Frustration With My Local Feed Stores

[Chris09]

Does your "Feed Store" even carry Purina Feeds?
If not then there not going to have "Flock Raiser" and you will have to find a feed that is equivalent to it.
The only thing is I think is Flock Riser has no animal protein in it.

Buckeye feeds has Big 4 (Contains Animal protein)
Kent Feeds has Home Fresh Multi-Flock (Contains Animal protein)
Mana Pro has Game Bird/ Show Bird (Contains Animal protein)
Land-O-Lakes has Duck and Goose
Chris

 

[Chris09]

digitS' :

Before Purina made Flock Raiser, that company made a product they called Meat Builder. It was a "grower" feed.

Purina currently sells a product named Layena that is sold pelleted or as crumbles.

The Layena from the Purina company is "A 16%-protein high-calcium ration formulated for top-producing laying birds once they reach 18 weeks of age." Guaranteed Analysis: Calcium, not less than 3.25%, not more than 4.25%.

Steve

That is where I herd "Meat Builder" before...
I know that ADM has a feed called "Meat Maker" .....

Chris​

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
Don;t know about your stores, but here you tell them what they want and they get it from the storage area--most of the time it isn't there to look at...I do ask for specific brands and what they have in stock, but most feed stores haven't got a clue about chickens. The one I go to now does, but most of the other ones I've been to in town know next to nothing.

And yes, grower or starter grower is the correct feed. Broiler feed is NOT the same as flock raiser, although there are some similarities.

 

[HHandbasket]

Ok, thank you everyone! I knew posting here would be the right thing to do! So many great answers.

You know, I am not all that sure that this feed store even sells Purina. I just got off the phone with another friend who told me about a couple of really great feed stores in the vicinity that I'll be checking out tomorrow on my Saturday ride (yes, I am also a scooter dork and I go riding on Saturdays LOL). I may not have much $$$ to spend right now, but at least I can find the places I'll need to go locally to BUY the right stuff. There's also a couple of feed stores in the phone book, and I'm gonna call around and ask if they carry what I want.

As far as the ages of my girls, the easter egger/ameraucana is, best as I can tell from pictures of other peoples' birds, about 12-14 weeks. She is the only one that is the actual age that I was told ALL my birds were, and she is much larger than everyone else ... that's why we call her Bertha. She's Big Bertha. LOL. She's bossy, too. We know who's in charge in the henhouse for sure. I think the other birds are maybe 10-11 weeks. When we got them, the leghorn was the smallest and had the smallest comb, but as time goes on, she's surpassing the others in comb development and has gotten "taller" and, like Bertha the easter-egger, is starting to sound more like a chicken and less like a bird. The rest all still make the "peep peep" sound, though it's getting deeper. They all have very small combs, mostly fleshy colored. RIR and welsummer had no combs at all when I brought them home. Barred rock's comb when I brought them home was barely visible but is becoming more prominent now. Easter egger doesn't appear to have a comb but has a "blank spot" between her eyes that is turning redder as time goes on and has maybe one or two "mini spikes" that could be considered comb-ish. I think that even though I was told the birds were "about 2-1/2, 3 months old" when I got them, I'm guessing they weren't even 2 months yet, based on what I've learned about their appearance as they mature since I've acquired them. Maybe you guys can tell from the description how old they are?? I'll see if I can get current pics of them to post, too.

Everyone seems healthy and happy. They get lots of clean air, love, attention, bugs, worms, fresh greens, and they're in a chicken ark and scratch the ground and eat bugs and grass all day. When we move the ark, I scatter a little grit and scratch grains at first until they tear up enough of the grass that I know they're eating more of the sandy dirt beneath.

 

[schellie69]

Quote:
the EE you have won't get much of a comb they have a pea comb, The others will get bigger combs as they grow bigger. Please post some picutures, I will try and guess ages. You will know when they are going to start to lay they will do the squat thing. You will know it when you see it and the EE maybe the last to lay, My one Americuana did not lay until this spring and I got her last summer. So some are later egg layers. If you post pictures we could tell if you had an EE or a true Americuana.

 

[EweSheep]

What you can do with the meat feed, you can mix it with your Layena. 1 part meat and 2 part Layena until your meat runs out. Then go buy appropriate feed. OR take a loss, sell or give away the meat feed and get more Layena.

I feed mine both Flock Raiser and Layena both but in the summer they do not need alot of protein so straight Layena will fit the bill.

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

My feed store has new ppl. working it and today gave my room mate medicated lamb starter/grower...he gave it to my chickens, thinking it was starter/grower like he ordered. I am P.O. at everyone now...will it hurt my chickens....trust me no one will never go near my hen houses again...did he hurt them???

 

[LadyinRed]

Quote:
Don;t know about your stores, but here you tell them what they want and they get it from the storage area--most of the time it isn't there to look at...I do ask for specific brands and what they have in stock, but most feed stores haven't got a clue about chickens. The one I go to now does, but most of the other ones I've been to in town know next to nothing.

And yes, grower or starter grower is the correct feed. Broiler feed is NOT the same as flock raiser, although there are some similarities.

Both our local feed stores have area's with all the feed in the main part of the store on shelves and one also has a warehouse beside it but they don't mind you going back there and asking to look at stuff. I must be lucky in that they keep all the feed in an air conditioned and very clean area so that you also have no bug or mold problems with the feed.

 

[gryeyes]

As far as I'm concerned, the best feed store in the Sacramento area is at Bradshaw Rd and Florin Rd. I get ALL my stuff there, and got almost all of my chicks there too. (Wanted a couple breeds they didn't have at the time I absolutely HAD to get them.) The employees are helpful, friendly, informative and not pushy. I buy my dog and cat food there, as well. They still have chicks, too, all the way through September, as a matter of fact.

The only problem with that feed store is its hours of business; I can only make it there on weekends.

Oh, and the construction on Bradshaw and Florin makes it a little dicey to scoot into its driveway.

 

[spottedtail]

If a person knows what feed they want, there's no reason for them to walk out the store with the wrong feed.

Sure, there are uninformed clerks who want to sell you something...anything...even if it's not what you want. "Hey lady, feed is feed, right??" .... "Dog food, chicken feed, what's the diff??" Whatever!! Pay for it and go away!

Just say NO.

spot

P.S. Look at the label before you leave the premises.