POULTRY

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It is again almost time for spring, and over at The Seed we are gearing up for fowl weather.

We are currently taking pre-orders for chickens, bantams too, turkeys and ducks.  The first order of day-olds will be in the store on Friday, March 4.  This opening round will be from Belt Hatchery in Fresno.  If you place orders for chicks, we need for you to pick them up by the end of business on the Saturday that they arrive.  The following Monday morning, any chick that is in our brooder will be up for grabs.

Several times during our chick season (March 4-July 29), we will be placing orders with either/both Ideal hatchery and Murray McMurray.  From these two hatcheries we will be buying, specialty large breed and bantam chickens, turkeys and ducks.

For more information on what kinds of birds will be available, contact the following web sites of the hatcheries that we do business with:
www.belthatchery.com
www.mcmurrayhatchery.com
www.ideal-poultry.com

For nice images of poultry visit, www.feathersite.com.

Click the below links to download a PDF of our care guides for baby chicks, turkeys and ducks.
baby-chick-care
baby-turkey-care
baby-duckling-care

ORGANIC FEEDS

Island Seed And Feed is proud to be the only store between Cayucos and Santa Monica to be selling organic chicken feed.   While the cost of each 50# bag of organic feed is nearly two times that of conventional feed, a simple comparative read of the two different feed labels will show that the organic feed is made of simple, yet complex nutritional ingredients that produce a superior quality of food and in turn will lead to excellent tasting eggs, that will leave you and your neighbors drooling for more.  We offer the following organic poultry feeds.

Chick Grower Crumble
This is an excellent food to feed your baby chicks and ducks for the first six months of their lives, or at least through the time when they are just beginning to lay eggs.   The high protein content of the feed will allow for maximum growth of young chicks and also provide a quality, rejuvenating diet for molting or tired birds.  Available in 50 pound bags.

Guaranteed Analysis Percent

  • Crude Protein (not less than 22.00)
  • Crude Fat  (not less than 4.20)
  • Crude Fiber (not more than 4.40)
  • Ash  (not more than 9.10)

Ingredients: Organic Corn, Expelled Soybean Meal.  Limestone,  Kelp, Monocalcium and Dicalcium Phosphate, Live earth, Diatomaceous Earth, Salt, DL Methionine, Poultry Vitamin & Mineral Premix, garlic, horseradish, anise oil and juniper berry.

Chicken Layer Pellet
Here is our standard organic lay pellet.  These are soft pellets, and can actually be more like a crumble.  This is the recommended adult feed for all of the different poultry that we sell, chickens, ducks and turkeys.  Birds that are fed a diet of this organic feed and have access to a steady supply of greens as well as waste from your kitchen will be the biggest, shiniest and healthiest birds that you have ever raised or seen. Available in 50 pound bags.

Guaranteed Analysis Percent

  • Crude Protein (not less than 17.00)
  • Crude Fat (not less than 4.00)
  • Crude Fiber (not more than 4.20)
  • Ash (not more than 8.20)

 

Ingredients: Organic Corn, Soybean Meal, Limestone, Alfalfa, Flaxseed, Monocalcium and Dicalcium Phosphate, Kelp, Diatomaceous Earth, Salt, DL methionine, Poultry Vitamin & Mineral Premix, garlic, horseradish, anise oil, and juniper berry.

Scratch
Scratch is best thought of as a treat for your birds, and is not considered to be a stand alone food or to have enough protein, fat or vitamins and minerals to support a healthy flock of birds.   Typically, scratch is tossed out into the yard and your poultry will have something to find and eat as they are scratching their way through the day.   Scratch can also be used as a tempting lure, when you are trying to move your birds in for the night, or from one side of the yard to another. Available in 50 pound bags.

Guaranteed Analysis Percent

  • Crude Protein (not less than 7.20)
  • Crude Fat (not less than 4.00)
  • Crude Fiber (not more than 3.90)
  • Ash (not more than 3.00)

 

Ingredients: Organic Cracked Corn, Milo, Wheat and Whole Sunflower.

 

CONVENTIONAL FEEDS

In addition to our Organic line of feeds, we also carry a complete line of conventional poultry feeds from Western Milling in Goshen, CA.  While these are high quality feeds, they are made from GMO grains and contain animal steroids, as well as a whole list of ingredients that you would need a degree in Chemistry to understand.   We also carry Mazuri brand waterfowl starter and maintenance feeds for your ducks.  Ducks can also eat conventional lay crumbles and pellets.

Chick Starter Mash  21% Protein
This feed is used for the first 2-4 weeks of a chick’s life and contains a medication that inoculates your chicks against the realities of life.  We do not typically stock this feed so call in by any Friday afternoon and we can have it for you the following Tuesday at noon.  Available in 50 pound bags.

 

Grow Mash  17% Protein
For the first 6 months of a chicks life, or until they begin to lay, we recommend that you feed Grow Mash.  With a higher protein content than regular adult lay feeds, and only trace amounts of Calcium, this feed will provide growing chickens with everything that they need to get a strong start in life.  Available in 50 pound bags.

Lay Mash   16% Protein
Here is our most basic and widely selling feed for laying hens.  It is a combination of ground or mashed feed and cracked corn that has been added as an attractant for the chickens.  While this is our largest seller, mash feeds are also the most wasteful way to feed chickens. When chickens dig through their feed, they scrape their beaks back and forth through their feed and as a result end up kicking a good portion out onto the ground where it will go uneaten and thus wasted.  By feeding with either the lay crumbles or the lay pellets you can solve this problem and save some money too.

Lay Krumble  16 %Protein
As far as the chickens are concerned, this is probably the easiest feed for them to eat and there is little waste, or trouble when getting them to convert over to this feed.   The feed resembles Grape Nuts Cereal and comes in an easy form for chickens to eat.  This is a complete nutritional feed for your laying hens, and adult turkeys and ducks.

Lay Pellet  16% Protein
Here is the first and most basic form of all chicken lay feeds.  Lay pellets are the most efficient way to feed your chickens, turkeys and ducks and will lead to the least amount of waste when feeding your poultry.  This quality feed promotes chicken health and increased egg production.

Scratch  9% Protein
This is nothing more than a treat for your birds, kind of like feeding them chips and salsa, yummy, but not very nutritional.   Use scratch when you are trying to lure your chickens into their cage for the night, when you need them to perform tricks for your friends, or when you are trying to occupy them during the day light hours.

Turkey Starter  30% Protein
Here is the feed to use when you want to bring newborn turkeys into the world and give them a strong start in this world.  The high protein level is geared for their needs and will provide for a strong boost of growth in the early stages of your poultry’s life.  Feed this blend for the first 2-4 weeks of your birds life and then switch to  Turkey Grower until your birds are 6-8 months old.

Turkey Grower  24% Protein
Once your birds have reached the point where they are pushing out their first set of real feathers, then you can make the switch to this grow feed that will sustain your chicks until they begin to lay eggs.