Chicken Feed: Does Brand Matter?
Which chicken feed brand should you choose for your feathered friends? Different parts of the country have different chicken feed brands available; some are only available in a small, limited market, while others are not at all – but which is best for your chickens?
Chicken Nutritional Requirements
For growth, chickens require protein, carbohydrates, and fats, as well as vitamins and minerals. Most people will start their chicks on a chick starter/grower ration and then switch around when the hen reaches maturity, with the exception of laying hens during a hard molt.
How is Chicken Feed Formulated?
Corn and soybean meal will most likely be the main sources of protein in commercial chicken feed, though some smaller feed mills are offering soy-free and corn-free alternatives to the traditional chicken feed options. Chickens fed only scratch grain can overheat in hot weather.
Read the Chicken Feed Labels
Protein levels should be between 15% and 18%, sourced from grains or soybean meal, as the calcium requirements of laying hens are much higher than those of growing chicks. Fat content should also be specified, as most commercial feeds use vegetable oil as an energy source.
Lots of Decisions
Is it gluten-free, non-GMO, organic, all-natural, vegetarian, name-brand, generic, or store-brand cereal that you choose for your family?
Commercial Chicken Feed Brands
If raising an organic flock of chickens is important to you, look for an organic chicken feed in your area. Purina and Southern States are the most popular options in my area for poultry feed. Keep in mind that just because a feed is vegetarian doesn’t mean your chicken is vegetarian.
Store Chicken Feed Brands
Dumor is a well-known private-label brand that is sold in Tractor Supply farm stores across the country and is comparable to other major commercial feeds. If possible, find out who makes the feed that is sold under a store label.
Other Chicken Feed Options
Request the feed ingredients to ensure that all of your hen’s needs are met. If you live near a chicken feed mill that sells specific animal feed formulas, read the labels and decide what is the best feed for your flock.
Who makes DuMOR chicken feed?
Purina Animal Nutrition is initiating a voluntary recall of multiple lots of Purinau00ae Rabbit Feed, Purinau00ae Turkey Feed, Country Acresu00ae Rabbit Feed, and DuMORu00ae Chick Starter/Grower Feed due to elevated calcium levels in the product. This update affects 12 Tractor Supply Stores in Michigan.
Is DuMOR chicken feed a good brand?
Store Chicken Feed Brands Dumor is a well-known private-label brand that is sold across the country by Tractor Supply farm stores and is comparable to other major commercial feeds.
What kind of chicken feed does Tractor Supply carry?
A proper diet is essential for keeping your chickens, turkeys, and other poultry healthy and energetic. The Tractor Supply 3006317- 306 DuMOR Chick Starter/Grower 20% Feed for poultry offers a premium line of quality feed and supplements designed to nourish chickens, turkeys, and other poultry.
Where is nutrena chicken feed made?
Although Cargill, the maker of Nutrena brand products, manufactures all of its products in the United States, some of those products do contain ingredients imported from other countries.
Which is better for chickens pellets or crumbles?
Pellets are the best option for a low-mess, low-waste solution, and they’re less likely to clog up your gravity feeder. Crumble can be a good alternative to mash for chicks and pullets, but make sure it’s crumbled small enough for them to eat.
What is the best poultry feed?
Top 7 Chicken Feed Manufacturers
- 6) Brown’s Layer Booster Chicken Feed.
- Kaytee Chicken Starter Grower Crumble.
- Manna Pro.
- Hiland Naturals.
- Prairie’s Choice Non-GMO Backyard Chicken Feed.
- Kalmbach Feeds.
Is DuMOR chicken feed?
The DuMOR 3006319-206 16 % Layer Pellet Poultry Feed is a high-quality chicken feed that will nourish your chickens regardless of their age, activity level, or health status. The DuMOR brand has a delicious and wholesome formula that has been developed specifically to meet your animal’s needs.
Is DuMOR owned by Tractor Supply?
Tractor Supply Co. | DuMOR
How often should chickens be fed?
There is no set rule for how often you should feed your chickens as long as they have plenty to eat throughout the day. Most owners feed their chickens twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.
How long does a 50 lb bag of chicken feed last?
A flock of 6 chickens will eat a 50 lb. bag of feed in roughly 33 days, or one month; if a flock of 6 chickens eats one 50 lb. bag of feed in one month, that means a flock of that size will only cost $15 to $20 per month in chicken feed.
How much does a 50 pound bag of chicken feed cost?
Grower and “all flock” feed for older chickens will cost around $17.00 per 50 pound bag, while layer pellets will cost between $15.00 and $30.00 per 50 pound bag, depending on brand and whether you buy organic or regular. Scratch grains will cost between $10.00 and $15.00 per 50 pound bag, depending on availability and quality.
How can you tell if chicken is bad?
Rancid Feed Just like food in your refrigerator, fats used in the production of chicken feed will eventually oxidize, turning the feed rancid. Rancid feed has an unpleasant odor.
Is nutrena chicken feed good?
My birds have always been healthy, happy, and consistent layers of beautiful eggs thanks to Nutrena’s non-medicated, high-quality feed that is affordable (I get it at my local feed store for between $12 and $17 a 40-50# bag; I would NEVER pay Amazon’s price of $1/lb).
Does chicken feed have hormones?
The truth is that no hormones are used in poultry production, and they haven’t been for more than 50 years, with hormone use in poultry production banned in the United States in the 1950s.