Feed suggestions

[KateRJacks]

Hi!

I've just seen that the feed I have is only 11.5% protein eeek! I've been mixing oyster shell, boiled egg, mealworm, and greens with it, but I still don't think it has been enough for the girls! After investigating other feeds available here I've really only found two stockists of wild game feed....some are higher than others (links below).

Do these sound ok? I don't want to overdose them on protein, and feed them a started when I should be feeding them a developer or layer. I did read somewhere here that i could mix blood and bone with there regular feed to pump it up. Is this ok, as long as it's organic? And what what ratio do you think I should add?

Anyway here are 2 links I have found to purchase super high protein feed here in NZ...

http://www.chookmanor.co.nz/p/293/game-bird-starter-high-protein-crumble

http://www.feedandsaddlery.co.nz/shop-product-view/cat-347/prod-2834/title-pheasant-starter

Sorry to ask more questions!

Kate

 

[Sill]

The first one sounds OK but I could not find the % of protein listed anywhere. And why don't they list their ingredients right on their web site?

The second one is perfect.

Remember, you can give them a very high protein feed especially if you are feeding them things like greens since that will make the over all protein level of their daily intake less.

 

[MeepBeep]

The first one sounds OK but I could not find the % of protein listed anywhere. And why don't they list their ingredients right on their web site?

A lot of big feed manufactures don't have a single formula, instead their formula changes with the seasons, current market price for raw ingredients and manufacturing plant location if they have more than one location... Their end game is the bottom line, and thus they will use what is cheap at that moment...

Have you ever noticed that most major feed manufactures sew the ingredient tag to the bag instead of printing it on the bags? This is so the formula can be changed on the fly from bag to bag as the market changes...

 

[KateRJacks]

Great! I'll get the second one

Thanks!

 

[Sill]

A lot of big feed manufactures don't have a single formula, instead their formula changes with the seasons, current market price for raw ingredients and manufacturing plant location if they have more than one location... Their end game is the bottom line, and thus they will use what is cheap at that moment...

Have you ever noticed that most major feed manufactures sew the ingredient tag to the bag instead of printing it on the bags? This is so the formula can be changed on the fly from bag to bag as the market changes...

Yes but if a company is selling animal feed they should care enough to change the ingredients listed if they need to with the seasons so people know what they are actually buying with their money. I know people that cannot use feed with soy since they are allergic to soy and cannot eat the eggs or meat of soy fed birds. The same with corn and fish. Makes it easier for people like @KateRJacks to chose another company's feed, which she is going to.

I do understand the reason for the sewn on tags, I just don't get why they would risk loosing sales because they were too lazy to publish their list of ingredients and protein level from that same tag on their web site.

I'm lucky, I buy from a local feed co-op and we can order whatever we want or don't want in our feeds so we know what our birds are eating. The feed mill might have to substitute seasonally but they will let us know so we have the option of a different formula.

 

[MeepBeep]

I do understand the reason for the sewn on tags, I just don't get why they would risk loosing sales because they were too lazy to publish their list of ingredients and protein level from that same tag on their web site.

The problem is if they change the formula lets say every month or even for one week due to a shortage and they use different formulas at multiple manufacturing plants what version should they put on the website and when? It's a no win, because if they put the current formulas on the website and you get a bag of feed that was packaged last month or two months old it's likely not going to match anyway... At the end of the day if they put up all the formulas ever used, it would pretty much provide about the same amount of info as saying they use mixed grains, until you actually read the particular bag tag you have in your hands...

If it's an allergy, I would simply avoid any big commercial feed company that has a rolling formulas and doesn't specify exactly what is in it, because even if it's not in the bag you buy this week that isn't to say next week will be the same... Best to stick with the smaller niche brands with fixed formulas if there is an allergy concern...