Producer's Pride layer feed from Tractor Supply

[Some Old Guy]

OK, I've read a number of articles, and watched several videos on Youtube, complaining about Tractor Supply layer feed. I basically just filed all of that under "interesting junk information". I think that I'm about to upgrade all of that to "informative".

The situation is, I have 5 laying Mallard ducks. The day the first duck layed an egg, I excitedly ran out and purchased a bag of layer pellets, from Tractor Supply. I don't recall now whether I got Dumor or Producer's Pride, but I bought it at TS. The ducks gobbled it up. When that sack ran out, I had my wife to purchase a new sack, but she went to the farmer's Coop, and bought their brand. Same thing, they gobbled the feed up. So, that second sack of feed ran out, and I went back to TS, purchased a bag of Producer's Pride. No one is eating it. The feed bowl sat overnight, with no sign that anyone had eaten a bit of it. Second day, they had eaten a little. Third day, I got a scoop of scratch feed, and put it over top of the layer pellets. Ducks ate some, but left most of the layer pellets.

Not wanting feed to go to waste, I experimented a little. I put the duck's feed bowl out where the chickens could get to it. (None of my chickens are old enough to lay yet.) The banties picked over it, removing most of the scratch feed. The Australorps did likewise. The Guineas didn't exactly gobble it up, but they did consume noticeably more of the layer pellets.

I guess I should note here that all of my poultry free ranges during the day, so the ducks weren't starved during those couple days when they didn't eat their feed.

I will also note that the Producer's Pride pellets are smaller, and apparently more compacted than either of the first two bags of pellets.

Obviously, I won't be buying the PP pellets anymore. I don't know if PP is simply poor quality, or I just happened to get a bad batch, but either way, I won't spend my money on it again. Possibly, the feed is actually a good batch, and good quality, but my birds just don't like it. I find that a little difficult to believe, since none of my various birds are gobbling it down. Seriously, if you put a bowl of feed down, and 40 birds of 3 different species don't like it, there's probably something wrong with it.

Sitting here thinking. Is there a "best used by" date on the bag? I need to check, but probably not. Is it common for feed to sit in a warehouse for months and months after processing? I know that processed feed deteriorates over time. How old is too old? Poultry are pretty smart after all, they generally won't eat something that is bad for them.

I'm wondering if I should even keep the feed. I could spread it out in the garden, or put it on the mulch pile. Since it's opened, and I've used some of it, I doubt TS would willingly refund my money. On the other hand, maybe I really should take it back, and make a formal complaint. But, I'm not sure there is anything wrong with the feed. I could also just keep the feed, and toss a handful into bowls of feed when I feed at night. It might take six months, but eventually the feed will be used up.

I would welcome thoughts and ideas here.

Oh. One last note. My silly Speckle dog eats the pellets. I'm watching her right now, working to clean up the duck's bowl. Silly dog is always snatching bites of whichever feed I'm working with - I'm wondering about her geneology.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Are you sure since they free range they haven’t been getting their fill from bugs and forage so they don’t need to gobble it down? How hot is it there? If it’s very hot out birds will eat less. This is because eating creates internal heat so their body’s naturally consume less to avoid heat stress. I free range too and this time of year between the surplus of bugs and heat mine do not gobble any feed down. They lightly graze over the feed now and then, but don’t eat nearly as much feed as they do in the spring, fall and winter.

Note: I just wanted to add that humidity can also play a role in how much they eat. I have seen a lot of people on here say that humidity doesn’t matter because they don’t sweat which is true they don’t sweat, but… humidity actually traps moisture in their lungs which can expedite how fast their internal body temperature heats up and prevent them from down. So if it is very humid there they might be eating less to prevent that internal temperature from reaching heat stress level (internal temp 100F for heat stress).

 

[Finnie]

I would take it back to Tractor Supply. They are excellent at taking things back. Just tell them you think it’s a bad batch because none of your birds will eat it. Even if there’s nothing wrong with it, just the fact that you can’t get them to eat it is reason enough.

