Hens won't eat Purina Layena of any variety.

[Sparkleyhead]

So I bought my laying hens Purina Layena plus Omega and they hate it. There was a great sale at the store,buy 2 bags get 1 bag free for any of the Purina Layena so I indulged and bought the plus omega stuff . I was all excited because it was high quality feed,but what good is it giving your chickens the best if they won't even eat it? The conclusion I have come to is that they are snobs. If my chickens were kids, Purina would be the equivalent to broccoli and the Southern states brand would be the equivalent to potato chips. I got the bags around Feb 23rd and I am still working on one 40 lb bag and it's the end of April. I am debating on returning the other bags and just going back to the the Southern States brand that I know for a fact they will eat. I was going to try and tough it out, but I want them getting the nutrients they need from the laying feed, which they are not getting since they won't eat it. And their general dislike is toward all Purina layena, not just the plus omega.

Has anyone else had issues with Purina Layena? Should I just take back the other 2 bags?

 

[SummerSaige]

My hens are little princesses, and when I first started them on new feed, they turned their noses up at it. I would give them scraps, stupidly thinking they were going to starve to death. Finally, I decided to stop feeding them snack scraps and leave the food out there. If they were hungry enough, they would come around. Eventually they did. I know it can be frustrating when your chickens refuse to eat certain things, but be patient! They'll come around. Do you feed them anything besides lay pellets?

 

[Sparkleyhead]

Oh the frustration! I also give them some cracked corn. In the morning I have a little pail and a plastic cup and I give them about half a cup of pellets and half a cup of cracked corn and I toss it in handfuls into their feeding area under their coop. And then I dump the rest into a dog bowl so they have something to come back and snack on later. I currently only have 3 adult hens and a rooster out there. During the winter they ate more of it because what else are they going to eat? Snow? But now spring is hear and there is a TON of grass and other green things growing out there along with all the bugs. So instead of storming the feed shed in the morning like they were in February, now they are like "we don't have to eat that crap" and just filter out of their coop and poke around the run completely ignoring the feed.

I even try hand feeding them the corn and pellet mix. My orptington (who is a pig) will come over, look at it, smack it around with her beak, look at me and then walk away. The others just give me the hairy eyeball because they know what I'm offering. I want to tough it out, but now they they have other options and the quality of the eggs has gone down severely along with production. They might have won this battle.

 

[SavageDestiny]

Considering the fact that Purina just had a recall on chicken feed, maybe your hens know something you don't.

 

[Sparkleyhead]

Ooo interesting. Thank you for this information. I had no idea. I'm going to look this up.

 

[pfields]

Considering the fact that Purina just had a recall on chicken feed, maybe your hens know something you don't.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 16, 2014 - The Purina Animal Nutrition LLC feed plant in Portland, Ore., has initiated a limited recall of certain poultry feeds due to the potential for lower-than-expected vitamin and trace mineral levels. The products were distributed to retailers in Oregon and Washington.

Inadequate vitamin and trace mineral levels can result in health problems, including mortality, in poultry. No customer complaints have been received to date.
The products and lot numbers involved in the recall are:

61R3 0052070 804273038728 PURINA LAYENA SUNFRESH RECIPE PELLET 40 LB 4APR08RIV2
61X3 0057261 804273029542 PURINA START & GROW SUNFRESH CRUMBLES 25 LB 4APR09RIV2
61V3 0057262 804273029559 PURINA START & GROW SUNFRESH MP 0.0125% MEDICATED 50 LB 4APR07RIV3
4APR10RIV1
61Y3 0057265 804273029573 PURINA START & GROW SUNFRESH MP 0.0125% MEDICATED CRUMBLES 25 LB 4APR08RIV2
61Z3 0057277 804273029634 PURINA LAYENA SUNFRESH RECIPE PELLET 25 LB 4APR10RIV1
The recalled products were packaged in typical brand-specific feed bags. Lot numbers are printed on the sewing strip of each bag. Lot numbers are interpreted as follows:

Example 4APR09RIV1: 4=Year / APR=Month / 09=Day of Month / RIV=Plant Code / 1=Shift code.

The problem was discovered during the investigation of an ingredient inventory discrepancy.

Retailers have been contacted and instructed to immediately withdraw from sale the recalled product and notify customers who purchased the product. Customers should discontinue feeding the product immediately. Customers who purchased this product should return remaining bags to their retailer.

For more information on the product recall, contact Customer Service at 1-800-245-5333, Monday through Friday 7:00 AM to 4:30 PM PDT.

This recall is being conducted with the knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

 

[jveef1212]

My girls hate it too! We had been giving them organic, but as is the case with our OWN diet, we just can't afford to always buy/eat organic. Nevertheless, spoiled or not, they hate it. When we feed them in the morning, they seem initially so excited, but when they realize what's in front of them they walk right away. We were paying 7.95 for a 5 lb bag of organic feed and less than $20 for a 40 lb bag of Purina....this GMO stuff HAS TO STOP!!!

 

[pfields]

My girls hate it too! We had been giving them organic, but as is the case with our OWN diet, we just can't afford to always buy/eat organic. Nevertheless, spoiled or not, they hate it. When we feed them in the morning, they seem initially so excited, but when they realize what's in front of them they walk right away. We were paying 7.95 for a 5 lb bag of organic feed and less than $20 for a 40 lb bag of Purina....this GMO stuff HAS TO STOP!!!

I was feeding mine organic and they loved it but at $27.99 for 50 lb. bag of H&H, even Texas Natural is $24.99 for 50 lbs. compared to $15.99 for 50 lb. bag of Purina Layena. The Purina Omega Layena is $16.99 for 40 lbs. Mine liked the Omega better than the regular. Also, I have to drive 29 miles one way to buy feed or 60 miles one way to buy the H&H.

 

[pdirt]

This is simply my opinion, but Purina is one the worst pet/animal feeds out there. There's a reason it is so inexpensive. It's a very large company with a huge advertising account. Not that those two facts make it an Evil Empire, but I don't trust Purina. I suppose it's better than no food at all, but if that was all I could afford to feed my animals then I would reconsider having those animals in the first place. Just my opinion. It doesn't sound like you're in the poor farm...you just like a good deal! As do I! But as my Econ 101 teacher's first words were, "There's no such thing as a free lunch", meaning they hope to lure you in with a "free" bag of feed and make you a loyal customer.

Recently though, we found a chicken feed that is not "certified organic" but the unofficial word is that the producer of this feed sources materials that are non-GMO and basically grown organically but without the certification (it IS certified non-GMO). I trust my feed supplier and she trusts the company. It costs 2/3 the price of a comparable feed of that is certified organic. Plus it is grown/made within 600 miles of our home, so it requires less shipping and therefore is kinder for the environment. Very good feed as well, it smells as fresh as the much more expensive certified organic feed we were getting. Both brands are soy and corn free and make a corn version for winter.

Eating organic/non-gmo/etc. is a mindset. I've never been wealthy, but years ago I decided to base most of my diet on foods free of pesticides, herbicides and better mineral/vitamin content. Organic tends to fit that bill. We also don't eat out at restaurants often, so our monthly food bill, though it is largely organic, is actually less than most people spend.

 

[SavageDestiny]

I'm with pdirt. Even if a person isn't wanting to go GMO-free or organic, I always recommend staying far away from Purina products. I worked in the pet food industry for a long time, and Purina is just the WORST. They use the lowest quality, cheapest ingredients they can possibly find and call it feed. There's a reason they have so many recalls and such. They don't give a hoot about animal health, they just want the profit. It's disgusting.