All-flock feed vs layer feed, and brands!

[Chicken Heel]

I generally feed the Purina Flock Raiser, Nutrena All Flock and Nutrena Feather Fixer feeds mixed in with a little 5 or 6 grain scratch feed to my flocks. But right now I am feeding 20% Kalmbach Flock Maker and they are tearing it up. I have noticed that most brands bags of feed have been transitioned to coded dates of manufacture which is irritating as hell for this old school individual. Especially since the TSC's in my area will sale any old feed in a heartbeat. And the older feed tends to be bug infested which is also aggravating.

 

[Chris-09]

You always need grit, no matter what you feed. Free-choice oyster shell will never hurt, either. They won't eat too much.

Actually, if you're feeding solely a mash, crumble or pellet and no supplemental feeding of anything else you do not need to offer supplemental grit. Between the saliva, crop, proventriculus and ventriculus chickens are more than able to break down these feeds without a supplemental grit.

 

[TXChookstead]

I feed Kalmbach flock raiser crumbles with free choice oyster shell/egg shell and grit on the side. I get it from Chewy for $32 a 50lb bag. I just had a broody hatch chicks and I didn't have to change a thing. IMO it just makes things easier

I just signed up for auto ship on this same product, too. Chewy gives you a nice discount the first time with autoship, and 5% thereafter. I think it worked out to about $25/bag the first time with free shipping (I bought two). I signed up for 2 bags every two months, but LOL...we have gone through two bags in less than a month. Chicken math.

I like the Kalmbach a lot, and so do the birds (majorly mixed flock that includes ducks, and chickens from about 8 weeks to 1 1/2 years old.) It has a very pleasant rosemary smell to it, and has been super fresh.

I did just pick up a bag of Purina Flock Raiser from Tractor Supply a couple of days ago because I was close to running out of the Kalmbach. It will be interesting to see what the gang does when I start mixing it in. I do like that the Kalmbach is non GMO, and of course the Purina isn't -- though it is $10 cheaper per bag. I really do wish there were some non GMO feeds like Kalmbach available locally! (The obvious solution would be to make the Chewy delivery monthly, but as we have been raising some of the flock for friends to adopt, I imagine our consumption rate will fall once they are in their new homes. That chicken math is real, though! LOL.)

 

[AntiqueB]

Actually, if you're feeding solely a mash, crumble or pellet and no supplemental feeding of anything else you do not need to offer supplemental grit. Between the saliva, crop, proventriculus and ventriculus chickens are more than able to break down these feeds without a supplemental grit.

Ha! I was waiting for someone to point this out! It's rare, though, that they never eat anything else, like grass or bugs.

 

[Iluveggers]

I thought if they are out foraging, they get grit in the dirt naturally?

 

[rosemarythyme]

I thought if they are out foraging, they get grit in the dirt naturally?

As long as you have dirt with suitable sized, hard rocks.

 

[Folly's place]

Our birds were locked in from late January until June this year, because of AI. We added a grit feeder, normally not necessary for our adults, because of the gravel outside. Now that they are outside again, they are ignoring the grit feeder.
Mary

 

[Ccort]

When you say you put your oyster shell in a bowl, do your chickens not knock that thing over every other day? Because I go through grit like there's no tomorrow, only because it's knocked down. I finally bought a gravity feeder and poured a bag in to try weighing it down!

Also, with Kalmbach, is it Flock Maintainer I should be looking to get it Flock Maker?

 

[rosemarythyme]

When you say you put your oyster shell in a bowl, do your chickens not knock that thing over every other day? Because I go through grit like there's no tomorrow, only because it's knocked down. I finally bought a gravity feeder and poured a bag in to try weighing it down!

Hanging dispensers are far less likely to get knocked over.

 

[Folly's place]

I use old galvanized metal feeders, large enough not be knocked over.
Mary