My (quite short) TSC feed experiment.

[la dee da]

I’ve also been getting an increase in egg production lately. It’s nice to have more eggs than we can eat!

 

[ptrusselle]

As a person who took and Feeds and Feeding class in college, to learn about feeds the real way, the book Morrison's Feed and Feeding, will explain it all. The old way .
Producers Pride is a grain mill in College Station Texas. I have been there. , Dumor Grain is actually a sub group of Purina. Local formulas are adjusted for local conditions of soils and mineral available, so different locals require different mixes. Producers and Dumor are contracted to make Tractor Supply feeds. Feeds require intrigue formulas and can vary on composition depending on the cost of feeds at that time and availabilities. Availabilities vary by time of year, local. The mills know the feeds nutrients for each animal and that can be obtained by various combinations of feeds. Example, Brewers grain =high proteins, good cost, tastes yucky to some.
Soy bean meal= high protein, very expensive, yummy, price varies due to grain exchange prices. These two can be adjusted to keep the cost the same and the total benefit formula equaling the total needs of each animal . In other words different grain combos to equal same total formula value but could change a factor called Total Digestible Nutrient. TDN is how well it gets into the animals system.
You can always study Morrisons and do the math to make your own formula, local feeds companies can also help you make a formula for your needs if your a bigger farm.
Free Range birds will be affected by your soil
and plants on your property. Will vary from neighbor to neighbor. Have soil and greens tested ( at extension office).
Tractor Supply doesn't own mills just contracts them. I feed Purina branded feeds so far but my girls are teenagers so far this year. That might change when they start laying. I have had birds in New Hampshire, Texas and Mississippi, so very different soils and weather etc.

 

[la dee da]

As a person who took and Feeds and Feeding class in college, to learn about feeds the real way, the book Morrison's Feed and Feeding, will explain it all. The old way .
Producers Pride is a grain mill in College Station Texas. I have been there. , Dumor Grain is actually a sub group of Purina. Local formulas are adjusted for local conditions of soils and mineral available, so different locals require different mixes. Producers and Dumor are contracted to make Tractor Supply feeds. Feeds require intrigue formulas and can vary on composition depending on the cost of feeds at that time and availabilities. Availabilities vary by time of year, local. The mills know the feeds nutrients for each animal and that can be obtained by various combinations of feeds. Example, Brewers grain =high proteins, good cost, tastes yucky to some.
Soy bean meal= high protein, very expensive, yummy, price varies due to grain exchange prices. These two can be adjusted to keep the cost the same and the total benefit formula equaling the total needs of each animal . In other words different grain combos to equal same total formula value but could change a factor called Total Digestible Nutrient. TDN is how well it gets into the animals system.
You can always study Morrisons and do the math to make your own formula, local feeds companies can also help you make a formula for your needs if your a bigger farm.
Free Range birds will be affected by your soil
and plants on your property. Will vary from neighbor to neighbor. Have soil and greens tested ( at extension office).
Tractor Supply doesn't own mills just contracts them. I feed Purina branded feeds so far but my girls are teenagers so far this year. That might change when they start laying. I have had birds in New Hampshire, Texas and Mississippi, so very different soils and weather etc.

Fascinating! Thanks for the detailed information! With the crazy 2022 weather, it makes sense if the grains and other stuff in chicken feed have a slightly different nutrient quality than the companies are used to. Could something like that cause chickens to lay fewer/smaller eggs than expected?

 

[ptrusselle]

Fascinating! Thanks for the detailed information! With the crazy 2022 weather, it makes sense if the grains and other stuff in chicken feed have a slightly different nutrient quality than the companies are used to. Could something like that cause chickens to lay fewer/smaller eggs than expected?

sure, and I goofed Producers is in the next town of Bryan, Texas. Can help get thru this by adding some free choice vitamins and minerals etc .
Its kinda like Blue Buffalo dog feed or Iams, you feed about 1 cup to dogs a year old, but Alpo cheap kibble you need to feed 4 cups to the same dog and they poo out massive extra poo and they cant eat that extra volume cause its made with so many fillers, Same can happen with chick feeds. They may eat more but get less TDN ( digestible good stuff ) out of it.

 

[ptrusselle]

sure, and I goofed Producers is in the next town of Bryan, Texas. Can help get thru this by adding some free choice vitamins and minerals etc .
Its kinda like Blue Buffalo dog feed or Iams, you feed about 1 cup to dogs a year old, but Alpo cheap kibble you need to feed 4 cups to the same dog and they poo out massive extra poo and they cant eat that extra volume cause its made with so many fillers, Same can happen with chick feeds. They may eat more but get less TDN ( digestible good stuff ) out of it.

Got to remembers about the supply chain problems these last two years. Grain stuff is trained into feed mills, rarely it it totally grown in an area but from all over the country. Each region of country grows something different. Corn could be silo stored for years before use. If your in a grain growing area of country, will get better quality because it is fresher but not everyone has that access. Alaskans have to ship in everything etc. vs Iowa folks.

 

[KRack]

Just look up “chemtrails” a whole bunch pops up, it’s a conspiracy theory but some people believe it’s true… because yk the government

I thought they were spraying sulfur dioxide in to the atmosphere to try to slow climate change? Did that not happen yet?

 

[KRack]

Sorry, I read the post about staying on topic after I asked my off topic question. I’m done now.

 

[CKfarm22]

I thought they were spraying sulfur dioxide in to the atmosphere to try to slow climate change? Did that not happen yet?

You’ll never know the full truth. Did you look up what Sulfer Dioxide does to the human body?

 

[CKfarm22]

sure, and I goofed Producers is in the next town of Bryan, Texas. Can help get thru this by adding some free choice vitamins and minerals etc .
Its kinda like Blue Buffalo dog feed or Iams, you feed about 1 cup to dogs a year old, but Alpo cheap kibble you need to feed 4 cups to the same dog and they poo out massive extra poo and they cant eat that extra volume cause its made with so many fillers, Same can happen with chick feeds. They may eat more but get less TDN ( digestible good stuff ) out of it. Dumor is Purina, Producers is producers in Bryan tx

Producers Pride is owned by Purina….

 

[Bhubbard]

Sorry, I read the post about staying on topic after I asked my off topic question. I’m done now.

Take it to the round table thread. I will jump in. It’s the perfect place for this