New Purina Feed

[ShrekDawg]

I just looked at the TSC website, and here at Williamston, Michigan, the new Layer feed with meal worms added is $17.49 for 40 pounds. I buy Flock Raiser there at $16.99 for 50 pounds.
You pay for having some ground up meal worms in that bag!
My birds have to find their own meal worms, or any other kind of worms...
Mary

Here the Flock Raiser is $18.99 but the new stuff is the same price as yours.

 

[Mybackyardpeepers]

I usually do, have one of those gamma vault things but the current bag I don’t have in a container yet cause I need to empty the storage container of the old food. I have mine in the car currently but that’s probably not safe for the girls.

And OMG that’s scary!! I’ve definitely done that before and brought them in the house, etc.

I’ve gotta be more careful!! Haha

The store told me two things make them multiple, air and humidity. If you have them they came home with you on/in the bag already. It's once your home and usually open the bag that they infest because now you are exposing the food to air and humidity. I STILL find myself, daughter or husband placing containers used for scooping or my little pour container on the counters. We have been clear of them so far but I'm still leary when touching any crumble feed.

 

[Folly's place]

@KDOGG331 , is it the same price per pound, or the same price for the 40 lb. bag as the 50 lb. bag?
Mary

 

[Willowspirit]

Since my chickens free range and have bug enriched area in their pen when they’re not out, I think they keep themselves fed on bugs. I did see something funny the other day. My husband was riding a horse in an area the chickens frequent and it dropped manure in discreet balls in a little pile. By the time my husband was back with a shovel, it had all been gone through by the chickens! Since the horses’ fecal float was negative I explained to the chickens that they have to leave in the ground for a day or so for it to be adequately colonized.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I think it's a marketing ploy. There's more to "free ranging" then the bugs. Yes, they get a fair share of protein while grazing in the grass but mine eat grass and other plants as well. I let my chickens out for about 45 minutes to an hour every day and after they are back in the coop they are much more relaxed. Wandering about, exploring and delighting in a fresh find of bugs and worms enriches their lives. Whatever you put in the commercial feed, you can't mimic that. I think the best thing to do is find a feed that works for your flock and add protein rich treats as needed. Just MHO!

 

[ShrekDawg]

I think it's a marketing ploy. There's more to "free ranging" then the bugs. Yes, they get a fair share of protein while grazing in the grass but mine eat grass and other plants as well. I let my chickens out for about 45 minutes to an hour every day and after they are back in the coop they are much more relaxed. Wandering about, exploring and delighting in a fresh find of bugs and worms enriches their lives. Whatever you put in the commercial feed, you can't mimic that. I think the best thing to do is find a feed that works for your flock and add protein rich treats as needed. Just MHO!

I definitely agree with this!! I don’t let mine free range too much lately cause I’m paranoid (we have hawks and foxes) and I have one who always takes like a half hour to catch if I need to bring them in early but I’ve been trying to let them out more often, usually for a few hours in the afternoon/evening and they love it!! They have so much fun and they get a lot of exercise too flying all around the yard and scratching, etc. I think being out definitely enriches their lives and they seem wayyyy happier so I’ve been trying to let them out more often for their sake.

 

[ShrekDawg]

The store told me two things make them multiple, air and humidity. If you have them they came home with you on/in the bag already. It's once your home and usually open the bag that they infest because now you are exposing the food to air and humidity. I STILL find myself, daughter or husband placing containers used for scooping or my little pour container on the counters. We have been clear of them so far but I'm still leary when touching any crumble feed.

Thanks, this makes total sense! Thankfully I don’t think we have any.

@KDOGG331 , is it the same price per pound, or the same price for the 40 lb. bag as the 50 lb. bag?
Mary

I’m not really sure or even where to find the per pound thing on the website? I just meant it’s the exact same price as the price you listed, the $17.49 for the 40 lb bag of Free Range.

The regular layer feed is $16.49 for 50 lbs or the special Plus Omega 3 one is $17.29 for 40 lbs. Non Medicated Start & Grow is $18.99 for 50 pounds, I think medicated is a little more. Flock Raiser crumbles are $18.99 here for 50 pounds. So, at least for here, the Free Range stuff isn’t too crazy or unrealistic.

But I usually feed Nutrena or Poulin Grain lately.

 

[Molpet]

Finally a new feed to add to my sheet.


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ingredient list from a tsc question

· a month ago

Thanks for choosing Purina. Here is the list of ingredients from our California facility. Ground Corn, Wheat Middlings, Ground Wheat, Dehulled Soybean Meal,Corn Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles, Calcium Carbonate, Black Soldier Fly Larvae, Oyster Shell, Salt, Monocalcium Phosphate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Cane Molasses, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, DL-Methionine, Manganous Oxide, Tagetes (Aztec Marigold) Extract (Color), Yeast Extract, Zinc Oxide, Choline Chloride, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Yucca schidigera Extract, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K), Dried Yeast, Copper Sulfate, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Dried Chicory Root, Folic Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, Organic Soybean Oil, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus licheniformis Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus oryzae Fermentation Extract, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/purina-layena-free-range-layer-feed-40-lb-3004968-205

 

[ShrekDawg]

ingredient list from a tsc question

· a month ago

Thanks for choosing Purina. Here is the list of ingredients from our California facility. Ground Corn, Wheat Middlings, Ground Wheat, Dehulled Soybean Meal,Corn Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles, Calcium Carbonate, Black Soldier Fly Larvae, Oyster Shell, Salt, Monocalcium Phosphate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Cane Molasses, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, DL-Methionine, Manganous Oxide, Tagetes (Aztec Marigold) Extract (Color), Yeast Extract, Zinc Oxide, Choline Chloride, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Yucca schidigera Extract, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K), Dried Yeast, Copper Sulfate, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Dried Chicory Root, Folic Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, Organic Soybean Oil, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus licheniformis Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus oryzae Fermentation Extract, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/purina-layena-free-range-layer-feed-40-lb-3004968-205

So seems it’s still mostly grains then and not much actual bugs which is about what I suspected. Very interesting. Thanks!!

 

[Tillie43]

I may try a bag or two once snow starts and there’s not much outside to scratch up.