what feed do you like and dislike

[Shroppy]

I use the Countryside Organics products or Nature's Best Organic Layer Feed .. love the fact that these are just that - ORGANIC! No stinkin' GMOs with their "Must-Have" glyphosate either! Cancer-causing, endocrine-disrupting GMO Corn, Soy, Sugar, Canola and Cottonmeal byproducts do not belong in MY ducks' and chickens' food. GMO grains have also been found, by Brazilian scientists, to contain MUCH lower levels of minerals and vitamins than even conventionally grown grains and soy, let alone organic. And I am talking up to 80% lower.

Unfortunately, nutrient analysis figures that are used by manufacturers, are based on levels in foods set LONG before we had GMO production with its concurrent Round-Up abuse.

By the way, I found that inside of just a few days of adding two extra ingredients to the Countryside Organics or Nature's Best products - Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth and Diamond V XP Green Yeast Culture, my laying ducks went into overdrive. I add 2 lbs of the yeast culture to a 50 lb bag of either the Countryside organics layer feed, or to the Nature's Best Organics Layer Feed ($27 for 50 lbs ordered via TSC) and 2 lbs of DE (food grade) bought at 50 cents per lb from Ebay or TSC when they have it. That also helps deal with parasites, flies in poop etc, and provides a great source of minerals.

LINKS -

Countryside Organics Chicken Feed - Soy-Free, Organic http://www.countrysideorganics.com/home.php?cat=51

Diamond V XP Green Yeast Culture - 55 lbs for $60 (many Tractor Supply Company stores will get Countryside Organics in for you) http://www.countrysideorganics.com/product.php?productid=177

Natures' best Organic Layer Pellets $27 when ordered via Tractor Supply Company (includes Old Fart's Discount on Tuesday!)

BTW All of my girls free range during the day and get their feed at night after they go into the pen.

By comparison, check out

Purina Mills Homegrown Layer Crumble which is $23.99 for 50 lbs and consists of the following

INGREDIENTS:
WHEAT MIDDLINGS - Literally sweepings off the floor of the mill.
GROUND CORN, Is not "whole ground," this is misleading, indicates poor quality. Can also be contaminated with potentially lethal Aflatoxins from molds and will be GMO.
CORN DISTILLERS' DRIED GRAINS is what gets left over after Biofuel production from Corn. Will be GMO.
DEHULLED SOYBEAN MEAL - Ground processed soybeans with the hulls (fibre) removed. Will be GMO.
Calcium Carbonate, Cane Molasses, CANOLA MEAL, What is left after Oil has been expelled. Will be GMO.
GRAIN SCREENINGS, read "Floor Sweepings.. any grain.." Will be mostly GMO.. plus a small handful of standard vitamins and poor quality minerals.

The Purina Mazuri range is as bad and I would not touch it with a bargepole.

Their dog and cat food range? Well, I would walk away from ANY corn-and-soy-based product for my carnivores, particular when preserved with China-manufactured antifreeze..

 

[Areolyn]

I'm not fighting.
If you did your homework you would know that corn in a poultry's diet is in fact a good thing.
Also you said that you use, "mana" could that be Manna Pro?
If so there feed has just as much corn as Purina's low end feed along with a number of other feed Mfg's so apparently you don't mind it much or you you'd be using a No Corn Diet.
If you referring to another, "mana" please fill free to post a website.

I didn't say you were fighting, I said I am not fighting. I don't feed a total corn free diet, if I did, I would mention that. I just don't like corn, and if I can help it, keep it at a minimum.

Am I not allowed to like one brand and dislike the other? I like manna for chick starter, my chickens have done well when I start them on that. Have I been using manna for all of my chicks? No, because I found that my local mill has better, less expensive chick starter/grower so there's no need to go 30 miles away to buy starter and grower. I've used purina feeds before, and didn't like it. So far I'm feeding golden oak feed, fodder that I grow, pumpkin, meal worms, high quality cat food that comes in a can, and lettuce scraps. If that is wrong, please reiterate.

 

[Chris09]

Unfortunately, nutrient analysis figures that are used by manufacturers, are based on levels in foods set LONG before we had GMO production with its concurrent Round-Up abuse.

Their dog and cat food range? Well, I would walk away from ANY corn-and-soy-based product for my carnivores, particular when preserved with China-manufactured antifreeze..

Quote: Where are you getting your information from?

Quote:

Their dog and cat food range? Well, I would walk away from ANY corn-and-soy-based product for my carnivores, particular when preserved with China-manufactured antifreeze..

Range how?
Again where are you getting your information from?

 

[Areolyn]

http://www.mannapro.com/products/poultry/organic-starter-crumbles/nutritional-information/

This is what I used. And they did fine on it.

 

[Shroppy]

Can you be more specific with your question? I don't understand "Range how?" and "Again where are you getting your information from?" on anything in particular? Cat food, dog food.. Mazuri? GMO research?

I would be delighted to offer you specifics.

