Fortified cracked-grain layer rations. OK or not?

[KIslandGirls]

The most convenient layer feed I can get is a locally made fortified cracked grain "textured" feed. I have been feeding Neutrina Naturewise layer crumble. I bought a bag of the Homestead Harvest feed, label attached, over the weekend and have mixed it with the crumble, but I'm skeptical about continuing with it. It's essentially fortified scratch. The calcium is bits of oyster shell mixed in. I'm afraid they will pick and choose and not get balanced nutrition. What are people's experience? Should I call this expensive scratch and go back to my tried and true, which can be hard to get in a hurry this time of year?

 

[nuthatched]

Personally, I'd call it scratch but I'm not a feed expert.

 

[Percheron chick]

I use a similar product as my primary feed for geese and chickens. It's an all grain all poultry maintenance diet. I do have to add oyster shell on the side and it's gmo. Love it. Nutrition analysis is pretty close. The only thing off in your sample is it's high on the fat side. The geese gobble it down. The chickens pick out the sunflower seeds first but eat the rest before their next meal. Probably not a good choice if you fill a feeder with multiple days of feed as they are more apt to dig out the boss and make a mess. Feed tags were illegible or I'd post it. Small mills do not have expensive pelletizing machines and can only produce whole grain feeds. Don't discount them.

 

[SourRoses]

Oh my.
What @U_Stormcrow would say about all that fat!
Why did they go with "minimum" rather than maximum?
8.2% is high.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I'd call it Scratch. With total protein that low, you can't legally add enough synthetic methionine to reach target minimums, the fat level is higher even than recommends for fattening up Xxx or ducks for table, and the fortification is likely a fine dust/powder in the bag not well adhered to the whole grains. Serve as a wet mash or ferment to try and mitigate those issues.

And it's still a treat, not a nutritionally complete ration.

 

[saysfaa]

... Small mills do not have expensive pelletizing machines and can only produce whole grain feeds. Don't discount them.

Or ground feed, as I buy from my local mill.