Nutrena vs Agrimaster?

[Ilovemychicks08]

I have always fed Nutrena. But recently i have been going through tons of feed and ive noticed each bag weighs less or are only half full. I normally pay $17-$18 a bag its been on sale for $15.75.
I always see the Agrimaster feed there and wonder whats the actual difference
Both are 16% layer pellets.

If i mixed the 2 feeds would it be ok?
Im just tired of buying one 40lb bag a week.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Feed is sold by weight, not by volume. If it's a 40-lb bag or a 50-lb bag, that's what it should weigh, regardless of how full it looks. Crumble may look less full than pellets. Brand name is not as important as crude analysis, the info on the side or back of the bag. How much protein is each bag? 16% is considered the minimum, but I like to feed 20%.

@Perris and @U_Stormcrow are very knowledgeable about what chickens need in their diet.

How many chickens are you feeding? Are you sure nobody else is eating their feed?

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

Feed is sold by weight, not by volume. If it's a 40-lb bag or a 50-lb bag, that's what it should weigh, regardless of how full it looks. Crumble may look less full than pellets. Brand name is not as important as crude analysis, the info on the side or back of the bag. How much protein is each bag? 16% is considered the minimum, but I like to feed 20%.

@Perris and @U_Stormcrow are very knowledgeable about what chickens need in their diet.

How many chickens are you feeding? Are you sure nobody else is eating their feed?

To me it doesnt seem each bag has the same amount. Ill weigh it next time
Im feeding 11 chickens 2 are going a new home though

 

[U_Stormcrow]

This stuff?

Its got the minimum recommended crude protien. Met and Lys are also at recommended minimums (0.3 and 0.6, respectively). Phos is unusually good at 0.65 (0.5 is typical, 0.4 is the old minimum, and not adequate according to more recent studies). Fat and Fiber are both in the recommended range. Calcium is typical of a layer formulation

Which Nutrena do you want me to compare it with?

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

Id like to add my chickens get most scraps we have to(lettuce, fruits, veggies, egg shells, eggs that arent ate, little bits of bread etc.)
And daily grass since they arent free ranged

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

This stuff?

Its got the minimum recommended crude protien. Met and Lys are also at recommended minimums (0.3 and 0.6, respectively). Phos is unusually good at 0.65 (0.5 is typical, 0.4 is the old minimum, and not adequate according to more recent studies). Fat and Fiber are both in the recommended range. Calcium is typical of a layer formulation

Which Nutrena do you want me to compare it with?

I always feed the Nutrena Naturewise 16% Layer.
And thank you

 

[BigBlueHen53]

40# a week for 11 chickens does seem like a lot.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Do you put the feed up at night so wild critters can't get to it?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I always feed the Nutrena Naturewise 16% Layer.
And thank you

For those following along, that's This Stuff

I've used it myself.

Same crude protein. same fiber. Slightly lower fat (2.5%, one of the lowest of the common commercial feeds, perfectly acceptable. Better Met and Lys (0.35, 0.75 respectively) which is a definite benefit if you are hatching your own replacements, lower phos (0.45, disappointing) which can affect bone quality though its above the (old) recommended minimum. Won't affect shell quality, egg shell is one of the few calcium structures that doesn't use roughly half as much phos as calc). Salt content the same, calcium is a little higher, but still well w/i the normal range for a layer formulation. Plus some added bacteria intended to increase bioavailability of some nutrients in the feed and/or reduce anti-nutritive factors.

Overall, the Naturewise is the nutritionally superior feed - assuming both feeds are of equal freshness, of course - but is it worth the price point? That's a much more local, and more personal, decision. If you aren't hatching your own birds, those nutritional differences largely go away for most other practical purposes - and you'd have to compare incubation/hatch rates to start to do the math on cost effectiveness.

In theory, the extra Met and Lys should contribute to faster/less stressful molts and better immune response, but those factors are almost impossible to quantify.

Yes, you absolutely can mix the two feeds if you plan on switching over.


Hope that helps your decision making.

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

Do you put the feed up at night so wild critters can't get to it?

My chickens are in a fully enclosed run and feed is either gone or i do remove it at night as sparrows can squeeze themselves in but i havent noticed them a lot recently