best brand of chicken feed?

[Pink Chicken]

I live in PA. and everyone around here uses AGWAY EGG LAYERS BEST!

 

[evemfoster]

After having to buy purina at $27 for a 50 pound bag for some time i just found the little verity store next to the feed store has started selling a brand called PayBack for 9.99. I don't believe for a moment ether one is non-GMO but the price is more my speed and the chickens like it better than purina.

 

[seminolewind]

This is a very interesting thread. Where, I live, I am severely limited on what I feed my chickens. I'm currently giving them 50:50 Country Feeds (Nutrena) Gamebird/Turkey Grower 21% : Pruina Layena Sunfresh Recipe. I mix them because the Purina only provides 16% protein. I supplement their diet with greens, fruit and insects from my garden along with oyster shells.

I did some research and compared Nutrena and Purina with the following brands: 'King's Organic Layer Pellets', "Buckeye Nutrition", and "Blue Seal OrganicLife Layer Pellets."

This is what I found out:
Protein, Lysine, Methionine, crude fat, crude fiber, calcium, ash, phosphorus and sodium percentages were pretty much identical for all of the brands listed above.

Really, their is no difference in the nutritional value, but a difference in whether or not it is organic. I'd much rather feed my chickens organic food because it is more environmentally friendly, pesticide/herbicide/GMO/GE free, but Nutrena and Purina aren't bad choices if you don't care about organic.

Me too, I add some game or all feed stuff to up the protein. I was feeding Manna which was 18% then out of the blue they dropped the protein to 15% and lowered the price way down.

So, it's always said that protein should be a minimum of 16%, I'd like a few percent more than the minimum. 20% or so sounds good to me. But mixing is tiring.

 

[bretsk2500]

I used to buy Dumor Layer Pelleted at TSC... I never had a problem with pale yolks... but I've always supplemented their feed with my vegetable wastes...

I was doing that until my dad (who has an ag degree from Michigan State), suggested I start buying cooked soybean mash and cutting it with our field corn. My chickens love it... and it's a hell of alot cheaper than prebagged feed.

 

[Sadie57]

I recently started using a generic from a local mill. It's 22%, is that too high? Have noticed that I'm not getting nearly as many eggs but thought it may be because of the change in weather (colder) Also wondering if feeding scratch feed that is mostly corn, on a daily basis may have something to do with it?

 

[bretsk2500]

if your birds are eating too much scratch... and it pushes down their total protein percentage below 14% or so their laying will slow significantly. you giving them a higher percentage feedstock is compensating somewhat for the much lower protein scratch. I'm guessing your scratch is ~5-6% protein?


try cutting back on the scratch... and see if laying picks up, it will take a couple days for the effects to be seen.

 

[Our Roost]

Currently blending crumbles and scratch. Crumbles has the protein and the scratch has what they really want in it. Scratch products lacks sufficient amount of needed protein but I find the crumbles to be uneaten and a waste using it for that reason. They pick through the crumbles and devour the scratch. I have yet to find a product of scratch with enough protein that would satify their daily appetites.

 

[Christmasbaybee]

 

[vpatt]

I haven't seen Countryside Organics mentioned. Is there a problem with it? I am feeding a non GMO soyfree layer mash from a local mill. I would rather feed organic but the cost is much higher.... Countryside also told me in their store that you cannot ferment their feed...why would that be? Also, my feed has so much leftover powder. Would that be used up if i fermented? I do free range. Thanks for any advice.

 

[seminolewind]

Is Countryside Nutrena?

All these layer feeds supply what they call "minimum acceptable protein", usually 16%. If a chicken eats anything aside from that feed, it lowers the protein required per day. I feel since mine free range, they should have a higher protein to compensate. So I do mix a high protein crumble into my Layer to increase the protein to around 20%. I think 18-22% is a good target if your chickens eat anything aside from Layer.

Scratch is like candy bar. No nutrition and poor protein. I know what I use instead is not the greatest but I use horse sweet feed that's all oats, whole and pellet. That's 10% protein, vitamins and minerals, which I like. They don't get that much. Probably 1 quart for 29 chickens and 6 geese.

I think that all the chicken feed out there that's publicly available is lacking. I think hunting for a feed is a waste of time, I try to add fruits and veggies and left overs to their diet, and vitamins etc. to make their diet healthier.