Best Feed Option??

[itskels]

Hi everyone! I'm trying to figure out which of the below foods (available at my local feed store) is the best for laying hens. I have two hens, they are pets and are both laying. One of my girls is a cross beak, so we have to go with crumbles, not pellets. If anyone has tried these crumble options, the smaller the better for us.

They are currently on Dumor Crumbles, though it seems to make their behinds messy. We switched to Blue Seal Home Fresh crumbles and while that fixed the messiness, the crumbles were too large for our cross beak. So, the search continues.

1) Nutrena Naturewise Layer Crumbles
2) Nature's Best Organic Feeds Crumbles
3) Purina Layena Plus Omega 3 Crumbles
4) Purina Layena Sunfresh Recipe Crumbles

Any help is appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[QueenMisha]

Personally I would never feed Purina. The quality has gone terribly downhill and you can never find it fresh anywhere. Nutrena's better, not great, but not bad either.

My recommendation is always Bar Ale, sadly they only sell it in California, Arizona, and Nevada.

 

[Folly's place]

Purina Flock Raiser crumbles is what I've been feeding for many years, with oyster shell on the side. I've tried a couple of other diets and not been as satisfied. It's always fresh at my local feed stores, and works great. The 20% protein is helpful for birds with diet issues, like the OP's crossbeak. Where's your data showing issues with Purina poultry feeds? Feed trials? Assays? It's tough to believe hearsay claims. There are other fine diets out there, and what's fresh and available is what's best to feed, IMO. Mary

 

[QueenMisha]

Purina Flock Raiser crumbles is what I've been feeding for many years, with oyster shell on the side.  I've tried a couple of other diets and not been as satisfied.   It's always fresh at my local feed stores, and works great.  The 20% protein is helpful for birds with diet issues, like the OP's crossbeak.  Where's your data showing issues with Purina poultry feeds?  Feed trials?  Assays?  It's tough to believe hearsay claims.  There are other fine diets out there, and what's fresh and available is what's best to feed, IMO.  Mary

Data? Feed trials? Really? I'd hate to think my experience means nothing simply because it is not scientific - speaking with hundreds of folks in person (often specifically on the subject of what/when to feed) and having had dozens of them tell me how much brighter and healthier their birds look after switching to a non-Purina feed? Having used it for several years myself and found almost any other brand far superior? Having spoken to a man who spent time working at a Purina Mills manufacturer and stating he would never feed it to his own animals? Everyone is welcome to their own opinion based on their own experience, but to say that someone's experience and honest opinion is not valid because it's not backed up by scientific data but rather actual human experience is, in my opinion, complete hogwash. To say that would be to invalidate perhaps 95% of the advice and information given by members of this site.

 

[chickens really]

Not sure how it is in the USA? I buy all my feed at the local feed lot...All my feed is locally made....If you can? Buy from a feed lot..

Cheers!

 

[Folly's place]

Many of us feed Purina with no issues, and anything not fresh is not good. I did try locally milled feed a couple of times, and here it didn't work out so well. Many people have good experiences with locally produced feed, so I certainly wouldn't generalize because of my experience. Mary

 

[chickens really]

Yeah....My feed is fantastic....I have tried from a UFA here in Alberta and had bad results....Only gave my thoughts and suggestions...

Cheers!

 

[itskels]

Thanks, everyone. I ended up deciding to try the nature's best...we will see how the girls do on this one.