Why is Purina feed "bad"?

[Joe.G]

What is GMO?

Around here the Feed mill stuff is $9.0 A 50 LB bag, The rest is about $12-14 A 50 Lb Bag and that is Purina, Dumor Agway, Blue Seal and all the rest.

 

[Red Barn Farms]

Now see, I'd like to try the Blue Seal. I went to the site, did a location search and none available within a 50 mile radius.

 

[EweSheep]

Now see, I'd like to try the Blue Seal. I went to the site, did a location search and none available within a 50 mile radius.

Mine was 100 miles southeast....not for two bags needed a month.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Everyone saying it's expensive must know something I don't because I can't find decent feed that's cheaper than Purina.

It sometimes takes awhile to find a feed company or feed mill that sells top quality feed in one's area. Purina, at our local TSC stores is $17 and change for a 50# bag of Layena. That is $34+ a hundred pounds. I scanned my actual feed sack tag. We buy this for $17.75 a hundred pounds (50 cents credit for bringing your sack back, LOL). That is indeed half, plus it has animal protein and the birds love it and perform great on it. Yes, it is a Hubbard mill. Again, I'm not a Purina hater. I've used it many many times. But at twice the price do I believe it twice as good?

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

You see, even though the feed I use: Nutrena 18% all flock, is 20$ per 50lbs bag, the chickens will actually eat it.

Cheap brands, I've noticed, don't appeal to my chickens. Organic brands don't either, it was just dust. Even though it is way expensive, I care about what's in it, the quality, and if my chickens will actually eat it.

Speckledhen-

x2 I've had occasional Purina bags smell like that, other times they smell downright cornmeal.







Added: I have heard NUMEROUS people say kitten food is bad for chickens, it's not, unless you overfeed it. I use the Purina kitten food (pebble shaped) for my chooks. Their feathers are much stronger than without, because of the protein.

 

[Chris09]

Cheap brands, I've noticed, don't appeal to my chickens. Organic brands don't either, it was just dust. Even though it is way expensive, I care about what's in it, the quality, and if my chickens will actually eat it.

In my 30+ years of raising, breeding and showing poultry, I haven't seen a chicken that would rather starve before eating a feed that was in the feeder for them.
With that said most if not all the breeder I know myself included read there feed tag and know what is in there feed.

Chris

 

[cubalaya]

i have been using southern states brand; xcell layer pellets, starter grower, and rockin rooster for 30 + years. the few times that i have ran out and tried other feeds like purina or dumor , the chickens just wouldn't eat it after a few days of feeding them.

 

[Cantonmentchickenmama]

Thank you for your post. I use the Purina Layena Omega 3 feed. I have seen a huge difference in their plummage. Also the pellets are a complete feed so I don't have to use grit or oyster shells. I am watching my flock since my switch; their crops are staying clean and eggs are nice and strong.

 

[speckledhen]

All of mine smelled like corn. Sounds like you had a bad batch.

No, not one bad batch, they all smelled that way, including Flock Raiser. I cannot stand that toxic waste smell of Purina. I've gotten more than one bag of Home Grown for a group of older chicks because I could get it in non-medicated and it used to have animal protein (now, they've removed it, it seems), even if it was $3 more per bag than my normal Tucker Milling. It was disgusting.

I've had several bags of Flock Raiser, both pelleted and crumble, because I could get it non-medicated and they had a big sale recently, for $5 off per bag, otherwise I wouldn't have bought it at all. They all smelled terrible!

I never have that issue with Tucker Milling and it has porcine animal protein in it, plus it's much cheaper and not dusty.

Southern States also smells fine, but I refuse to buy it from the local store because they are like a "chicken mill", selling birds crammed into small cages and their bags of feed always contain weevils, plus, again, it's more expensive than my regular brand as well as being vegetarian (except the Rockin'Rooster Booster pellets, which have animal protein)

Being in the deep south, we don't have Kent or Blue Seal or Agway or other brands mentioned.


My first flock was raised on Purina SunFresh before I learned more about animal protein vs vegetarian feeds, but they also free ranged and were fed scrambled eggs as a supplement.

 

[Red Barn Farms]

Well today we drove to an Amish community just down the road and came back home with KALMBACH brand poultry feed. We went ahead and got a 50# bag of " 22% all-natural broiler crumble start to finish". Our chicks still have several months before reaching laying age which then we will switch them to the Kalmbach 17% Hi-Omega/Hi D Natural Layer Crumbles or 17% Kalmbach All Natural Layer Crumbles.

Has anyone else ever used this brand or heard of it before? I looked them up and seen they are based in Ohio. It's the brand the Amish Country Store owner recommends. I know it says it's for broilers but I'd think it might just put more meat on their bones and maybe make them healthier and bigger before reaching laying age. Maybe I'm over thinking this fact! LOL