 

[Grannys Backyard Chicks]

My chicks won't eat pellets. They eat crumble with no issues. Dumor from TSC. At first I thought it was because they had just started laying but when they got older I mixed pellets with crumble and they still didn't eat it. They free range and get bugs plus I raise mealworms for a treat.

 

[Some Old Guy]

Are you sure since they free range they haven’t been getting their fill from bugs and forage so they don’t need to gobble it down? How hot is it there? If it’s very hot out birds will eat less. This is because eating creates internal heat so their body’s naturally consume less to avoid heat stress. I free range too and this time of year between the surplus of bugs and heat mine do not gobble any feed down. They lightly graze over the feed now and then, but don’t eat nearly as much feed as they do in the spring, fall and winter.

Good questions, @HollowOfWisps Maybe the ducks are filling up on bugs and grass and stuff. However, the chickens are all eating their normal ration. I would think that if some poultry is filling up with free range goodies, the rest would be doing the same.

And, yes, it's hot, close to 100 degrees every day for the last week. But, the same applies, I think. If the heat is putting the ducks off their feed, I might expect that the chickens would be eating less.

But, good questions, because they make me think. I believe that I'll go into town, and get a bag of Coop pellets to feed tonight. If the ducks don't eat those pellets, then I'll have to attribute the "problem" to foraging and/or heat.

 

[nuthatched]

You're a little late to the 'ts feed is bad' party. Stop mixing the scratch in the feed, it's too much scratch (junk food). That's half your problem, they're picking the junk food out of the healthy food because they know that eventually they'll be more junk food to pick out. No healthy will not eat if there's food, they're just picky.
People often translate "they're gobbling it down, they must like it better" in reality it's often "they're gobbing it down, they must feel like they need more of this feed for their nutritional needs"
It's possible you got an old bag, it's possible the bag was spoiled. Just take it back and exchange it no need to make a 'formal complaint ', as I've pointed out, your birds have you trained.
I will say that producers pride is a nutrition-minimum budget feed, you get what you pay for, I'd stop buying scratch and use the extra dough to buy a better quality feed. I like country companion hi pro layer or nutrena all flock.

 

[Some Old Guy]

You're a little late to the 'ts feed is bad' party. Stop mixing the scratch in the feed, it's too much scratch (junk food). That's half your problem, they're picking the junk food out of the healthy food because they know that eventually they'll be more junk food to pick out. No healthy will not eat if there's food, they're just picky.
People often translate "they're gobbling it down, they must like it better" in reality it's often "they're gobbing it down, they must feel like they need more of this feed for their nutritional needs"
It's possible you got an old bag, it's possible the bag was spoiled. Just take it back and exchange it no need to make a 'formal complaint ', as I've pointed out, your birds have you trained.
I will say that producers pride is a nutrition-minimum budget feed, you get what you pay for, I'd stop buying scratch and use the extra dough to buy a better quality feed. I like country companion hi pro layer or nutrena all flock.

I think you may have misunderstood. The ducks apparently quit eating, so after a couple days, I tossed some scratch feed on top of the layer pellets that they weren't eating. I don't make it a practice to mix feeds, so the ducks haven't got me trained. Yet, at least.

 

[Some Old Guy]

OK, I just returned from town, with a bag of layer pellets from the co-op. I did find that empty bag of TS layer feed - it's Producer's Pride, it looks just like the new bag that isn't being eaten. I don't see an "expiration date", but there is a code attached to the bags. I don't know how to read the code - that will be my next "to-do", finding out how to read the codes.

I plan to go about my normal routine today, and put new layer pellets out for the ducks, and see how they react. I hope they eat normally tonight!

 

[21hens-incharge]

As to a best by date....no.

There is a mill date done in a format I find frustrating at best to decipher. It's a Julian date or some such.

 

[TOR]

I really doubt they leave bags of feed in a warehouse for months, the feed will go bad. Yes it is possible that bag might have gone bad.
I have had chicken feed here bit longer than I wanted you can smell the difference opening the bag.