REVIEW: OPEN FARM Homestead Turkey & Chicken Recipe

As you know, we’ve been on the hunt for a food Kalista will continually eat without turning her nose up every few days… and we’ve found one!

In the past, I’ve reviewed/covered some of the foods we’ve tried with her including, but not limited to, NATURAL BALANCE Chicken & Liver Paté Formula, CARU CLASSICS Turkey Stew, NATURAL BALANCE Ultra Premium Indoor Chicken Formula, CARU CLASSICS Chicken & Crab Stew, and Nature’s Variety Instinct Grain Free Kitten Food. At this point, we’ve tried more than 12 brands of food with Kalista (both wet and dry), but I’m happy to tell you that she’s been eating OPEN FARM’s Homestead Turkey & Chicken Recipe consistently for over a week with absolutely no complaints! So let’s get this awesome review started and see if Open Farm is any good for Kalista!

A bit About the Company

I think it’s important to talk a little bit about what Open Farm‘s mandate is, especially because I find it to be one of the most transparent companies I could find.

Sourcing

It’s hard to trust pet foods when you don’t know where the meat and other produce is coming from. It’s the same for humans, you want to know how animals are treated, if they’re doped up on steroids and if the protein is high-quality. Open Farm is a company that has actually teamed up with a number of other organizations (including GAP, Terracycle, Certified Humane and Ocean Wise) which have strict mandates to qualify for what they put on the label. Their transparency goes as far as actually showing you what state or country their ingredients come from, whether they are Humane, Organic, Non-GMO, Wild Caught, Locally Grown, or funny enough… whether or not they are from China (which tends to be a huge concern for many pet parents). It’s actually a terribly simple process and all you need is the LOT code on the back of your bag and they will provide you with a list. You can check out our results here by using LOT code 06518FCC.

They are Ethical

I actually spoke to a rep a few years back about the food (although at the time I couldn’t try it because Beau was already having the urinary issues) and something that stuck with me was the fact that some ingredients in this blend will change dependant on the season. The reason for this is because Open Farm wants to make sure that their food is sustainable and they aren’t overfishing and causing harm to the environment. Cool, huh? I’ll make sure to cover other reasons they are ethical in the benefits section of this review.

The Smell

Normally I only do this with wet food since kibble tends to smell rancid to me, but I have to admit that this food smells absolutely amazing. I can’t put my finger on what it smells like other than some sort of fish (which is a bit odd since the main proteins are Turkey and Chicken), but it does smell very similar to those Shrimp Flavoured Crackers I used to eat growing up.

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein (minimum) 37%
Crude Fat (minimum) 18%
Crude Fibre (maximum) 3%
Moisture (maximum) 10%
Calcium(minimum) 1%
Phosphorus (minimum) 0.8%
Omega-6 (minimum) 4%
Omega-3 (minimum) 1.3%
Vitamin A (minimum) 9000 IU/kg
Vitamin E (minimum) 30 IU/kg
Taurine (minimum) 0.2%
DHA (minimum) 0.11%

My thoughts on the guaranteed analysis

Nothing seems out of the ordinary with this blend. The protein is high and is a great amount for kittens & adult cats (a bit high for seniors or cats with kidney issues), the fat is a good standard amount, however, the fibre is less than the average cat food (although it seems like a number of “Natural Holistic” dry foods have a similar amount of fibre). Although the amount of fibre shouldn’t be a problem and if for whatever reason your cat needs more fibre I highly recommend Weruva’s Pumpkin Patch Up! as a supplement. I did notice how high the Omega 3 & 6 is absolutely brilliant!

Ingredients

Humanely raised turkey, humanely raised chicken, ocean caught whitefish meal, ocean caught herring meal, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), red lentils, coconut oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), ocean caught menhaden fish meal, green lentils, pumpkin, natural flavour, cranberries, dried chicory root extract, apples, choline chloride, salt, dandelion greens, taurine, turmeric, potassium chloride, dicalcium phosphate, dried yucca schidigera extract, mixed tocopherols (a natural preservative), rosemary extract

My thoughts on the ingredients

I’m actually impressed with how condensed this list is for a dry cat food. The first 4 ingredients are all meat-based proteins which is AMAZING and this is the first time I see garbanzo beans, red lentils, green lentils, pumpkin, and apples which are sources of fibre (and antioxidants) and are safe for cats in moderation. Coconut oil is a great addition to helping with allergies, itchiness, dry skin and it makes sure your cat has a healthy coat! We then have more fish meal which adds to the already plentiful Omega 3 & 6. We then have cranberries for urinary health, chicory as a prebiotic,  and dandelions for digestion and to finish off I’m very impressed with how low salt is on the ingredient list. Great job on this blend Open Farm I have 0 complaints!

Other Benefits of this Food

• Certified Humane
• Locally Grown & Family Farmed and Owned
• Grain-Free
• Open Range
• Poultry is Vegetarian Fed
• Raised Without Antibiotics
• Raised without Hormones
• No Corn, Soy or Wheat
• Only uses natural preservatives
• No artificial flavourings
• Ocean Farmed Fish
• No Byproducts

Kalista’s Final Say

I guess I already ruined it by saying Kalista has been eating it for over a week, but… Kalista loves it and so do I! I don’t remember the last time I’ve been so happy to see a cat food! I’m honestly hoping she continues to eat it because it looks great.

Something Quirky Beau Does

When we feed Beau and Kalista I usually give Beau his food first. In the past, Beau hasn’t tried to eat Kalista’s food until she’s done eating. He usually sits patiently from afar (usually about 2 or 3 meters away, but whenever I pour this food for her he comes running and sits right next to her watching her eat and tries to dive his head in whenever she sits up to think about if she wants more food. We obviously don’t want to try this food with Beau since he has to remain on a fully wet veterinary specific diet.

My Conclusion

Honestly, folks, I’m not the biggest fan of recommending cat foods because they can be so hit and miss based on the cat’s palate and because I will admit I’m not a licenced feline nutritionist, but from the education I have received, I can tell you that this food is a top 5/5! We’re really on a roll! If you’re having difficulty finding a cat food your little one will eat, try this one out. There’s really nothing I can clock that makes it a bad food. Again, great job Open Farm, I’m really honoured to have had the opportunity to try your food and review it. You’ve gone an amazing job at making a quality cat food. Let’s all hope that Kalista is going to be eating this for a very long time!