge it a clearly superior feed for that purpose. If you are instead using it for a flock of "dual purpose" birds that you want more meat on the bones, a little more fat on the body, then the decision becomes more difficult. I wouldn't recommend it for a mixed age flock or for a mixed gender flock where you intend to keep the roosters for many years, but its a "layer-type" formulation, you knew that already.

 

[Badchickenpun]

Sure I can, but with the info in THIS post, you should be able to do so w/o me. It isn't magic.

Crude Protein is equal to King's Freedom, and right in the range you would expect for a "layer" type feed.

The Lysine in Kraut Creek is at 0.6, considerably below the 0.8 in the King Freedom. As I said in the linked post, "Its primarily associated with muscle development, particularly the breast. Differences between 0.75% and 0.8% are negligible, particularly in layer breeds and adults (whose nutritional needs decline as they age). Anything over 0.7% is adequate to the needs of most non-broiler birds. Some more recent studies are beginning to offer 0.8 as the target to reach, but there is room for reasonable dispute." I personally consider 0.6% to be below minimum target (by a little), but there are plenty of off the shelf feeds which are mixed to 0.6 as their target. For adult smaller body layer-type breeds, 0.6% should be considered adequate, but not optimal.

Methionine at 0.4 is similar to the ones above. As I said in that post, "I consider .4 to be the minimum target, and seek higher levels for my own flocks. Younger birds need more - much more - with literature suggesting levels between 0.5 and 0.7 as targets, but .4 +/- for layers and .5+/- for broilers are common recommends. You will see other commercial feeds as low as 0.3 (based, seemingly, on studies from the late 70s and early 80s when measuring Met apart from Cys was more difficult)".

Your feed is better on fat and better on fiber than the King Freedom, with 3.5%+/- commonly offered as targets for both. A little more fati si appropriate for waterfowl and for meat birds being fattened for table. Not a lot of benefit to high fiber in poultry diets unless you are deliberately feed restricting with a high volume low nutritional value feed.

Phosphorus level at 0.7% is also good, better than many. As I said above, "0.5 is common in the industry. 0.6 - 0.8 is better."

and sodium is right where I'd expect it to be.

SO really, you are giving up a bit of lysine for much better levels of fat and fiber, and somewhat better levels of phosphorus. If your flock is a bunch of adult red sex link hens like comets, cinnamon queens, (or other small body high production layers), etc I'd judge it a clearly superior feed for that purpose. If you are instead using it for a flock of "dual purpose" birds that you want more meat on the bones, a little more fat on the body, then the decision becomes more difficult. I wouldn't recommend it for a mixed age flock or for a mixed gender flock where you intend to keep the roosters for many years, but its a "layer-type" formulation, you knew that already.

Thanks for all that. Now I just need to make sure both places have the food in stock and pricing. What are some other sources or lysine? Out of curiousity.
I've read your posts on other sources of methionine.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Thanks for all that. Now I just need to make sure both places have the food in stock and pricing. What are some other sources or lysine? Out of curiousity.
I've read your posts on other sources of methionine.

Animal meals (fish, crab, etc) and insect proteins [honestly, these are great sources of amino acids in every case we care about], legume meals (soy meal, cottonseed meal, peanut meal) etc - because they are all fat-reduced protein-concentrated sources. Next up are your fava beans, cow peas, field peas, lentils, winter peas, and the rest of the common legumes. Black Gram seed and fenugreek seed are right in there with the legumes, then rapeseed (used to make canola oil, this is way fatty and should be avoided) and peanuts.

The rest of the seeds (Amaranth, Sunflower, Hemp, Sesame) are next - they aren't as low on lysine as some of the grains, but they aren't high enough to make a significant difference in the diet either - and like rapeseed, have high fat concerns as well)

 

[Genene]

I feed Grubbly crumbles. My hens love it. They eat both the seeds & crumbles.

 

[Caring chicken lover]

I was wondering if anyone else on here uses Grubbly Farms chicken feed and what your opinions on it are. Have you noticed a difference in their health, egg production, feather quality, etc., when using this feed compared to others? I would love anyones opinion on the feed and the differences you've noticed, or lack thereof, when on this feed. They are raising their prices again and it is going to be getting a little pricey to feed my 13 chickens, so I just want to see if it is worth it to still purchase this feed or if I should start to look elsewhere. I do like their delivery service as I live an hour away from the closest 3 cities, and with gas prices it costs $80 just to drive there. Let me know your opinions on this feed, I really appreciate it!

I use it I have 11 hens I like it but like you it’s expensive but good service. I am 71 and hard to lift big bags for me log it home this comes to my door. My chickens have beautiful feathers.

 

[lauraclaire]

I use it I have 11 hens I like it but like you it’s expensive but good service. I am 71 and hard to lift big bags for me log it home this comes to my door. My chickens have beautiful feathers.

I’ve been using Grubbly feed since I got my day old chicks in February. They all eat everything but I noticed a difference in the bag I got in October. Since feeding them from this bag, they started picking feathers and laying has slowed down a bit. They just haven’t looked as good as they did. I have reached out to the company sending photos of that feed and the bag I got yesterday. There is a distinct difference between the two bags.
Waiting to hear back from the company but if they have issues with consistency, I’m thinking it may be time to switch feeds.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I’ve been using Grubbly feed since I got my day old chicks in February. They all eat everything but I noticed a difference in the bag I got in October. Since feeding them from this bag, they started picking feathers and laying has slowed down a bit. They just haven’t looked as good as they did. I have reached out to the company sending photos of that feed and the bag I got yesterday. There is a distinct difference between the two bags.
Waiting to hear back from the company but if they have issues with consistency, I’m thinking it may be time to switch feeds.

Please keep us in the loop. Not unusual for companies to periodically reformulate as price inputs change or for reasons of nutritional variation in crops.

Assume you checked the mill date code against bag age for possible poor inventory control by the supply chain.

Curious as to how they respond, given their efforts to position in the premium feed space.

 

[lauraclaire]

No response yet but I did order another type of feed and have upped their protein. Their combs were looking rather pale and are now back to bright red and I’m seeing new feather growth so fingers crossed I fought it in time.
I know there are a bunch of reasons why this happened aside from the feed but it dawned on me that whatever happened started when I started feeding this bag.
I want to keep feeding no gmo, no soy and no corn feed so the search is on for another option.