It has real looking pieces of food in there, not just pellets, etc. Looked like one of the better choices when I was there at the store.
Just curious what others have used and what you all felt was the best or at least one of the better options out there. Thank yo
Hi there, hope you are enjoying BYC!
Some birds will pick out the pretty pieces and end up with nutrient deficit or sometimes even fatty liver syndrome. For that reason alone, I prefer pelleted or crumble feed. I use Purina Flock Raiser, as it's available with a fresh mill date and high enough turn over to stay that way.. at MY location.
As mentioned by another poster.. layer feed is NOT appropriate for roosters. If you plan to do any hatching.. I to prefer the Purina Flock Raiser... However, I have used Kalmbach brand crumble one time before and it smelled good, birds liked it.. no issues. It's a regional feed that is not available to me all the time in MY location.
Most "layer" feed has the MINIMUM amount of protein and amino acids, to keep a light bodied bird like Leghorn in laying condition. I never aim for minimum... Dual purpose birds will do best with not less than 18% protein, while 22% was shown to give the highest hatch rates.. which to me says more nutrients in the eggs my family is consuming. Since learning the difference and making the change.. my older birds now have softer molts returning to lay more quickly AND not losing their personality and becoming severely withdrawn as I had seen in the past. Plus it works great for broody hens, chicks, juveniles, meat grow outs, AND layers.. as long as a calcium source is avaliable on the side free choice. Non laying birds may sample but not OD since they won't be consuming the oyster shell in every bite of feed... which could cause gout and kidney issues including failure and even sudden death in non-laying birds fed calcium in amounts exceeding 3% LONG term... most likely in those genetically predisposed somehow.
I personally do not like feeds made by
manna pro, though I do like SOME of their supplements.
I see you have a clearly resounding answer being repeated..
Please note that while feeding layer isn't right for ME.. I have seen folks feed only layer and still have roosters living past 8 years old. In NO way am I saying do it my way or else your roo will die. We all have to make choices.. and do our individual best with the knowledge we have at the time AND our resources.
Hope this helps some, and congrats on your new flock and learning adventure!
