Suggestions - any suggestons - for a good quality feed!!!

[TXchickmum]

We have been feeding our flock Nature Smart organic. They love it. My feed store says that it has been discontinued. Now - the dilemma. I have tried H & H Old Fashioned layer, Kropf organic, Texas Natural, and NONE of these are worth a hoot, IMO. My hens make a mess and waste most of these brands. -won't even eat one of 'em. Is there ANY good layer crumble (not mash...not pellet) that is organic or non-GMO in the Dallas - Fort Worth Metroplex area?????

I don't care for ol' Layena crumbles because they, too, make a mess......but am about to use these as the gals at least will eat!

 

[RJSorensen]

I don't have a suggestion for a feed your birds will eat, but a comment on switching from one feed to another. Which it would seem you are destined to do. If the birds are expecting one thing, and you are offering another, they will often bill aside the parts they do not like nor know. They will go after what the like, which is the same as they have been receiving. So before you run out of your current feed, if you have not done so already, you should mix the new in gradually over the course of a week or so.

At this same time you might need to limit the amount of feed available to them, to prod them into 'liking' the new feed more. You need to feed 'something' that you can get, it is really not a choice for you nor your flock, so though it is a bit hard on you, you will just need to enforce the transfer to brand X. Pick something you like, something that has the qualities you wish in you feed, and get on with the conversion, whatever that feed may be.

Letting the chickens choose their feed sometimes defies logic… you need to choose.

Best to you and your birds,

RJ

 

[TXchickmum]

Thanks for the suggestions. I agree! I just haven't found anything that I like. Our old feed is finished, unfortunately. I have switched to Layena before when the feed store temporarily ran out of our old stuff, and the hens gobbled it up all the same. -made no difference to them at all. -just all of the organic brands (which I prefer organic) that I've tried in the last few days are dusty, powdery, need to be mixed with water, need to be scooped from the run, etc. I spend a lot of time cleaning the coop and run, but I just don't have time/energy to make special "mixes" and scour the run for powder residue and small granules of feed. -looks like I'll just skip the organic and go to conventional. They like it, eat it well, and thrive on it.