Christmas Came Early This Year Courtesy of Manna Pro

My husband and I were enjoying a late dinner the other night after feeding our animals and putting the chickens and ducks in for the night when we heard the FedEx truck in the driveway.  My husband helped the FedEx driver unload four large boxes into our garage - all addressed to me, mind you - obviously thinking I had gone on a huge shopping spree.  But I was just as bewildered as he was.

Lo and behold, as I opened box after box, I realized that we had received an early Christmas present from our generous sponsor Manna Pro!

Three lucky winners were chosen to a prize package containing some wonderful products from Manna Pro.  But more about that later...first I want to tell you about the products.

Of late, egg production in our coop had been way down. Between new layers being a bit sporadic in their laying and our older girls struggling through a molt, we had only been collecting maybe 3-5 eggs per day from our 21 layers.

Adding protein to their diet in the form of meat scraps, canned fish, meal worms, sunflower seeds and scrambled eggs helps hens recover from a molt and get back into tip-top laying form, and I had been doing that.  [Read more about molting hens here..]

One of the products that Manna Pro sent was Calf-Manna which, despite its name, is according to the Manna Pro website: A performance enhancing supplement for multiple species of animals.   From horses, cattle, rabbits and goats to poultry, swine, and deer, Calf-Manna helps every animal reach their peak condition and top performance. Calf-Manna includes multiple sources of high-quality protein. This protein provides a wide array of essential amino acids that meet the needs of many different animals. More proteins equal more growth and better muscle development.

I called Manna Pro to confirm that Calf-Manna is safe to use with ducks also since they are not specifically mentioned on the packaging and our ducks eat from the same feeders are our chickens, and Manna Pro confirmed it was fine for ducks. So following the instructions on the package (1T/day per hen, or 5-10% ration mixed into their feed), I started added the protein supplement to our flock's daily rations. Within days, I kid you not, our egg production has more than doubled, and in fact yesterday we collected 14 eggs!

While I believe in raising our hens as naturally as possible, and don't believe in using artificial light to 'force' them to lay through the winter, increasing their protein intake is extremely beneficial to their overall health coming out of a molt - and the increased egg laying is merely the positive side effect of that added protein, not the reason to supplement their diet.

A further peek inside the boxes that Manna Pro sent revealed their Wipe 'N Wash Egg Cleansing Towelettes. While as a general rule I don't wash our eggs until I am ready to use them and then just use warm water and my fingers [read more about cleaning and handling eggs here...], I have to admit that keeping a container of these wipes down at the barn is very handy. Our duck eggs are often covered in mud - ducks being a bit more messy and less fastidious about where they lay their eggs than chickens.  These wipes make quick work of a dirty egg and are biodegradable, compostable, and all natural.  

Another interesting product from Manna Pro is the Coop 'N Compost Odor Neutralizer. We use the Deep Litter Method [read more about that here...] in our coop in the winter.  Sprinkling some of this product in the litter will, according to the Manna Pro website: naturally neutralize odors and moisture,  protect respiratory systems, increase the life of bedding and improve the quality of the compost.  That all sounded good to me and our coop floor has been sprinkled!

The final product that Manna Pro sent is Poultry Protector. From the Manna Pro website: Poultry Protector™ is an all-natural solution to the common problem of mites, lice, fleas and ticks within the backyard flock. The natural enzymes in Poultry Protector clean away these pesky bugs safely, without the use of harsh chemicals found in so many other insect treatment products.

We don't have any problem with parasites, so I didn't try this product, but I love that it's all natural and will be keeping a bottle in our first aid kit....just in case.

So there you have it. Four natural products that will help keep your flock healthy and laying well.  Christmas did indeed come early for our girls this year courtesy of Manna Pro! They have all finished molting and have grown in new glossy feathers that will help keep them warm this winter with the help of Calf-Manna.  They are laying us beautiful, nutritious eggs in their coop kept warm naturally using The Deep Litter Method and Coop 'N Compost and cleaned if needed with Wipe 'N Wash Egg Wipes.  And if I spot even one mite, tick or flea, I have Poultry Protector at the ready.

We also sent three of the products to another backyard chicken keeper for her review. [Read HERE to see what Tina Anderson from The Anderson Family 'Farm Project thought]

Then we paid it forward and sent some Christmas to three lucky winners as well!

Congratulations to these lucky winners who have all won a Manna Pro Prize Package that includes a bag of Calf-Manna, a container of Wipe 'N Wash Egg Cleansing Towelettes, a container of Coop 'N Compost Odor Neutralizer and a bottle of Poultry Protector.

Jenna Pullen
Gretchen M.
Nells Bells Goat Farm

Visit Manna Pro for more information about any of the products mentioned above as well as more great products for your flock.  

Shop for these and other products to keep your chickens happy and healthy HERE.

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