# Protein levels



## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

So, at tsc yesterday to get my chick starter grower food. Dumor has 24% and 20% chick food. I used the 24% when my chicks hatched and was almost out so ran to tsc to get more. The only bags they had were the 20%. 
So I ask the girl at the chick bins if they had the dumor 24%....
She said no they don't have that right now, but the protein levels don't matter as a study was done and baby chicks can eat any chicken food as the protein levels are a gimic.... 
Now I know flock raiser is 18% protein and is for chicks to adults,. ..... so is it true that the protein levels don't matter when feeding baby chicks????

I just said oh ok thank you and walked away.. she pushes the nutrena brand there, which I feed my bunch the nutrena country feed crumble as its perfect size for the adults. 
But as far as protein levels for chicks does it really not matter if you feed 16, 18, 20 or 24%???


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I have always fed all of my birds 20% protein, chicks and adults. The one thing I wanted was that the feed contain animal protein which did make a difference once I was able to switch. Feathering and sheen was much improved using the animal protein.


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## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

Yes protein levels matter.
Egg strain birds(chicks) only need 18-20% protein.Layers 16% then 15% after 1 year.
Meat birds need 22-24% to start with.
You can use 24% starter on egg strain chicks,but you're paying extra for unneeded excess protein.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

My chicks have gotten starter/grower, I believe it's 18%. I personally would not go over 20% protein with chicks . I would think it's too much for their kidneys. But that's me.

My adults get All Flock 18%.


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

I thought so. The girl at tsc is telling everyone it doesn't matter


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

I can't find any feed with meat in it .all the feed out here is vegetarian, which isn't correct as chickens eat bugs, worms, mice, frogs, whatever they catch plus plants. The feed should have meat in it


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## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

The Dumor 20# and 50# bags here in MI have animal protein in them.


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## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

I used some of the layer over their winter molt and the coop was the nastiest thing I've smelt.If that was my only choice of feed I would get rid of every last chicken..........


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

I think they used to put a lot of animal protein in the feed including chicken parts. But since mad cow disease, they had stopped doing it. I'm glad someone puts some animal protein in there.


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## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

Product Type

Material Examples

Plant Protein Products

Soybean meal, canola meal, cottonseed meal, pea by-products, yeast products.

Animal Protein Products

Meat and bone, animal by-product meal, blood meal, fish meal, poultry meal, hydrolyzed feather meal, milk and whey products.

Processed Grain by-products

Wheat millrun, distillers dried grains, corn gluten meal, brewers dried grains, malt sprouts, wheat middlings, bran products.

Molasses Products

Beet & cane molasses, molasses distillers dried solubles.

Roughage Products

Soybean hulls and millrun, cottonseed hulls, beet pulp.

Forage Products

Dehydrated alfalfa meal, ground alfalfa hay, ground grass.

Screenings, Chaff and Dust

Wheat, corn, barley, cottonseed, oats, sorghum, rice.

Non-protein Nitrogen Supplements

Urea, diammonium phosphate, amino acids.

Fat and Oil Products

Animal, vegetable, blends, restaurant grease/"yellow grease".

Mineral Supplements

Mineral blocks, premises, limestone, defluorinated phosphate.

Vitamin Supplements

Individual, multiple vitamins, and vitamin precursor mixes.

Fermentation Products

Liquid and dry materials obtained from fermentation of grains, molasses, whey and microorganisms such as Aspergillus, Lactobacillus, Penicillium, etc.

Special Purpose Ingredients

Flavors, extracts, rumen by-pass, probiotics.
http://agr.wa.gov/FoodAnimal/AnimalFeed/definitions.aspx


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

None of the chicken food out here has any meat types at all. It's all vegetarian


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

If TSC is selling Dumor then chances are high that it has animal protein in it. I know for a bit it was removed down south but for whatever reason, probably complaints, they put it back.


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

I'll check the bags to see . I hope they did put it back in there


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## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

post a feed tag please.


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

The chick starter has no meat


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

I only am feeding dumor chick as it was on sale. My grown hens get nutrena country feed crumble.

Here is the chick starter


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## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

Is that a 10lb bag?


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

Yes it's a 10 lb bag. They were out of the 50 lb chick starter so I had to get 2 of these


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## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

The DoMor 10lb bags don't have animal protein in them.They are manufactured by Manna Pro,the 50lb bags are manufactured by either Purina or Nutrena depending on region.


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## Nm156 (May 16, 2015)

.....................................


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

I'll check the layer feed when I go get another bag and look at the dumor layer too


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

The layer feed at my tsc has no meat items in it at all


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

I give my flock Sportsmix Orange dog food for extra protein. I started feeding it to them in the cold months but they became addicted.The kibbles are so small that starlings eat them a dozen at a time.The chickens wait by the front porch for breakfast.I've been feeding it to my chickens for 15 years.They love it!


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Those freeze dried meal worms are 45% protein and are considered meat aren't they?


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

Flock raiser is all plant bases too.


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