The Evolution of Atlas: A Breeding (and Chat) Thread

[speckledhen]

I checked out the Mid-South layer feeds. They have a 15%, completely too low, but they also have a 20%, 2% lower than my Tucker Milling Super Layer. And this Mid-South layer has no added vitamin E nor yeast culture to promote digestive health, as Tucker Milling's does.

Here is the Mid-South 20% Layer ingredient list:

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
Crude Protein, Min 20.00%
L-Lysine, Min 0.95%
Methionine, Min 0.35%
Crude Fat, Min 3.00%
Crude Fiber, Max 6.00%
Calcium, Min 3.75%
Calcium, Max 4.75%
Phosphorus, Min 0.90%
Salt, Min 0.45%
Salt, Max 0.55%
INGREDIENT LIST
Wheat Middlings, Corn Meal, Soybean Meal, Poultry By Product Meal, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Ground Limestone, Monocalcium Phosphate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Salt, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Choline Chloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Manganous Oxide, Magnesium Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Carbonate, Ferrous Sulfate, Magnesium Sulfate, and Potassium Sulfate.

Now, I can't find the complete ingredient list for the Tucker Milling w/o pulling my tag, and I do not recall any "poultry by product meal" in my TM feed, but here is the info on their 22% Super Layer feed:

Tucker Milling Layer Rations are specifically designed to support egg laying, and are formulated to support healthy, vigorous birds.
We include non-ruminant meat and bone meal to fulfill the omnivorous needs of your poultry. Poultry naturally consume insects and worms when they are free range, but in captivity they need supplements of this in their diet. This gives them the proper protein sources they need and can help curb pecking eggs and each other.

Available in Mini Pellet - Ideal for bantam chickens *** I buy the minis for all***
Formulated for maximum egg production and bird health:

• Added calcium for strong egg shells.
• Quality nutrients for nutritious eggs and birds that thrive
• Vitamins A, D3, E, & B12 for healthy immune system.
• Contains yeast culture to promote digestive health

Nutrition Content
Crude Protein Min 22.0 %

Crude Fat Min 2.5 %

Crude Fiber Max 4.00 %

Based on these two, which would you pick for your birds? I'll see if I can find a tag ingredient for the TM layer feed around here.

 

[speckledhen]

Ah, I photographed the tag on the bag in the car. Wow, it has thyme extracts, marigold and a lot of other natural additives in the TM that apparently, the Mid-South does not.

 

[h2oratt]

I will photo my tag and we can compare ingredients.

 

[1muttsfan]

Honestly I'm not sure that saying something is natural is necessarily the same as saying it's healthful. That feed contains pig meat and bone, and I'm not sure the what the difference would be between that and poultry by-product meal. Poultry by-product meal is usually the leftover bones, organ meat and scraps from processing chicken for human consumption, or from processing spent layers.
It sounds like very good feed, but I don't see anything in the mid-south that looks unhealthy.

 

[speckledhen]

I will photo my tag and we can compare ingredients.

That would be fun! I know you have things there that we don't have here and vice versa.

Honestly I'm not sure that saying something is natural is necessarily the same as saying it's healthful. That feed contains pig meat and bone, and I'm not sure the what the difference would be between that and poultry by-product meal. Poultry by-product meal is usually the leftover bones, organ meat and scraps from processing chicken for human consumption, or from processing spent layers.
It sounds like very good feed, but I don't see anything in the mid-south that looks unhealthy.

It really goes without saying that natural does not necessarily equate to healthful. Did you hear the commercial for a chicken company that says they now feed their chickens thyme and something else, maybe oregano and marigold? I know that Purina touts marigold in their feeds as well. I am sure that those ingredients at the bottom of the TM feeds were not there when I first began buying them a dozen years ago.

And the guy at the feed store, though I did not see it on the tag, said that TM is putting DE in all their feeds? I'm not sure that is true or even good. If they don't say it on the label or their website, unless I just missed it, then folks insisting on adding a large amount of it to their feeds are putting in way too much. It doesn't worm anything and consumed in large doses can harm the intestines, though I may throw in a small amount at the top of a new feed bag in case of any weevil eggs in there that may hatch.


I don't see anything unhealthy in the Mid-South, either, but I think that as long as my birds are doing well on the TM, I shouldn't change it unless a new reason pops up that would make it a better choice. And I believe TM has improved it over the years. As far as the poultry by-product meal, can't you just see people yelling "Mad Chicken Disease"? That is, if they even read the tag at all. I saw that Mid South puts both amprolium and bacitracin in their starter/grower, one reason I would not buy that one even if I fed medicated starter in the first place.

 

[Leahs Mom]

DE in feeds is there to keep the bugs out of the FEED...not for bugs in THE BIRD.

Sigh.... I am glad I have a feed mill nearby. I'm able to purchase "most" of the ingredients there to make my own feed so I don't have all the synthetic chemical additives or soy to deal with. Don't know what I'd do if I didn't have that available.

 

[speckledhen]

DE in feeds is there to keep the bugs out of the FEED...not for bugs in THE BIRD.

Sigh.... I am glad I have a feed mill nearby. I'm able to purchase "most" of the ingredients there to make my own feed so I don't have all the synthetic chemical additives or soy to deal with. Don't know what I'd do if I didn't have that available.

Yes, that is true about the DE, which is what I do, just a small amount in each newly opened feed bag, but there are still folks putting a bunch of it in feeds, thinking it kills worms. In insane amounts, it can dessicate their intestines and still won't kill the worms. It sure doesn't kill earthworms in the compost pile when I dump DE-dusted shavings from the coops in there.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I personally like a higher protein ration, and one with actual meat products in it.

How does it smell? And how do your chickens like it is the real questions.

 

[speckledhen]

I personally like a higher protein ration, and one with actual meat products in it.

How does it smell? And how do your chickens like it is the real questions.

It smells fresh, no chemical smell like the Purina feeds seem to have. All the birds have eaten it exclusively, other than a couple of times when I had to substitute Faithway Feeds (dustier than Tucker Milling). They seem to have good feather quality and certainly, the longevity is there, though I know that starts with good genetics. No amount of great feed can fix those issues or I'd have had my original flock longer.

 

[1muttsfan]

I don't see anything unhealthy in the Mid-South, either, but I think that as long as my birds are doing well on the TM, I shouldn't change it unless a new reason pops up that would make it a better choice. And I believe TM has improved it over the

Exactly so.