Frustrated with Buggy Feed

[Happy hen lover]

I personally think purina is overpriced and not worth it. I like the store brands ( if they're comparable) because they are fresher cause they are bought more often. I am using producers pride layer pellets with great results and it smells like fresh feed and horses sweet feed.

On another note I have never been able to grind up crumbles without making dust.

I had bugs once and I couldn't talk myself into feeding it to my chicks. The bugs are in the grain when it's bagged up. So your feeding pets all the trash left over over after they have gone through life cycle : the larvae have hatched and they are beetles now eating your feed and laying more eggs pooping all the time. YUCK, GROSS, NO THANKS.

 

[rosemarythyme]

So apparently Kalmbach Flock Maker isn't the best feed for my needs. If I'm reading it correctly, it's to be fed to meat birds.

What's the concern about it? I assume the link NatJ posted is correct: https://www.kalmbachfeeds.com/products/20-flock-maker-crumble-0 ? Or is it this one: https://www.kalmbachfeeds.com/products/20-flock-maker-non-gmo-crumble ? They both look perfectly fine to feed to chickens of all ages and the nutrition panel is identical other than the niacin, so I don't see why you can't feed either one?

 

[HeatherKellyB]

What's the concern about it? I assume the link NatJ posted is correct: https://www.kalmbachfeeds.com/products/20-flock-maker-crumble-0 ? Or is it this one: https://www.kalmbachfeeds.com/products/20-flock-maker-non-gmo-crumble ? They both look perfectly fine to feed to chickens of all ages and the nutrition panel is identical other than the niacin, so I don't see why you can't feed either one?

It's the second link, the non gmo crumble. I'm using it to feed Call Ducklings that are one week old now as well as a few of my small bantam laying pullets and hens. It was not a feed listed that's suggested for feeding ducks, but the 20% flock maintainer was listed and that's what raised my concerns. The link I found made it sound like it was for flocks raised for meat. I'll go back and look again. Thank you so much.

Since I'm adding nutritional yeast to the ducklings crumbles, maybe it's better balanced for them. They seemed to really like it and haven't ate as much of the FR today.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

This one?
https://www.kalmbachfeeds.com/products/20-flock-maker-crumble-0

I scroll down and click "feeding instructions," which opens up to say:
"Feed continuously as the sole ration to free-range or confined ducks, geese, chickens, turkeys and game birds from 1 day of age until laying age or market. Always provide shelter and a continuous source of fresh clean water."

The pelleted form has similar instructions.

And for each of them, I can also click "download specifications" and get a .pdf that also says that.

Considering that is on the manufacturers own website, I assume it is correct

(Also, if the food was only for meat birds, it would almost certainly have "meat" in the name.)

Thank you for checking into this. I really appreciate the help. I copied the title and description from what I've got. I'll paste it below.

20% Flock Maker™ (Non-GMO Crumble)​

A Non-GMO Project Verified complete feed formulated for growing heavy broilers and meat-type poultry​

 

[HeatherKellyB]

What's the concern about it? I assume the link NatJ posted is correct: https://www.kalmbachfeeds.com/products/20-flock-maker-crumble-0 ? Or is it this one: https://www.kalmbachfeeds.com/products/20-flock-maker-non-gmo-crumble ? They both look perfectly fine to feed to chickens of all ages and the nutrition panel is identical other than the niacin, so I don't see why you can't feed either one?

I really appreciate you looking at this and replying. The help in this is amazing and I am so grateful. I copied the title and pasted the description and I'll paste it below, but it's the second one you linked. I should have looked further into the nutritional information

20% Flock Maker™ (Non-GMO Crumble)​

A Non-GMO Project Verified complete feed formulated for growing heavy broilers and meat-type poultry​

 

[rosemarythyme]

It's the second link, the non gmo crumble. I'm using it to feed Call Ducklings that are one week old now as well as a few of my small bantam laying pullets and hens. It was not a feed listed that's suggested for feeding ducks, but the 20% flock maintainer was listed and that's what raised my concerns. The link I found made it sound like it was for flocks raised for meat. I'll go back and look again. Thank you so much.

