Author Topic: Pen Pals Poultry Feed  (Read 4849 times)

bantamhill

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Pen Pals Poultry Feed
« on: December 08, 2012, 07:14:56 AM »
After using Kent's 27% Poultry Feed successfully for about a year, the place where I buy/bought feed is abandoning the Kent brand and changing over to Pen Pals. Anyone have any experience with the Pen Pals brand and any recommendation? They do not appear to have anything close to what I have been feeding. I have a possible source for the Kent brand, but it appears that the 27% feed I was buying was a boutique blend that I just happened upon by chance.

Michael
« Last Edit: December 08, 2012, 07:53:34 PM by bantamhill »

Mike Gilbert

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Re: Pen Pals Poultry Feed
« Reply #1 on: December 08, 2012, 09:02:43 AM »
No experience with Pen Pals, but 27% is more than needed for adequate nutrition and hatching egg production.  The excess not needed is passed through with other body wastes.  More important is the amino acid makeup of the protein.   Is there both animal and plant protein sources?   I'm no expert, just passing along what seems to be the concensus among more knowledgeable breeders.

John

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Re: Pen Pals Poultry Feed
« Reply #2 on: December 08, 2012, 09:31:34 AM »
Michael,
Check out these old topics that mention Pen Pals feed.  I used to use it and liked it, but use a different brand now due to cost.  There are 3 of us that buy feed together to get the best deal.  With Kalmbach Feeds we buy 3+ tons when we place an order and it is delivered, in bags, on pallets.  We plan to get a quote from Heinold feeds before our next order.  Does anyone have experience with their products?   
http://ameraucana.org/forum/index.php?topic=487.msg3149#msg3149
http://ameraucana.org/forum/index.php?topic=1243.msg7680#msg7680

Sharon Yorks

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Re: Pen Pals Poultry Feed
« Reply #3 on: December 08, 2012, 02:09:10 PM »
I am currently using Pen Pals Egg Maker (16%) for my layers and Pen Pal Chick Starter/Grower (18%) for the young ones. I'm been using it since early spring. I think it is a very nice product and my birds are doing very well on it. I was mixing my own feed (oats, wheat, crumble, soybean meal, vitamins, & oil) but was wanting something a little less time consuming. I also made the decision after the feed store sold me some very old crumble that was basically powder and I had to return it. I figured Pen Pals would be more consistent in quality and a whole lot less wasteful.

As far as quality, I think they are top notch...but they ARE expensive and I'm paying $16.95 for the starter/grower and the Egg Maker is $16.50 a bag. The only other downfall I see is that feeding a pellet is probably boring to a chicken...as crazy as that may sound...so I throw them a little scratch in their runs periodically, just so they can do what chickens like to do...peck, scratch, peck, scratch. It gives them something to do. I think they fill up on pellets soon, but then want to peck more. I have NOT had any problems with them pecking each other, though. I'm just trying to stay ahead of any situations that may cause harm.
Sharon Yorks
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