Why not to feed Purina

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated September 16, 2024

Contributions sourced from

Purina Precon Complete

Pelleted feed containing proteins, vitamins and minerals

Specially formulated to provide the optimal balance of nutrients required for starting calves to encourage intake, health and weight gains.

Palatable

Gets cattle eating quickly to restore nutrients and encourage calves just weaned off cow and/or stressed during transportation to begin to eat dry feed and recover from the stresses of weaning and shipping.

Complete feed with adequate roughage

Provides adequate roughage for starting cattle without additional forage.

Availa 4 organic trace minerals

Rapidly restores trace mineral levels to support the immune system of nutritionally challenged, stressed cattle.

Additives available

Additive options available to provide additional benefit including maintenance of weight gains and prevention and control of coccidiosis.

RX3 Immune Support Technology

Specifically formulated to prime the immune system, to help support calves overall health, reduce costs and set calves up for a healthy future.

Can Dogs Eat Pork?

Your dog can eat pork as long as there is no seasoning, sauces, condiments, onions or other ingredients that can be potentially toxic. Pork has a high fat content, which is why its better suited for treat time every once in a while than added to your dogs diet as a staple. If in doubt, always check with your vet before making pork a regular addition to your dogs diet.

Can dogs eat raw pork?

It is not recommended for dogs to eat raw pork. Raw or undercooked pork meat might contain trichinella parasites which can infect both dogs and humans, and theres also the risk of contamination with a range of harmful bacteria. For these reasons, its always best to cook pork before handing it over to your dog.

Although infections with trichinella are rare, the disease can be serious. If your pet has managed to get their paws on a piece of raw pork, look out for the following signs:

Vomiting
Diarrhoea
Lethargy
Fever
Stiffness

Get in touch with your vet if you notice one or more of the symptoms above.

Can dogs eat pork bones?

Dogs love to chew on bones, so its likely that youll be deeply appreciated by your canine friend if you throw a pork bone in their direction at dinner time. However, pork bones arent the best choice for a dog treat. Cooked pork bones are fragile, meaning that small pieces can easily splinter off and get stuck in your pets throat or damage their mouth or other internal organs. Raw pork bones are less brittle, but theres still a risk of splintering and a range of other problems, so its not recommended to feed them. Find out more about the risks of feeding bones to your dog here.

If your dog loves a good chew, there are many specially-formulated dog dental chews they can have. Theyre just as tasty as the pork bone theyre craving and much safer to give.

Can dogs eat bacon?

If the smell of sizzling bacon gets your dogs attention like nothing else, its important not to give in and feed them too much of this tasty meat. Keep in mind that bacon not only has lots of flavour, but also plenty of fat which might prove too much for your pets stomach to handle.

An upset tummy is not the only concern when it comes to feeding bacon to your dog. The high fat content in bacon means it can be added to the list of possible causes for dog pancreatitis, a life-threatening condition.

As well as its high fat content, bacon is also high in salt, which can be unhealthy for your dog in excess. So if you want to feed bacon to your dog, only reserve a very small amount as a treat perhaps for training. Be careful to avoid fatty cuts, and if your vet has suggested your pet could have particular problems with fatty foods due to their risk profile or history of previous disease, its worth asking their advice first before feeding bacon to your dog.

Can dogs eat ham?

Much like bacon, ham is high in salt, and it also has a relatively high fat content. Ham therefore carries the same risks as bacon, so again its only appropriate in very small amounts as a training treat. Remember that your dog does not need either ham or bacon for nutritional value, and be careful not to overdo it because salty, fatty, or preserved meats can be unhealthy for your dog.

Can dogs eat cooked pork?

Yes, dogs can eat cooked pork in moderation, but just like with any other type of meat, its best to keep things simple when preparing a meaty treat for your pet. Save your condiments for the family dinner, and give your canine companion a plain and simple piece just a little bit as a treat.

Why You Should Stop Feeding Layer Feed NOW

Layer feed. I once fed it to my flock, too. But then one day, I began to have issues, so I turned to BYC. What did I find? Enlightenment. Super cheesy, I know. But I'm here to provide you with the exact information I was given two years ago when I quit feeding layer pellets to my flock, and why you should stop feeding it to your birds NOW!

Pellets are a great way to reduce waste...What Layer Pellets (And Crumbles) Lack

Layer pellets, shockingly, lack a lot of great nutrients that birds need in their diets. We'll go over these individually, too, and their effects.

Layers pellets tend to lack in protein. Most layer feed has around 14-17% protein. Suitable for layers, but they sure don't thrive on that level.

Layer pellets also lack in animal proteins- important, because chickens are omnivores. Vegetarian diets work, but they aren't the

best

for chickens. Layer pellets also lack diversity- meaning they can only be used for one type of bird- a laying hen.

Eggs are the hallmark of most backyard flocks.Layer Feed Protein

Laying chickens do lay on 14-17% protein levels. However, they don't thrive. Most layer pellets have around 16% protein- not formulated for

increased egg size

. Hens fed with higher protein levels (around 20 and 22%) often lay bigger eggs, over a long period of time. Young hens fed with high protein diets tend to lay more eggs, only to become bigger eggs later on. A higher protein diet in growing birds also directly results in their mature body weight, and it is commonly known that a big hen=big eggs

. The effects of

protein on laying hens

have been studied, and it has been proven that hens do best on 20% protein. Unfortunately, this is something layer pellets often lack.

