Providing your livestock with quality food is essential to their health and well-being. To do this, it’s important to understand what feed is and how to choose the right products to ensure that your animals get the nutrition they need. Here’s what you need to know before visiting a feed store. 

What Is Animal Feed?

Animal feed refers to food that’s used to nourish domesticated animals, including poultry and livestock. Historically, hay and straw were fed to cows, chickens, and other farm animals. However, modern feeds are carefully engineered based on experimentation, testing, and chemical analysis. This allows manufacturers to create safe, highly nutritional options that increase the quality of the end products, including eggs and meat.  

To ensure that animal feed is safe for animals and won’t produce high-risk end products, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration sets regulations for producers. For example, factories are required to prevent mold from building up on the manufacturing equipment or feed. This keeps animals from consuming a contaminate called aflatoxin, which is a toxin produced by mold. 

What Should You Look for in Animal Feed?  

When exploring options at a feed store, keep the nutrients, ingredients, and additives in mind. For example, look for products that contain the minerals livestock need to thrive, such as salt, iron, potassium, and calcium. Additionally, make sure the feed includes plenty of vitamins—such as Vitamins A, D, E, and K—which are crucial to healthy reproduction and resistance to infection. 

The product you choose should have protein, which helps poultry produce eggs. It’s also necessary for their body tissue and muscles to rebuild properly. Finally, the feed should contain carbohydrates, which help with energy production and maintaining body temperature. 

When you need quality animal feed, visit Burns Feed & Farm Supply. Serving Harney County, OR, they offer a Customer Rewards Card that gives customers a 10% off discount on their 11th purchase. They also provide a 10% discount for 4-H® and FFA® members. Finally, they offer discount pricing on bulk purchases (over 2,000 lbs). Call (541) 573-3053 to speak to a team member about pricing and product options. Like them on Facebook to learn more about this feed store.