Dodson & Horrell Ostrich Grower Pellets – 20kg

Dodson & Horrell Ostrich Grower Pellets – 20kg

A complementary pelleted feed for growing ostriches and other ratites, from the point a chick comes off starter through to the age it begins to lay or breed. Growth is the whole problem with young ratites: push them too hard and the legs cannot keep up with the body, and leg deformity in a growing ostrich is usually permanent.

This ration is built to allow steady rather than maximum growth, fed alongside grass or forage and supplemented so that the common deficiencies of a grass-based diet are filled. The pellet format suits a bird that takes large mouthfuls and would otherwise waste a meal.

Performance & Benefits

• Formulated for steady, controlled growth rather than the fastest possible gain.
• Supplemented with vitamins and minerals to fill the gaps in a grass-based diet.
• Aimed at minimising leg and skeletal deformity while still allowing good growth rates.
• Pelleted, so less is wasted than with a meal or coarse mix.
• 20kg bag, sized for the intakes of growing ratites.

Suitable For

• Growing ostriches from chick stage through to point of lay or breeding age.
• Other growing ratites, such as emu and rhea.
• Holdings running birds on grass with a pellet fed alongside.
• Not for birds already in lay — breeding birds need the extra calcium in Dodson & Horrell Vitality Ostrich Layer & Breeder Pellets.

Feeding

• A complementary feed. Always feed alongside grass or forage, never on its own.
• Dodson & Horrell no longer publish feeding guidance for this feed on their own website. Stockist listings and the bag give a guide of free-choice feeding, or around 75% of appetite where you want to hold growth back.
• Restrict rather than push if birds are growing faster than their legs can carry.
• Keep flint grit and fresh water available at all times.
• Follow the instructions printed on your bag.

Composition & Analysis

• 20kg bag, pelleted. Complementary feed.
• Dodson & Horrell's own website now covers their equine range only and carries no page for this feed, so no composition or analysis is stated here as theirs.
• Stockist listings circulate a declaration of crude protein 16.5%, crude oils and fats 3.5%, crude fibre 9.5%, crude ash 8.5% and calcium 1.35%. Those figures are not published by Dodson & Horrell on their own site and are given here only as a note.
• Treat the ingredient list and analysis printed on your bag as the authority.

Care & Caution

• Do not feed a layer or breeder ration to growing ratites. The calcium level is set for egg production and contributes to the leg problems this feed is designed to avoid.
• Overfeeding energy to a young ratite causes the growth rate that damages legs. If in doubt, feed less rather than more.