laying feed ingredients

[lyds]

Hola!
I'm using FeedRites Tradition Farm Flock 17% Layer Ration - for laying hens. Now..I can't find any specific ingredients for different feeds. I know a lot of people use these feeds but does anyone know if their are any strange attatives etc.
I like to have them outside eating bugs and grass etc. I want to make sure they get everything they need to stay healthy. I did read a post someone wrote about feeding his hens alfalfa rabbit feet, scratch and a mix of table scraps...oyster shells aswell.
From a purist, environmental perspective..where to these feeds stand.

 

[dacjohns]

I'm not sure what exactly you're asking. Check different company websites and see if they list the ingredients. Also look at the label on the feed bag. There should be one.

My layer feed that I got from Rural King has porcine meat and bone meal, othewise known as pork. It is illegal for ruminant (cow, goats, etc.) to be added to chicken feed.

The other feeds I have don't have pork.

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

Quote:
dacjohns:

It is only illegal to feed Specific Risk Materials to ruminants, not monogastrics (pigs and chickens). However, most of the feed companies only use porcine meat and bone meal to elminate the risk of contamination of cattle feeds with Specif Risk Materials.

Jim

 

[dacjohns]

Just found this "The Federal Govt. forbids PROTEIN PRODUCTS OF RUMINANTS (cow, sheep, goat) to be included in chicken feeds (not ALL animal byproducts)[title 21 CFR589.2000]". I haven't verified it though. Doesn't say anything about porcine.


Guess I should have followed up on the above from the vegetarian chicken thread.

And I stand corrected. Like I tell others and didn't do myself. Verify.

 

[Davaroo]

I can't find any specific ingredients for different feeds. I like to have them outside eating bugs and grass etc. I want to make sure they get everything they need to stay healthy.
From a purist, environmental perspective..where to these feeds stand?

They typically have no leg to stand on for the purist. They are created to be nutritionally complete, inexpensive, and to use byproducts and lesser ingredients not normally associated with human consumption. 'Purist' concerns are not normally a consideration, unless you are a purist about complete, scientific-based nutrition. While they are formulated from what can loosely be called "natural" products, they aren't normally green friendly... when you consider that the commercial agri-biz is where they come from.

At the minimum, they usually contain corn, soya derivatives, various chemical additives, minerals and vitamin compounds, animal by-product protein and so on. There are undoubtedly other things in them, which the card-carrying purist probably doesn't want to know about.

But don't allow any high-minded ideals you may harbor condemn them too quickly. If you're not a poultry nutrition specialist, they offer what is likely the surest path to a complete ration for chickens. Just turning your birds loose to fend for themselves or haphzardly tossing them whatever seems right is no assurance that they are getting the proper nutrients. Oh sure, you might get it right on your own. But get it wrong, and you might foster nutrional deficiencies you can only dream of.

There are companies that make organic feeds, although like anything with the term "organic" tacked on, they are costlier than similar commercial products.
And again, there is no guarantee that they are complete. That is something you DO get with commercial feeds, since the success of an entire industry is behind them. You can have grain custom milled in quanity to your specification, if you like, too. But you have to do it in ton lots, as a rule. It's hard to store and keep fresh that much feed.

It's important to remember that chickens need three main things in their diet:

Grain foods - for energy
Protein foods - for growth and maintenance
Green Foods - for vitamins/minerals and trace elements.

These things need to be in proper proportion and properly prepared. The commercial folks have that pretty well wrapped up, all at what is still a reasonable cost. Even for the "purist," that is a pretty good trade off - sometimes you gotta pick your battles, you know?​

 

[lyds]

Elderoo, thanks for your holistic answer. Appreciated. We do have to pick our battles...