Chicken feed problems

[matt44644]

That looks more like chicken feed to me the only problem with pellets is that they typically don't like them

That's because with whole grains they can pick and choose which ones they like better.Probably in your mix the sunflowers are the first to go ?

 

[cute bantams]

Yes and after that the spring for the wheat

 

[Chris King]

Another thing I noticed is our feed doesn't resemble what I think chicken food should look like based on what food for other bird species looks like

That's because it's a crumble or small pellet of pulverized ingredients, rather than a mix of whole or cracked seeds and other items. The value of this type of feed is that every mouthful has basically the same ingredients, so there's no picking out the grain and leaving the vitamin and mineral additives. Most of these sorts of feeds are fairly palatable to animals, and some even have taste enhancers added.

The problem I see with this particular feed is that the ingredient list is not specific: "grain products," "plant protein products," and "animal protein products" are the first three "ingredients." That's a cop-out, as it lets the manufacturer substitute within that category of foodstuff according to what's cheapest at the time. I know that commercial animal feed manufacture is a business, and I have no problem with a business making a decent profit - but not when it involves this sort of sleight-of-hand. Tell us exactly what's in the feed we're buying for the animals who feed us!

BTW, I buy a commercial layer ration that contains a mixture of readily identifiable cracked corn, field peas, oats, etc. as well as a powdery base. To make sure the chickens don't leave the added vits and mins, I drizzle a little vegetable oil over the top of the bowl and mix it in really well to make sure the powder sticks to the grains. There's very little left in the bottom of the bowl this way.

 

[cute bantams]

Ok thank you Chris you have been a big help I also have soaked their food in water just long enough for it to swell up but not get moldy and when I do this they absolutely love it btw I do feed them treats regularly and I have noticed eggshell problems so I need to cut of the treats for a while I don't give them excessive amounts of treats but I do give them some regularly such as lettuce yogurt and mealworms

 

[cute bantams]

What is the name of the feed they don't like? Our new hens arrived with an unopened bag of feed that smelled very different than what we have. Nothing was wrong with it; it was just very different.
I feed them H and H layer crumbles when u get home this evening I will post a picture of the tag on an empty bag we have
The plastic trash bin and lid should be washed and dried before using. I always air my new plastic containers of any type for a day or two before using (until the plastic smell is gone).

 

[cute bantams]

Sorry my last post got messed up somehow. I meant to say I feed them H and H layer crumbles I will take a picture of the tag on a empty bag when u get home this afternoon

 

[Chris King]

Sorry my last post got messed up somehow. I meant to say I feed them H and H layer crumbles I will take a picture of the tag on a empty bag when u get home this afternoon

Got it. The same concern regarding a detailed ingredient list applies to their "old fashioned" crumble as well as the pelleted layer ration.

But I also should have said that sometimes we just gotta work with what we got. If the only nonGMO option you can find locally is this feed, then work with it.

If you're sure that this particular bag of feed is not spoiled, then you can add stuff to make it more palatable. In addition to soaking it in a little water (warm this time of year; porridge goes down a treat with my girls), you can also add some yoghurt (plain or fruity… they love the fruity stuff) or apple sauce. A little bit goes a long way when all you're trying to do is get it into them, so as with the skittles conversation, just a couple of tbsp of plain (unsweetened) apple sauce will "help the medicine go down" without giving them too much sugar. Hyperactive chickens… what a wild ride!

 

[matt44644]

Examples of Materials Classified as Commercial Feed:
Plant Protein Products: soybean meal, canola meal, cottonseed meal, pea by-products, yeast products.
Animal Protein Products: meat and bone, animal by-product meal, blood meal, fish meal, poultry meal, hydrolyzed feather meal, milk and whey products.
Processed Grain by-products: wheat millrun, distillers dried grains, corn gluten meal, brewers dried grains, malt sprouts, wheat middlings, bran products.
Molasses Products: beet & cane molasses, molasses distillers dried solubles.
Roughage Products: soybean hulls and millrun, cottonseed hulls, beet pulp.
Forage Products: dehydrated alfalfa meal, ground alfalfa hay, ground grass.
Screenings, Chaff and Dust: wheat, corn, barley, cottonseed, oats, sorghum, rice.
Non-protein Nitrogen Supplements: urea, diammonium phosphate, amino acids.
Fat and Oil Products: animal, vegetable, blends, restaurant grease/”yellow grease”.
Mineral Supplements: mineral blocks, premises, limestone, defluorinated phosphate.
Vitamin Supplements: individual, multiple vitamins, and vitamin precursor mixes.
Fermentation Products: liquid and dry materials obtained from fermentation of grains, molasses, whey and microorganisms such as Aspergillus, Lactobacillus, Penicillium, etc.

http://agr.wa.gov/FoodAnimal/AnimalFeed/definitions.aspx

I agree with Chris King ,since they claim it is non-GMO they should be more specific as to what is in it.
the first 3 ingredients classified as plant proteins products have a high potential of being a gmo crop.
And i disagree with the company's website that soy is "filler"
http://handhsoyfreenongmofeed.com/home/why-soy-free-and-non-gmo-feed/

Now if soy is so unnatural,how is any of the other plant proteins more "natural"?
If you want soy free that is your choice,i'm not telling you not to use it.I just don't understand how any of the others are more "natural"

 

[Chris King]

I do feed them treats regularly and I have noticed eggshell problems so I need to cut of the treats for a while I don't give them excessive amounts of treats but I do give them some regularly such as lettuce yogurt and mealworms

There's a separate thread on egg shell problems in this food and feeding forum (under Feeding & Watering Your Flock). I've been having the same problem lately, and it's not because I'm giving my hens extra treats, so I wouldn't worry about the treats. I suspect the layer ration I've been feeding, but I'm also wondering whether it's a seasonal problem, as I haven't had this problem with this feed until winter set in.

Here's the page for the start of the egg shell discussion:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/949544/thin-shelled-eggs

 

[cute bantams]

Ok I talked to some people mine don't eat any of the crushed oyster shell and I don't over feed them with treats either I believe our feed store also sell Texas natural so I'll look into that brand