Hog feed?

I read a few of you are using Hog Feed for your rodents. I was wondering what size mesh (wire) you use on your racks to feed with this. I bought a bag and the pellets are about 1/8- 3/16" in diameter. Or are you using a different type/brand?

I haven't heard of using hog feed. I am not sure it has the right nutritional profile. I use Mazuri Rodent and have healthy breeders and consistently large litters. Its about $13 per 25lb bag at the feed store.

It has the same profile and cost $9.00, or less, for a 50lb bag. This is why I am trying to get it to work. Plus it is much easier to find hog feed and most feed stores have 3-4 types. Tractor Supply, had 6 types the other day when I was in there. They ranged from 12% to 18% protein. The stuff looks a lot like rabbit food, but smaller.

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Originally Posted by jbkd

It has the same profile and cost $9.00, or less, for a 50lb bag. This is why I am trying to get it to work. Plus it is much easier to find hog feed and most feed stores have 3-4 types. Tractor Supply, had 6 types the other day when I was in there. They ranged from 12% to 18% protein. The stuff looks a lot like rabbit food, but smaller.

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What is the fat content?

I would venture to guess that even if the nutritional profile is similar, there is probably entirely too much corn used. Maybe someone else could confirm this.

Corn is the first ingredient of Mazuri rodent pellets though.. not sure that the hog feed could have more corn than Mazuri.

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Originally Posted by Shelby

Corn is the first ingredient of Mazuri rodent pellets though.. not sure that the hog feed could have more corn than Mazuri.

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Just wondering. I'd like to see a side by side ingredients comparison to know for sure. Wouldn't all rat breeders be using this if it was the same formulation and THAT much cheaper?

Perhaps it just hadn't occured to them yet. I never thought of it until it was mentioned here.

I tried to get an ingredient list for a hog feed, but didn't find anything online. I'm thinking of going to the feed store later this week to find out about it.

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Originally Posted by Shelby

Perhaps it just hadn't occured to them yet. I never thought of it until it was mentioned here.

I tried to get an ingredient list for a hog feed, but didn't find anything online. I'm thinking of going to the feed store later this week to find out about it.

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I'd be interested to know what you find. .18/pound compared to .52/pound is quite a difference.

Indeed. I'll certainly report back whatever I find out.

I have a friend that uses hog feed and has for several years. The only thing is to look for one with no meds. I am trying it in my one rack as we speak. The price is 9 dollars for 50 pounds. I have found one rat food that was that cheap, but it crumbled easy and had alot of fat and smelled horrible. Going in and coming back out. My rats are in my snake room inside the house so smell is important. I will post the details later. The only thing I saw that is a little low was the fat. The rest looked pretty good. But I supplemnt with sunflower seeds and other things. Todd

Alright.. I went to the feed store and bought a 50# bag of hog grower pellets. The pellets are small (similar to rabbit or guinea pig food pellets) and I'll need to install a smaller mesh in my rat racks so it won't fall through.

The protein level is 16%
fat is 3% -a bit low so I plan on supplementing with black oil sunflower seeds

It contains various grain and plant protein ingredients, as well as added vitamins and minerals. It contains no medications or anything like that.

I'm going to give this stuff a try. Heck at $8.80 for 50# it's worth a shot!

Southern states 15%sow feed. Hufe very hard cubes.
Crude protein 15.00min
lysine .65min
crude fat 3.30min
crude fiber 5.00min

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Originally Posted by Shelby

Alright.. I went to the feed store and bought a 50# bag of hog grower pellets. The pellets are small (similar to rabbit or guinea pig food pellets) and I'll need to install a smaller mesh in my rat racks so it won't fall through.

The protein level is 16%
fat is 3% -a bit low so I plan on supplementing with black oil sunflower seeds

It contains various grain and plant protein ingredients, as well as added vitamins and minerals. It contains no medications or anything like that.

I'm going to give this stuff a try. Heck at $8.80 for 50# it's worth a shot!

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What size mesh do you currently use? I have 1/2" and if it is that much cheaper, I will definitely use it. I need to go back soon to buy another few bags of rat food soon anyway.

Well I use freedom breeder rat racks. The mesh is probably 1/2" or comparable.. but I don't really know.

I'd be interested in this too, however I also need something that will sit on top of 1/2" mesh hardware cloth. I'll have to check it out next time I'm at the feed store.

I used pellet hog feed in the beginning for 3 months and it was the worst three months of rodent breeding I've ever had :( The hog feed just didn't sit well with the rats and they were malnourished as a result the litters were very small and unhealthy.

