Opinions on best feed.

[Muffett]

I changed to dug or two bags ago and egg production has gone down 1/2 I went back to tractor supply inexpensive food.

Should say dumor

 

[RoyalChick]

That implies that you do trust some large corporations.

More detail for those reading ( and I hope I remember correctly. I trust Lazy J to correct if incorrect.)
Purina livestock division USA -> Land O'Lakes
Purina pet division USA -> Nestle
Purina pet and/or livestock outside USA -> licensed to Cargill

Correct.
Nestle own Purina Petcare - which makes dog and cat food globally.
Nestle do not own Purina Mills - which makes chicken feed in the US - it is owned by Land-O-Lakes (which is a farming cooperative).
Outside the US the chicken feed is made by Cargill which is the largest private company in the US. It is also not owned by Nestle.

Simple bottom line is Nestle has nothing to do with making Purina Chicken feed.

 

[Ethanalex]

our tsc is know for selling old feed. but here since a simple question for opinions to make a list of feeds in general is so hard to do: free range of 1/4th acre fenced in with ing 6-8 eggs a day.their coop and completely pred proof. 1 handful (small hand mind you) of wild bird seed mixed with mealworms (across 60+ chickens). no scraps. hydro hen in the water that gets changed daily. and kickin chicken 20oz per 50lb bag (though i do that once a month instead of every bag as directed). im asking for general opinions just to see if there may be some brands that might be better overall that i dont know of as our tsc doesnt sell much and they ran off the local boys

Scratch and Peck layer food does great for my 9 hens.....they free range on 5 acres in the afternoons and I limit treats (meal worms, sunflower seed) to 1 T a day per bird. Getting 6-8 eggs a day and everyone is healthy. One rooster for the flock

 

[CKfarm22]

I personally like Nutrena NaturWise. I went through the same as you, I started with TSC and then switched to purina. My older gals did okay on purina but i wasn’t a fan. I switched to Nutrena All flock and I noticed their energy levels went up, their feathers look great, and they just seemed happier. I usually have 3-4 eggs a day from 5 chickens, that is because one of mine is over 2yrs old and one goes broody all the time.

I have 6 chicks on Nutrena chick starter and i can say the same for them. Happy, healthy and energetic…. i mean for real they can’t get enough of the food lol.

The only thing that i don’t like is it’s sold in 40 pound bags and not 50. But one bag lasts me about a month for my older girls.

Oh and nutrena smells delicious lol.

Hope this helps!

Edit: I do not let my birds free range every day and when i do let them free range it’s only for a couple hours. They only get treats when they go in to the run from free ranging and it’s only about 2 tbsp.

Another edit: Imo would stay away from scratch and peck foods/ feed that has corn, sunflower seeds etc. mixed in. And i say this because they will pick out the yummy parts and leave the food behind. I’m sure others can agree with me. Treats and meant to be treats and aren’t supposed to be mixed in with feed

 

[Pollo Blanco]

Actually, Corn Distillers grain is NOT specifically a byproduct of Fuel Production. Its a byproduct of ethanol (alcohol) production, which is the way it was used for the majority of human history. Only the US change to industrial policy in response to the fuel crisis in the 1970s, with the associated ethanol subsidies, has resulted in corn's widespread use to produce a fuel additive - particularly from the 90s on (and thus, the production of massive amounts of byproducts from commercial corn ethanol production - millions of tons each month) - instead of going directly into the feed whole.

a good read

But then, widespread use of soy meal in chicken feed is made possible by the economics of soybean oil production, so who am i to complain?

No matter how many times you repeat it, Nestle and Purina aren't the same company. In the case of US made livestock feeds, they have nothing to do with one another.

Cargill licenses use of the Purina name outside the US, having obtained it from AgriBrands International more than two decades ago. Cargill does have Nutrena (look at the bottom of the webpage) Now look at the ingredients list on one of their products

The Biggest US producers of ethanol (and thus, byproducts of ethanol production like DDG and DDGS) are Poet, Archer Daniels Midlands (ADM), Valero, Marquis, Green River. The list was similar in 2006. Cargill's total US capacity is smaller than ADMs Illinois plant.

There is over 500# of feed in my locker right now. None of it is made by Purina. or Nestle. or Nutrena (a Cargill brand). Top three ingredients? Grain Products. Plant Products. Grain by-products.

Grain by-products. Including, potentially, DDGS, corn gluten meal, and many other things besides. Start looking at bags from other local mills, you will in some cases see the same. Nor is it only local mills and bottom basement price points. Here's Nature's Best Organics.

You are entitled to your opinions, but when you insist on repeating as "fact" things which are easily, trivially, and repeatedly disproven, a reasonable person might reasonably question the value of your opinions. Particularly after you have been repeatedly offered correction for your errors.

Whatever companies that you feel comfortable doing business with is up to you, but thanks for your stern rebuke.

Nevermind that these women lived in squalor and struggling to survive.

In poverty-stricken cities in Asia, Africa and Latin America, "babies are dying because their mothers bottle feed them with Western-style infant milk," alleged War on Want.

Nestlé accomplished this in three ways, said New Internationalist:

Creating a need where none existed.


https://www.businessinsider.com/nes...tting-third-world-mothers-hooked-on-formula-2


So you give away enough formula to the new mothers for them to stop lactating, and then when they can't purchase enough, they wind up mixing it with dirty tap water, which malnourished and caused the deaths of many infants due to amoebic disintary.

 

[DuckyDonna]

You could make your own feed and avoid all this. https://www.gardenbetty.com/garden-...culator-for-determining-your-protein-content/

 

[DottieGirl]

I use Nutrene chick feed for my 4 month old Bantams. I have not lost a one of them. Fat and healthy. Purina is the feed a lot people were having issues with their chickens not laying eggs .

 

[U_Stormcrow]

You could make your own feed and avoid all this. https://www.gardenbetty.com/garden-...culator-for-determining-your-protein-content/

PLEASE don't use Garden Betty's "stuff".

Its simply wrong, even in the few things it does make claims about.

 

[FoghornTim]

I'd like to hear everyone's opinions on the best feed brands you use. I got away from Dumor and producer's pride as my babies wasn't getting enough from them. I'm currently using Purina but since Dumor is made by Purina I'm not entirely trusting of it.

Here in central Ohio we have Rural King, I have use their brand called Country Road. We use layer pellets. Never had issues with the hens, healthy, happy and no problems.
Only used TSC brands when I ran out as they are close by. Prefer RK's brand and for the price, before covid 50 lbs was $9.99. after covid running around $12.79. Agree Kalmbach is good, they are 17% protein I believe and Country Road is 16%. But that brand and Purina is just a bit more than my budget allows and I would have to charge more for eggs if I went with those brands. Hope this helps others

 

[RoyalChick]

Whatever companies that you feel comfortable doing business with is up to you, but thanks for your stern rebuke.

Nevermind that these women lived in squalor and struggling to survive.

In poverty-stricken cities in Asia, Africa and Latin America, "babies are dying because their mothers bottle feed them with Western-style infant milk," alleged War on Want.

Nestlé accomplished this in three ways, said New Internationalist:

Creating a need where none existed.


https://www.businessinsider.com/nes...tting-third-world-mothers-hooked-on-formula-2


So you give away enough formula to the new mothers for them to stop lactating, and then when they can't purchase enough, they wind up mixing it with dirty tap water, which malnourished and caused the deaths of many infants due to amoebic disintary.

I am certainly not going to be defending Nestle, but just so everyone is crystal clear, Nestle has nothing whatsoever to do with Chicken feed.