⠀ OFFICIAL INTRODUCTION: Learn more about the forum here!

[JenniO11]

Welcome to the Purina Nutrition Forum! We're excited to have you here.

Mikelle Roeder Ph.D. will serve as the poultry expert who will answer forum participants’ questions on raising a healthy and happy backyard flock. Questions related to backyard flock nutrition are encouraged, but other relevant and agreed upon topics will be addressed as time is allowed.

Purina Animal Nutrition will respond, live for a three hour period and after the live session will plan on periodically answering additional forum follow-up questions in writing until 11/30/14 (potentially addressing additional questions through 12/31/14). All forum questions may not be answered in the allotted period of time, but Purina Animal Nutrition will do its best to answer as many relevant questions as possible. While we can't guarantee that they'll have time to answer every question, they'll definitely do their best to answer a lot!

Below are some topics that Purina Animal Nutrition is excited to talk with our community about:
• General backyard flock feeding guidelines
• Addressing bird health and immunity through proper nutrition
• Role of nutrition on egg quality and quantity
• Role of feed ingredients as part of a complete backyard flock diet
• Role of research as it relates to feed technology
• General backyard flock management advise

 

[Ridgerunner]

Thanks. You are quite brave to offer this.

Could you please address your medicated feed? What are the do’s and don’t’s of using medicated feed? What options of medicines are in Purina medicated feed, only Amprolium or could it be something else? Does Amprolium give immunity to Coccidiosis whether or not they have been exposed to it? What diseases other than Coccidiosis does your medicated feed prevent or treat? Is it safe to continue to feed Purina’s medicated feed to hens that are actively laying?

I’ll be watching this thread for sure and will have other questions if they don’t get asked by others. You are a great resource if we will just use it right.

 

[lderren86]

I would like to thankyou for offering your support for us backyard bird lovers, for im sure we all have a question or two for you. My question is im pretty good at taking care of the flock and its quirks but my maine issue are the pest that follow into a flock that you have to fight to get rid of such as northern fowl mites and gapeworms. With the wet previous season we had in NY state it brought on the mites and boy did i fight with that considering i have near 200 birds and that not being just chickens what would you consider if i had this problem again the fastest way to clear them out?. I have chickens,turkeys,guinea fowl,pheasants,geese and ducks. I have had one problem with gapeworms in a couple secluded breeder chickens(brabanters) that i tryed the apple cider vinager and what ever i could find to treat them while they were gasping for air but the worms choked them out before i could even save them, now what is a fast remedy for this? I hear flubenvet works but for some reason its not found in the U.S anymore?

 

[AKCharle]

I want to thank you for taking the time to address our questions about our flocks nutrition.
I would like to know which vitamin mineral supplement do you recommend for chickens fed a barley, oat, brewers yeast diet?
I will be fermenting this mixture of locally grown grains.

 

[casportpony]

I'd like to know what the shelf-life on Purina products is. Specifically, how long after the date code can I continue to feed the products.

-Kathy

 

[DrMikelleRoeder]

Shelf-life is greatly impacted by storage conditions. If ideally stored in a cool, dry environment, up off of the floor, from the point of manufacture, poultry feed will retain its nutritional integrity for many months (6 to 8 months for a crumble, nearly a year for a pellet). However, poor storage conditions will contribute to the deterioration of any feed. Moisture is the most dangerous external factor, and excessive heat is a close second. Don't drive around all day with a load of feed in the back of the pick-up when it's hot and humid, and never store feed on a concrete floor, as that will concentrate moisture in the bottom of the bag. Don't store bags or feed containers where sunlight will come through a window and heat them up every day.

 

[JesseTab]

Is it safe to let layers to eat medicated feed? And can we eat the eggs they lay? Have a couple of layers and some that are still young. Have both layers feed and med crombles.

 

[bluffwood]

a little confused. Is this the "forum"?

 

[JoshU]

What feeds do you offer which have a high percentage of animal protein as their total protein sources?

 

[JesseTab]

we are useing the Purina Layer pelets and the Purina medicated chick feed.