Ever since then I've used Mazuri and it's been worth the extra coin.

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Originally Posted by Larry Suttles

I used pellet hog feed in the beginning for 3 months and it was the worst three months of rodent breeding I've ever had :( The hog feed just doesn't still well with rats and they were malnourished as a result the litters were very small and unhealthy.

Ever since then I've used Mazuri and it's been worth the extra coin.

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Interesting and something I was expecting to hear. I would guess the ingredients are different (although I still haven't seen a list of what's in the hog feed). Someone who supplements their rat diet with greens, cereals, fruits, nuts and seeds may not see those kinds of negatives but for me, I'd rather spend the extra money on Mazuri and have healthy rats that make more healthy rats for healthy snakes! :D

I have been using a mixture of rodent chow and hog food for years, I know some people who use nothing but hog food.

I add some hog food in the tub when I clean them and the bedding is fresh...

As far as it falling through the screen, I put down a base of rodent chow blocks and then some hog food on top. Just enough hog food falls through when they move the blocks and it doesn't get wasted...

They actually seem to prefer the hog food and eat it all before the chow blocks...If I add the hog food to the top often enough I don't put down nearly as much rodent chow...Jon

Hairless Dumbo
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I am definately going to try this.. $25 for a 50# bag of SunSeed rat blocks vs. $9.. we'll see..! I do plan on using the BOSS seeds too since it's so lowfat..

I used to use Southern States hog feed with 20% protein. Only problem I had with it was the waste. I used it for both rats and mice and I had good production from both. Now I pretty much use FRM Rodent Pellets. The hog feed is about $8.50 for 50 lbs and I can get the FRM for about $11.00 for a 50 lb bag.The major difference between the two is the fat content. Formulated rodent chow has a higher percentage.
Wil

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Originally Posted by reptilian74

I used to use Southern States hog feed with 20% protein. Only problem I had with it was the waste. I used it for both rats and mice and I had good production from both. Now I pretty much use FRM Rodent Pellets. The hog feed is about $8.50 for 50 lbs and I can get the FRM for about $11.00 for a 50 lb bag.The major difference between the two is the fat content. Formulated rodent chow has a higher percentage.
Wil

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If there is only a $3 difference then it is not much for you. But for the rest of us with a $8-$12 difference it is different.

Sorry, I was refering to the difference in content not price. Alot of research is involved in finding just what you want. It took me some time to find the FRM. I have to drive about an hour away to get it from a feed store. But that is still better than paying $25 or more for Muzuri.

I found alot of waste with the Frm/ Also the smell was very different and stronger. That food has a very high fat content. From chicken fat. I am not sure if that is the reason for the strong smell. I am just starting to use the hog food. And the nuggets or food is really large. I am stil using frm and maybe a mix of the two is the best idea.

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Originally Posted by smilin-buddha

I found alot of waste with the Frm/ Also the smell was very different and stronger. That food has a very high fat content. From chicken fat. I am not sure if that is the reason for the strong smell. I am just starting to use the hog food. And the nuggets or food is really large. I am stil using frm and maybe a mix of the two is the best idea.

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What hog food/ brand are you using that the nuggets are large?

The one I got is small and falls through 1/4" mesh.

The one I am trying is Southern States. It is three times the size of the other food and hard like a rock.

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I used to use Southern States hog feed with 20% protein. Only problem I had with it was the waste. I used it for both rats and mice and I had good production from both. Now I pretty much use FRM Rodent Pellets. The hog feed is about $8.50 for 50 lbs and I can get the FRM for about $11.00 for a 50 lb bag.The major difference between the two is the fat content. Formulated rodent chow has a higher percentage.
Wil

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Where do you get the FRM and who is it made by? I've been using sprout dog food from Mills Fleet Farm (10.99 50lb bag) and supplementing with oil sunflower seeds. (9.99 50 lb bag) And while the mice are doing great, the rats aren't producing very well. I did much better with the rats when I was using Harlen/teklad feed but thats 19.99 for a 33lb bag around here. I've been thinking about switching back to the harlan feed but at almost twice the price for a smaller bag, I'd really rather find something cheaper. Mazuri of course is ridiculously priced so I won't use that.

How much is Mazuri priced for where you are? Most people here are getting 50 lbs for around $20

I didn't call too many places, but it was $25.00 per bag. I didn't ask how big the bag was.

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Originally Posted by MarkS

I didn't call too many places, but it was $25.00 per bag. I didn't ask how big the bag was.

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more than likely the 50# bag.