Since I'm adding nutritional yeast to the ducklings crumbles, maybe it's better balanced for them. They seemed to really like it and haven't ate as much of the FR today.

I can see where the confusion is because on the link it says:

A Non-GMO Project Verified complete feed formulated for growing heavy broilers and meat-type poultry.​

And yet if you look at the "specifications" sheet it says "An all-natural complete feed formulated for starting and growing ducks, geese, chickens, turkeys and game birds up to laying age or market weight." - nothing about broiler or meat bird feed. Also on a side by side comparison, it's nutritionally identical (other than niacin) to the other flock maker crumble, which does NOT say it's for meat birds.

SInce you have ducklings the niacin is necessary, correct? (No experience raising ducks here.) So that would make this feed a better bet for a mixed group of fowl than their other flock raiser option.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

I personally think purina is overpriced and not worth it. I like the store brands ( if they're comparable) because they are fresher cause they are bought more often. I am using producers pride layer pellets with great results and it smells like fresh feed and horses sweet feed.

On another note I have never been able to grind up crumbles without making dust.

I had bugs once and I couldn't talk myself into feeding it to my chicks. The bugs are in the grain when it's bagged up. So your feeding pets all the trash left over over after they have gone through life cycle : the larvae have hatched and they are beetles now eating your feed and laying more eggs pooping all the time. YUCK, GROSS, NO THANKS.

Yikes. I didn't even think about all of that. I'm glad I've got it sealed away. Besides this happening and I understand it happens, I've really liked Flock Raiser and my birds prefer it to anything else I've tried. They tend to lay less if I try to switch their feed but I'm sure if I stuck with the feed I switched to, they'd adjust and get back to normal laying, as long as I provided the other basic necessities.

Thank you so much for your time and reply. I really appreciate it

 

[HeatherKellyB]

I can see where the confusion is because on the link it says:

A Non-GMO Project Verified complete feed formulated for growing heavy broilers and meat-type poultry.​

And yet if you look at the "specifications" sheet it says "An all-natural complete feed formulated for starting and growing ducks, geese, chickens, turkeys and game birds up to laying age or market weight." - nothing about broiler or meat bird feed. Also on a side by side comparison, it's nutritionally identical (other than niacin) to the other flock maker crumble, which does NOT say it's for meat birds.

SInce you have ducklings the niacin is necessary, correct? (No experience raising ducks here.) So that would make this feed a better bet for a mixed group of fowl than their other flock raiser option.

Thank you for the clarification! Yes the ducks need extra niacin. I'll have to ask if the nutritional yeast will cover their needs if I make sure it's added. Otherwise, as long as I provide oyster shell (or egg shells) for my laying pullets and hens, this feed is perfectly fine for them?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Thank you for the clarification! Yes the ducks need extra niacin. I'll have to ask if the nutritional yeast will cover their needs if I make sure it's added. Otherwise, as long as I provide oyster shell (or egg shells) for my laying pullets and hens, this feed is perfectly fine for them?

Yeah it should be. Just looking at the Kalmbach site, there's a lot of feed names being thrown around, various layers, chick feed, flock raiser, flock maintainer, finisher, etc. It kinda makes your head spin! I don't worry too much about what a feed is named or labeled (sometimes the names are flat out deceiving) so really what you want to look at are the nutrition panel and ingredients (if there's something specific you want to include or exclude).

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Yeah it should be. Just looking at the Kalmbach site, there's a lot of feed names being thrown around, various layers, chick feed, flock raiser, flock maintainer, finisher, etc. It kinda makes your head spin! I don't worry too much about what a feed is named or labeled (sometimes the names are flat out deceiving) so really what you want to look at are the nutrition panel and ingredients (if there's something specific you want to include or exclude).

Thank you so much. I really appreciate your help and time you took to look into this. You've been so helpful