best brand of chicken feed?

[The Yakima Kid]

A friend and I went in together on 125 broiler chicks that arrived last week. Only one was DOA. We each lost one that night. Then, of my remaining 19,all remained extremely active and healthy while she lost 2-3 per night for 5 nights before letting me know. She thought it was the chicks but no. I'm feeding mine Hiland Naturals while hers was on Purina flock raiser. Hers appeared to be having heart attacks. Now that she's switched feed back to her usual from a local place she hasn't lost any for a couple days...

Were you both depriving them of feed for eight hours overnight? It sounds like they died from either overfeeding or overheating.

 

[WhiteLeghorn2]

i was wondering what are some of the best brands of chicken feeds? our feed store sells a good variety including purina, layena, blue seal, poulin grain, and some other brands. are their any brands to avoid and any brands i should stick to?

If you're just looking for layer feed, I'd recommend seeing what your local mill or farm shop has. It's always better to support the local business than to buy low quality mass produced feed like Purina.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Kent Feed/Blue Seal can be purchased at Do It Yourself Centers if you have any out there. I think the Blue Seal is a very good feed. Making your own can be complicated to make sure the chickens get all the necessary nutrients.

From what I can tell, Kent/Blue Seal isn't available in California.

I can't help you find Kent; but I can help you with some other feeds in Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

Before visiting any feed dealer, be sure and call ahead. Not all feed dealers carry all lines of feed.

First, King Feed, which makes a non-GMO and an organic, non-GMO line, in addition to a regular line and a show feed line.

Hemme Hay & Feed
43719 Sierra Highway
93534 Lancaster
CA
Phone: 661.942.7880

Hemme Hay & Feed #3
9000 Elizabeth Lake Road
93551 Leone Valley
CA
Phone: 661.270.1251

Trabuco General Store
31021 Trabuco Canyon Road
92679 Trabuco Canyon
CA
Phone: 949.858.1711

Hitch 'n Post
4925 E. Chapman Ave.
92688 Orange
CA
Phone: 714.771.2233


Nutrena Feed:

http://www.nutrenaworld.com/where-to-buy/?state=CA&zipCode=90012&radius=60&filterType=GetByZip#

Purina Feed:

http://poultry.purinamills.com/dealerLocator/?SearchType=Z&ZipCode=90012&Radius=50

Scratch and Peck Organic Layer Feeds

http://www.scratchandpeck.com/store-locator/

 

[Chris09]

If you're just looking for layer feed, I'd recommend seeing what your local mill or farm shop has. It's always better to support the local business than to buy low quality mass produced feed like Purina.

Yes it is good to support your local businesses but in most cases that local mill is buying 80% of there ingredients from the mass producers.
A local mill will by a Base Mix (from a mass producer) which a supplement designed to be mixed with grain to make a set feed, They carry mass produced feeds, they buy there supplies (minerals, salt, trace mineral, sodium bicarbonate etc.) from the mass producers.

Really most mills only buy a few grains locally, grains like corn, oats, wheat, soybean etc. and if there supplies and supplier get low they will have grain shipped in.

As far as Purina being low quality it depends on the feed, there Start and Grow, Flock Raiser, and Poultry Layena are low quality feeds but the Purina Wildlife feed is good and is a step above most, also Purina Mills is owned by Land-O-Lakes who puts out Mazuri and is one of the best Exotic Animal feeds you can get, it's used by a lot of zoo and wild life rescue centers because it is good. I myself use Mazuri Game Bird Feed, Carni-Blend (carnivorous fish pellet), Exotic Canine Diet. Wild Herbivore Diet, and a few other types of there feeds and I cant complain.

I also look at it like this, any chicken feed that does not contain a animal protein in it is a low end feed....

ETA---
Purina also puts out a decent Show Feed.

http://purinamills.com/show-animal-food/
http://wildlife.purinamills.com
http://www.mazuri.com

 

[seminolewind]

I am broken hearted that Blue Seal is not sold in Fla. My horse lived on that and lived for 37 years. So, I do recommend that people buy their chicken feed at a store with a high turnover. It keeps fresh feed delivered faster. And supplement with some good stuff like leftovers, veggies, I use flax seed too, and Frontier nutritional yeast. Those are just what I've decided to use. The other thing I use and swear by is horse sweet feed that's all or a lot of whole oats to balance out all the corn and soy in feeds. I use that instead of scratch because it's more nutritious and you can add stuff that sticks to it. I don't think there's any wonder feed out there for chickens. And I get annoyed at all the corn and soy filler, so I add what I can.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

If you're just looking for layer feed, I'd recommend seeing what your local mill or farm shop has. It's always better to support the local business than to buy low quality mass produced feed like Purina.

It depends on whether or not your local business makes a quality feed, and offers it in small batches. Some feed mills want a minimum ton order. Most feeds are mass produced, and there are very few family owned businesses like King Feed or Scratch and Peck left. In fact, Scratch and Peck is a recently founded company, while the Hearne family has owned and operated L. A. Hearne company, the manufacturer of King feed since 1938. King Feed has a full time PhD animal nutritionist on staff.

 

[seminolewind]

Problem is nobody caters to a pet chicken.

 

[WhiteLeghorn2]

@The Yakima Kid Interesting. I buy my feed from my local mill.

 

[Chris09]

Theres 5 mills with in a 15 mile area here and all carries there own line of feed and have there name on there bags.
The thing is most Feed Mill can get and will use a product like a poultry base and add some corn to it and put it under there name.
Kent Feed makes a 36% protein poultry base for mills to use for making there own feeds.
Buckeye Nutrition puts out a 40% protein poultry base.

Lets say a mill wants to make a batch of 18% poultry layer all they have to do is mix --

1200 lbs corn
700 lbs (40%) poultry concentrate
50 lbs ground oyster shells
50 lbs calcium carbonate

Want a 17 % grower ok, mix --

1400 lbs corn
600 lbs (40%) poultry concentrate

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Problem is nobody caters to a pet chicken.

Scratch and Peck does; so does King with their new non GMO Freedom feed.

Some feed mills don't even bag their feed - they load it in the truck and fill your grain bin or feed silo with it.