Recently I was exploring chicken feed through a chicken "expert" on Facebook. I still can't tell if this woman knows what she's talking about, although she speaks with a very self-assured quality. She brought up the issue of protein in commercial feeds and that often it was not sufficient. Huh.
I have been using what I thought was a quality product based on the advice from a fellow chicken-keeper at the local feed store. It's organic. But wait. The protein percentage is only 16.5. What the "expert" recommended was 18-20%.
In comes a chicken blogger who highly recommended Small Pet Select's Garden Goodness Layer. Crude protein: 18%. The first few ingredients listed: peas, wheat, oats, millet, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds. Looking good.
Take a peek at the comparison photo --
Joannie couldn't resist a little sample of the Garden Goodness on the right. All the chickens love it. No exaggeration. When I pour it into the feeder they pounce with gusto, something they've never done with the other product. The rub is the price. So I've been mixing it with the other product. I'm sold. I'm supporting a small family run business with a product that appears to be a nutritious option and one that the birds enjoy almost as much as their treats -- but of course nothing can top a good banana slice.
That's interesting Janet. I haven't heard of this and I don't know whether it will be available over here. I am going to look it up on the internet and see what I can find out. My girls, as their staple diet, have the normal layers pellets, which, apparently, has everything they need in. The trouble is I don't think they eat enough. Perhaps they are just getting too many 'treats'- I am not sure. I think the thing is with chickens it doesn't matter how long you have them there is still so much to learn about them. Can I ask you what you use to worm your girls and how often you worm them? From one 'novice' to another we'll try to learn together.
ReplyDeleteLouise, sending you an email.
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