[beulah59]

I read some posts that seemed to suggest ex-batts pellets/mash were a bit rich ... so I've mixed the A&P mash with some Farmgate mash ... seems OK so far going by their poo ...

[archiesgems]

we feed nothing but marriages now, the birds thrive on it and because of the quantities we buy in we get it at a good price. If you order direct from the mill they will even ix to your own spec which is great at breeding time.

[hillfooter]

I use Spillers Layers Pellets from the mill but they tend to not be stocked by small feed merchants.  I've also used BOCM Paul's and Marriages which aren't expensive compared with more specialist feed manufacturers and I'm sure equally good.  Personally I think whether you insist on (definitive) organic feed or not is a matter of religion and a personal choice.

Ex bat feeds which are claimed to be formulated for rehabilitating ex bats and have elevated levels of calcium, protein and a probiotic suppliment are expensive in comparison and I would only think worthwhile for a short period.  However remember feed and and suppliment manufacturers market their products to attract owners as chx can't read.  It is common practice for smaller suppliers to just formulate feeds for theoretical benefits to give their products a unique marketable feature.  They may not have been trialed scientifically against conventional feeds to give actual beneficial results.  Of course they sell them at elevated prices too with higher profit margins.  The larger manufacturers who supply the commercial poultry industry have to be more scientific and competively priced.  You should be able to obtain a good balanced feed at around £6.00 to £7.00 for 20kg.  As has been said once chx get used to one feed they need to be weened off this and on to another so if you start them on an expensive feed they will appear to prefer that if you try to make a sudden change.  To ween them onto a new one mix the new with the old and increase the proportion of the new over time.

Regards

[joyfull]

The advice given by hillfooter is correct - mix the old and new types over a period of time gradually increasing the amount of the new one until that is all that they are having. Just please make sure you are feeding the correct type of food for the correct age and stage in their lives. This applies to all animals not just chickens. I feed organic as I like the taste of the yolks that it seems to give my eggs (could be psychological of course  ), but yes you can buy good feed for half the price  , joyxx

[danmegal]

I use smallholder Layers pellets, entered a cheesy competition on their website, basically to say something good about the feed and I got sent a £3 voucher through the post, which I used to purchase my first lot of chick crumbs- Bargain!