June 2018 – Sponsored by Purina Animal Nutrition

By: Queren King-Orozco

Our King Farm chicken adventure started out with a hatching at the Mother Earth News office. Fast-forward six months and we have 18 chickens and two ducks! As new homesteaders, we often think about cost and quality. When approached by Purina Animal Nutrition to try their organic layer feed with their Oyster Strong^® System through the 

Feed Greatness® Challenge

, I was eager to give it a try. As per usual, research ensued. A typical practice when you are brand new to the farm life.

Our chickens experience a free-range life, therefore great health and endurance are an important factor for us. We live on 160 acres and there is the risk of predators and disease. We believe a well-fed chicken can live a long and happy life. A great coop and some amazing guard dogs have taken care of the predator situation. Our 2-year-old daughter has definitely helped in the social department. Our chickens are used to her gathering eggs. While we have had a few lessons on how to keep the eggs from falling and cracking, things have gone smoothly from day one.

Going into our chicken adventure, I knew calcium would be a very important nutrient for our layers. The products we bring into our home are important and taken seriously. Strong shells can keep bacteria out of the egg, meaning our hens are staying healthy. This has been a concern when adding more chickens to our flock. While keeping them free-range is a main factor to keep bacteria away, the feed is a more important key to a hen health and shell strength. Therefore, the outcome of our eggs is as important as product purchased and brought in externally.

We recently learned that Purina added Oyster Strong^® System to their organic layer feed. This means all the calcium hens need is included right in the bag, no need to supplement. We also learned that Purina Animal Nutrition is a part of Land O’Lakes, Inc. – an American farmer-owned cooperative with local impact nationwide.

We are excited to take on Purina’s 



Feed Greatness® Challenge

to see the differences in feeding Purina^® Organic layer feed.

We look forward to seeing a difference in our eggshells along with the behavior and appearance of our chickens. Eggs form from the inside out over a 24- to 26-hour period. Hens channel nutrients from their feed during this period to create a healthy egg. The 38 essential nutrients provided by this feed will produce a quality egg that we look forward to eating and distributing. During my challenge experience, I hope to share the importance of strong, healthy hens, from their bones to their eggs.

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