Birds that require higher levels of protein to lay well, like Leghorns and Easter Eggers, do much better on a 20 or 22% diet, whereas when fed layer pellets, they often don't lay as well, or as young. Layer pellets are formulated for a controlled, battery-type cage setup for laying hens, where there are no cockerels or roosters involved. Hens that sit in a cage all day require less protein than a chicken running around would, so unfortunately, layer pellets lack what backyard flocks- us- need.

Layer Feed Protein Sources

Layer feeds are almost always vegetarian. Of course, a lot of feeds are today, but the issue with this is that vegetarian feeds were formulated for "organic" or "humane" egg produce. People no longer bought eggs with animal proteins, believing it was some cruel, inhumane way to provide protein. So, in order to increase profit, egg companies started dishing out vegetarian layer pellets with vegetarian protein sources-allowing vegetarians to eat the eggs, but also omnivorous people. This may have been what people wanted, but

chickens are actually omnivores

, so

animal-sourced protein

is worth looking into for your backyard flock. Animal

sources of protein

also provide the amino acids that chickens (and people) need, whereas vegetable sources of protein must be supplemented... another thing worth considering.

Layer Feed Calcium

One thing layer feed does

not

lack is calcium. However, I'm throwing this under the "lacking" category, because it is not something chickens need. Layer feed is designed for laying-hens, not non-laying birds. In a backyard flock, where we often have roosters and chicks, or keep older, non laying hens, feeding layer pellets can actually be very dangerous. We'll go over these effects soon, but this is definitely something you want to pay attention to- which is why I'm listing it twice.

Do you want to kill off these cute little chicks? No? Keep reading...The Effects Of Feeding Layer Pellets To Birds Younger Then Laying Age

Backyard flocks generally have a lot of mixed ages. Many of us have roosters and chicks, along with laying hens. Chicks are cute and fluffy, that's one thing we know for sure.

However, if

they get ahold of those layer pellets

, they can actually suffer severely for it- and so can you.

Delayed development

happens a lot, something most of us don't want to deal with. When a chicken doesn't lay for 10 or 20 months after it reaches laying age, those on a budget suffer. Most layer pellet packages say to begin feeding at 16 weeks of age- laying age... but, there's a catch.

Many breeds aren't ready to lay at 16 weeks of age. Some don't mature until 36 weeks! When you start feeding layer pellets to non-laying-ready birds, it causes severe delays in maturity. The lack of suitable protein also can cause breeds like Leghorns and Easter Eggers to experience a delay in maturity.

Kidney or liver failure

can happen in chicks that have been fed layer pellets. Layer pellets are high in calcium, which laying hens need. However,

calcium is toxic

in high amounts in non-laying birds. Chicks who are not laying, who get a bite of those layer pellets (or crumbles), risk overdose, and death.

Growth problems

are another issue that can arise when fed layer pellets. This is not specific to only layer pellets, though. This issue is directly related to protein levels. Young, growing birds need a specific amount of protein. Those not fed enough can have

small maturity weight

growing issues

, etc.

The Effects of Feeding Layer Feed to Adult Non-Laying Birds

Adults that aren't laying in a backyard flock often get fed layer pellets, due to being lumped together with the others. However, non-laying birds can include roosters, non-laying pullets and cockerels, non-laying hens, molting hens, and old hens no longer laying. Feeding layer pellets to these birds can be harmful.

Feeding layer pellets to mature non-layers can cause

calcium overdose,

liver or

kidney failure

, or other issues related to a lack of protein (but, we won't go over that here- that's another topic

Kidney damage

is becoming more and more common in backyard flocks, even in laying hens that are meant for the layer pellets. Why? Well, layer pellets are formulated for commercial breeds that big companies use to produce lots of eggs. However, backyard flocks are generally made up of a variety of breeds, or heritage breeds, which lay less eggs compared to commercial breeds like Leghorns.

What To Do Now

Hopefully, once you've read this, you can decide

what feed is right for your chickens

. For most backyard flocks, layer feed is totally unnecessary. Our birds are pets, so we typically don't lock them up in battery cages to lay every day.

What can you feed instead?

I feed a 20% unmedicated grower feed to my entire flock. It's a one-size fits all feed, because it is suitable for growing chicks, too.

You can feed any feed that has 18%, 20% or 22% protein levels, or anything in between 18 and 22. Be cautious of feeding too much protein, though, because it has

adverse effects

, in both people and chickens!

The best feeds to decide on are grower, maintenance feeds, or all flock feed, or Flock raiser. You could also consider

mixing your own feed

Make sure that when your flock has laying hens, to provide oyster-shell free choice on the side. Always provide insoluble grit free choice on the side, and make sure treats (yes, that includes meat, veggie, and other scraps) don't make up more than 10% of the total diet.

Best of luck with your flock, reader!