Thoughts on Purina feeds?

[azure_]

I currently use Green Mountain Feeds for my flock and I think I will continue to, but just wanna know what people think of purina feeds. Why do you like it? Why don't you like it?

 

[Willow2253]

Ok @Willow2253 but the thing is that the reason I get the $28 Green Mountain Feeds layer pellets and chick starter is because it's the best chickens can have in MA. It's Organic, non-GMO, and non medicated. Maybe you can have your chickens eating GMO feeds, but I won't.

You asked for opinions on purina, I’m just giving mine. You can feed your flock whatever you think is best for them. I just prefer to spend a little less to get the same results. In my case that is nutrena feed, which is non gmo.
All I was trying to say is you can still get quality feed without buying the most expensive one.

 

[Folly's place]

Your best feed will depend on what's available fresh, by mill date, where you shop. Also price matters, at least to some degree.
Here I've been feeding Purina Flock Raiser for a very long time, as it's fresh where I shop, works for my chickens of whatever age and sex, and is mid-range in price.
I'd prefer a pelleted version when there aren't chicks out there, but here it only comes as a crumble, and that's okay with me. Deeper feed containers have helped with 'bill out', and there's not a lot wasted anyway.
It's certainly not the only good choice out there!
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

It wasn't the food that was made in China, it was an ingredient that was deliberately contaminated with a toxic product, and shipped here for pet food. Also, some rawhide chewies originating there have been contaminated by a different product.
When the feed companies figured out the first problem, unfortunately after some pets got sick and died, it was rectified.
In China, some baby formula was also poisoned, awful! There were executions over it, as I recall.
Mary

 

[RojoMarz]

I'm on my third bag of Purina Flock Raiser. It is a crumble and does have some crumbly crumbles. I save them and use them for the "wet" food. Works great. I have limited choices of non-layer or scratch foods, at my local TS and/or BR.

I would think how the bags are handled, through out their life, would impact how much of the crumbles are smashed and turned to dust. I'm not sure how a manufacturer would/could address that problem.

 

[mcdze]

to me the best feed is just the condition its in .. if you find a 'clean' place with a high rotation rate of product its going to be better than the 'super healthy mix' sitting on the shelf for months over there in that place, probably with weevils in it ..

 

[keesmom]

Ok @Willow2253 but the thing is that the reason I get the $28 Green Mountain Feeds layer pellets and chick starter is because it's the best chickens can have in MA. It's Organic, non-GMO, and non medicated. Maybe you can have your chickens eating GMO feeds, but I won't.

There's nothing wrong with the most common medicated feed, one that contains amprolium. It is not an antibiotic. If one has problems with coccidiosis it's a lifesaver.

As for what's the best feed for a flock, that's going to vary by owner. I prefer to use a feed that has more protein than the usual layer flock. I feel my birds do better on 20-22%. So I regularly use Blue Seal's gamebird crumbles, Purina's Flock Raiser, and if for some reason I'm in SE MA I'll get Ventura Grain's gamebird grower. I get any of those brands freshly milled - Blue Seal directly from them in Milford NH, Flock Raiser from Erikson's in Acton and Ventura's from their mill in Taunton. Ventura's is the only feed I've found anywhere remotely close that actually includes animal protein (fish meal). All 3 of these feeds have lower calcium than layer which is better for any chicks, molting birds and males that I may have. Oyster shell on the side for layers.

Organic and nonGMO would be nice, but I feel the higher protein is more important for my flock. The cost is half the organic, which is a definite plus when one has 50 birds. Unfortunately if you really want to stick to organic you'll have to continue with Green Mountain, or see which other companies my deliver to you.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I'll never buy another purina product. The next all flock that I bought was 20% nutrena. My birds love it and better still, NO DUST.

Nutrena is owned by Purina.. The great thing about having a monopoly.. they'll still get your money.

Dumor is also made by Purina.. who is a parent company to so many.

I use Purina flock raiser because it's readily available to me at a price I can accept and importantly with a turn over that keeps mill date fresh enough.

Yes, sometimes I buy 300# at a time.. and go through it in about 6 weeks or less. I store inside my house.. According to my research nutrient degradation is factored into NORMAL shelf life expectancy and accounted for.. this is presuming that conditions were kept ideal during TRANSPORT and storage regarding all.. temperature, humidity, and pests. Whole grains will still diminish, just at a less rapid pace than milled ones which now have more surface area.

According to the farmer the feed will not degrade due to it being very dry. I have confirmed this with another farmer who also buys 3 barrels at a time from them. I asked, does the food get sour? Rotten? Spoiled? They have both confirmed that it does not As they have both been feeding it to their chickens for over a decade. Which is why I went ahead and bought that much. It is stored in a large metal barrel with a seal

Sour, rotten, and spoiled are completely different than diminished nutrients. Unless they've had an analysis performed after their period of storage or somehow added stabilizers.. I'm gonna say they know not what we are asking.

A metal barrel is fantastic way to create spoilage.. if the sun shines on a cold morning and sweats inside.. the moisture trickles down eventually becoming moldy feed from underneath. If using a metal can.. indoor or shade is huge factor.. temperature swings are undesirable to shelf life.

My birds eat the "mash" referred to as dust.. in the Purina products... which I have experienced.. but is NOT an issue for MY flock.

@Azureduckchick The truth is companies change their formulations all the time. Not all GMO's are bad or created equally. But if you're not gonna switch anyways.. why not ask for a comparison of organic feeds made by Purina companies to see if there's anything you're actually interested in.

I found an interesting list of "allowed synthetic substances" in Organic keeping...
http://www.usfarad.org/uploads/5/4/9/6/54966231/farad_organic_treatment_guidelines.pdf

Shocking to see Ivermectin as allowed and all kinds of other BS if it has cas#! Yet Lysine makes it on the prohibited list?? I must be missing something...
https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Lysine

 

[Folly's place]

I've seen feed bags, especially old bags at the store, where the mill dates were printed in odd locations on the bag, and worn off or obscured somehow.
I'd never buy any livestock feed without seeing a mill date on the bag!
Open dating is best, IMO, or at least Julian dating. Coded dating, hate it, and won't bother to ask for the 'code book' to decipher something the company wants hidden.
Mary

 

[Tonyroo]

I do appreciate everyone having an opinion on the brands of feed, direct farm feeds, they use or prefer. It's helps everyone that reads this post to get an understanding pertaining to chicken feed. To me it's educational and thank you.