 

[CrazyTalk]

I use the Countryside Organics products or Nature's Best Organic Layer Feed .. love the fact that these are just that - ORGANIC! No stinkin' GMOs with their "Must-Have" glyphosate either! Cancer-causing, endocrine-disrupting GMO Corn, Soy, Sugar, Canola and Cottonmeal byproducts do not belong in MY ducks' and chickens' food. GMO grains have also been found, by Brazilian scientists, to contain MUCH lower levels of minerals and vitamins than even conventionally grown grains and soy, let alone organic. And I am talking up to 80% lower.

Unfortunately, nutrient analysis figures that are used by manufacturers, are based on levels in foods set LONG before we had GMO production with its concurrent Round-Up abuse.

I dislike the above - where people who clearly don't understand the science involved push their agendas.

I dislike the above - when people spout absolute falsehoods as truth - there are many studies on the nutrient content of GMO and Organic foods - and they repeatedly, conclusively, convincingly show that there's absolutely no difference nutrient-wise - except in the cases like Golden Rice, where the GMO is designed to increase a specific nutrient.

As to what I like? I like any food that has the proper protein, vitamin, etc composition. I like foods that contain animal proteins. I like foods that aren't overly expensive because they cater to an agenda. I like foods that don't exclude ingredients simply because they have long names and people think that makes them dangerous. I like foods that are designed to be best for the birds, and not for the market.

 

[Rainier]

We feed X-CEL. I tried switching them over to the Purina flock raiser and they acted like they were starving. Which I didn't understand because the Flock Raiser has a higher protein count. Now after reading through this thread I'm wondering if they are getting more energy boosting nutrients from the XCEL. We also let them roam over our .5 acre. I don't call it free ranging because we don't have acre upon acre for them to roam about. We give them cracked corn as a treat and spread it out over the entire area, so they have to hunt it down. They on occasion will get a handful of TOTW cat food throw around the yard. They get dinner scraps and we buy a raw pet food at the butcher that we give them once a week. They also eat a lot of bugs and yesterday killed and played keep away with a shrew!

We tried to give them fish fresh from the river (well the guts/head/tail) but the girls and Mr. Rooster were convinced the fish was staring at them getting ready to jump. At least that is the way is seemed by the way they behaved and stared at it lol

My feelings on feed are if my animal is doing well on it and they are healthy then I'll continue to use it. There will always be someone who doesn't like what I feed or why I feed it and that's ok.

My flock likes and does well on XCEL so I like it. They don't like Flock Raiser and didn't do as well on it, so I don't like it!

ETA
Forgot to add we started our chicks on Purina Chick Starter non medicated.

 

[Chris09]

I use the Countryside Organics products or Nature's Best Organic Layer Feed ..

INGREDIENTS:
WHEAT MIDDLINGS - Literally sweepings off the floor of the mill.
GROUND CORN, Is not "whole ground," this is misleading, indicates poor quality. Can also be contaminated with potentially lethal Aflatoxins from molds and will be GMO.
CORN DISTILLERS' DRIED GRAINS is what gets left over after Biofuel production from Corn. Will be GMO.
DEHULLED SOYBEAN MEAL - Ground processed soybeans with the hulls (fibre) removed. Will be GMO.
Calcium Carbonate, Cane Molasses, CANOLA MEAL, What is left after Oil has been expelled. Will be GMO.
GRAIN SCREENINGS, read "Floor Sweepings.. any grain.." Will be mostly GMO.. plus a small handful of standard vitamins and poor quality minerals.

The Purina Mazuri range is as bad and I would not touch it with a bargepole.

Their dog and cat food range? Well, I would walk away from ANY corn-and-soy-based product for my carnivores, particular when preserved with China-manufactured antifreeze..

Wow you really need to read your feed labels and learn what the ingredients are.

Your Nature's Best Organic Layer Feed contains Ground Corn, Wheat Middling, Soybean Meal (meaning they were not dehulled and they have less protein and more of a fiber sores that poultry don't need), Vegetable oil (which can be from soybean, corn, flax canola or a mixture of)

If I get the time I'll post what the products that have in bold are, they are far from what you are calling them..

 

[Chris09]

http://www.mannapro.com/products/poultry/organic-starter-crumbles/nutritional-information/

This is what I used. And they did fine on it.

As I said you must not be too worried about corn in there diet.

Organic Corn, Organic Soybean Meal, Organic Oats, Organic Barley, Organic Wheat Midds, Organic Soy Oil, DL-Methionine, Iron Oxide, Calcium Carbonate, Salt. Monocalcium Phosphate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Sodium Selenite, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Choline Chloride, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Menadione Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfite, Zinc Methionine Complex.


And since that is only a 16% protein I would be willing to bet that about 60% of that feed is corn...

 

[Areolyn]

As I said you must not be too worried about corn in there diet.

Organic Corn, Organic Soybean Meal, Organic Oats, Organic Barley, Organic Wheat Midds, Organic Soy Oil, DL-Methionine, Iron Oxide, Calcium Carbonate, Salt. Monocalcium Phosphate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Sodium Selenite, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Choline Chloride, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Menadione Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfite, Zinc Methionine Complex.


And since that is only a 16% protein I would be willing to bet that about 60% of that feed is corn...

I try to keep it at minimum. That being said, I don't give 90 percent feed and 10 percent everything else, If that was the case then I would be feeding a lot of corn. Note I said try, meaning if I can help it.