Anyone tried Purina’s new high protein feed?

[Apis mellifera]

We had the same conversation when Purina put out there first free-range feed with BSFL. I am not a fan of Purina, I think they are overpriced, but I applaud them for starting to add BSFL to their feed. Most feeds are !00% vegetarian. I think most people would look at this feed for the higher protein for their layer flock. I would buy it depending on the price. Hardly a ripoff simply because they won't reveal their proprietary info.

So how much of the 19% protein is from BSFL?

 

[Brooks_]

So how much of the 19% protein is from BSFL?

How much of the 50 cents more than 16% Layena is the ripoff? Yes, prices vary.

 

[Cindy in PA]

So how much of the 19% protein is from BSFL?

Don't know, because the appeal of the new feed to me is the 19% protein not the BSFL, although that is a plus. There is no BSFL in most 18-20% feeds, just grains & vegetation. There again, my purchasing it would hinge on price & comparison to other feeds.

 

[Folly's place]

Animal proteins cost more than vegetable proteins, which is why more feeds are 'vegetarian'. The feeds are supplemented with necessary amino acids, so are totally balanced without having meat included.
And feed ingredients are listed by weight, so that makes the fly larva amount in feeds including them pretty obvious. Marketing!
We feed Purina's Flock Raiser, and it's been good for decades here.
If you always chick the mill date on each bag of feed before purchase, it won't be stale. We buy feed that can be used within two months of it's mill date if at all possible. Older isn't better!
Mary

 

[Apis mellifera]

How much of the 50 cents more than 16% Layena is the ripoff? Yes, prices vary.

Don't know, because the appeal of the new feed to me is the 19% protein not the BSFL, although that is a plus. There is no BSFL in most 18-20% feeds, just grains & vegetation. There again, my purchasing it would hinge on price & comparison to other feeds.

Im not stopping you from buying it, if you trust the secretive content then knock yourself out! Its only $24.00 for 40 lbs. Im sure your flock will do great on it and its a wonderful product. Personally I dont see the appeal of a picture of larva on the bag without knowing how much is in it. Some people look at the pictures others look at the ingredients.

 

[Folly's place]

And that's one reason we buy Flock Raiser, right now at $24 for 50 pounds! The cost of the separate oyster shell is tiny, and the lower calcium main diet is better for everyone not actively laying eggs.
Mary

 

[Cindy in PA]

And that is why I buy Kalmbach Flock Maker $21 for 50 lbs!

 

[SueT]

I haven’t tried the new feed. I think mine might balk at pellets. Does it come in crumbles?
We get Flock Raiser here for $21 at one store. TSC sells it for $27. To the person who said theirs was stale, are you checking the mill date when you buy it? Purina now uses the Julian calendar to date their bags. Look at the bottom white strip, where the date will be printed. It will first have two digits 22 or 23 for the year, and then a number. Today, Jan 21 would be day 21. (Thus 23021). End of December would be day 365. (22365). I need to get more, and look for a date less than 6 weeks old.
This bag —-was milled in year ‘22 on day 258. (Sept 15). The SGF is the mill where it came from (Springfield.)

I then divide it into two 5 gallon buckets with tight fitting lids and store in a dry place. It always smells good!

btw, Purina has lots of mills, and each one sources their own ingredients. The TSC here gets theirs from a mill in St. Joe
here’s a label from one of those
That would be Oct 3 of 2022. Their Flock Raiser looks different from what milled at the other mill. It’s darker and bigger crumbles. The chickens like both tho.

 

[Brooks_]

And that is why I buy Kalmbach Flock Maker $21 for 50 lbs!

Not available in my area, I would give it a try though.

 

[SourRoses]

I haven’t tried the new feed. I think mine might balk at pellets. Does it come in crumbles?

One reason this appealed to me, when I was in the store last week I felt through the bag at the end corner and those pellets are quite thin and small. Micro-pellets.

I usually just feed grower, the Dumor 20% at $20 for 50lbs was a good deal. But at my store they just went from a fresh mill date to one very old, March '22!
I asked the TSC feed manager about it and he said a new pallet was coming in soon. Went back and the new pallet was more of the same date! Grrr.
It's like they're cleaning out a warehouse somewhere. He tried to tell me it didn't matter

So, we switched temporarily to P. Flockraiser, $6 more and virtually identical, but at least it's only 3 months old.

I checked out the high protein layer because we have a couple older gals who don't seem to take up enough calcium on their own.
The price at my store was $25 for a 40lb bag. Same price for the Layena crumble in a 50lb bag.
I just went for the better priced Layena, but since I really think they do best on a higher protein I'm going to try the 19% micro-pellet next time.
As long as they have the choice the boys seem to avoid the layer.

Oh, and to those chatting about it... if the BSFL was a higher percentage of the protein, that would significantly raise the fat content. It's very important to limit fat values for chickens you want to live a long time.