[webwahm]

My ex batts have been on ex batt pellets, but today I couldn't get any...so I had to get normal layers pellets (Crowthers)...

Anyone know what normally goes into pellets?  They've got red bits in...blood?    Do I need to supplement these with anything?

Also, when I asked for corn he said 'so you want wheat as well'...'no, corn'...he answers 'wheat!'...as if it was the same thing.  Pretty sure corn and wheat are not the same 

So now I have a 25kg bag of wheat...is this normally in with mixed corn, and do you feed it the same way, as an occasional treat?

One thing is for sure, 2 x 25kg bags was a lot cheaper (only £11.00) than the small bags of organic/ex batt stuff I've been getting regularly.

[joyfull]

organic feed is grown in smaller quantities under stricter guidelines which is why it is so much more expensive and if the feed that you normally buy is the allen and page ex batts then it will also be made with non gm products. Grannie annie changed her feed supplier after finding out that they bulked their ingredients out with broken biscuits so I guess you pay for what you get  .
Wheat is not the same as the mixed corn just one of it's components.

[dizzylizzie]

There is only one food supplier that makes ex-batts food. Like Joy says its the smallholder range from Allen and page and im afraid its not organic. It is however GM free, which in my opinion is a good thing. Ask your feed store to get the 20kg bags in for you, i pay arpond £10 for this size bag. In a well known pets at ho*e store they charge over £5 for the same stuff in  5kg bag!!!! daylight robbery I normally try and be organised and make sure i stock up before i run out as suddenly changing their food can give them dicky tums for a while

[Aidy]

If I remember correctly, the xbats feed has some added ingredients to aid feather growth and help them settle. My girls are on normal layers and are coming on leaps and bounds, in fact here is Daisey, as you can see even the normal layers is helping with feather growth.

I also treat them to mix corn in the evening before bed time, they also get some greens when available off the plot.

[8doubles]

If you are American corn is maize if you are English corn is wheat . Mixed corn (GB)will be mainly wheat with maize ,barley ,oats or others.

[webwahm]

If you are American corn is maize if you are English corn is wheat . Mixed corn (GB)will be mainly wheat with maize ,barley ,oats or others.

Really? 

Anyway, I think I'm going to give my bag of pellets away to other chicken keepers on the site...not comfortable not knowing what's in it.  I've been buying the small bags from the well known store...and think I will just do what the post says and ask this other supplier to order bigger bags in.

Love that photo - makes me go 'ahh' when I remember mine looking like that - all fully feathered and fluffed up now!

[GrannieAnnie]

Doesn't your bag of pellets give you the ingredients WW?  I don't feed our lot on organic feed, as we have rather a lot of chooks, but they all do well on the normal pellets.  Joyfull is right, we did change over the other week.  I still have the old Layers pellets as we buy it by the tonne, but the chick crumb and rearer/grower is the new stuff.  Everyone loves it!

I'm always surprised when I buy 'corn' off the local farmer and wheat arrives, but that is what they call it over here.  I always think or corn looking like sweetcorn!   

[webwahm]

I haven't seen any listed on the bag but they are a well known supplier of animal feeds.  Maybe I will just ring them and see, although the chickens haven't devoured it all like they normally would hence thinking I'd just go back to the old ex batt feed.  It was the bright red bits streaked through it that bothered me, wondering if meat by-product went into chuck food.

And yes, my first bag of mixed corn did actually have a lot of 'sweetcorn' so I thought corn meant 'sweetcorn', but now I discover "corn is wheat" 

[joyfull]

I had a look at their website to see if they listed the ingredients but unfortunately they don't (not a very good website - just products with no pictures, descriptions and prices) so if I was you ring them to put your mind at ease. Whenever you change feed always do it gradually by mixing the old with the new over a week or so (although if you are going back straight away to your regular feed then you should be OK putting them straight back on if it's only been for a couple of days  ).

[Bram]

the red bits in your  feed is possibly carophyll orange ,i was in the animal feed industry for many years and this was used as a colourant for the egg yolk  (it is a safe additive) we used to get canary breeders come and scrounge a bit for colour feeding their birds

[webwahm]

That's really interesting, and a bit of a surprise that they fiddle with the yolk colour! 

[Bram]

adding carophyll orange or red is nothing new ,we used to use it as a measured additive then in later years it was incorporated in the bags of mineral that went in to the feed (some times the operators at  the plants that make the finished bags of minerals over done the carophyll but this was a rare mistake on their part) it gave the yolks a nice colour which the super markets required 

[GrannieAnnie]

I thought they weren't supposed to use that stuff to colour the yolks anymore Bram?

Our feed doesn't have it in!

[webwahm]

which the super markets required 

...yup that's the bit I was waiting for   

[Bram]

not aware that carophylls are banned as i havent been in the feed industry for the last few years
but i know some one who is and can find out,