McAdams

McAdams Large Breed: Free Range Chicken review

Name: McAdams Large Breed: Free Range Chicken
Brand: McAdams

55.6/100Good

DryAdult

Flavour

A British kibble built on whole free-range chicken, and both bags finish in our Good band. The plain recipe declares chicken at 50%; the second makes room for Scottish salmon. They sit close enough that your dog's palate can settle it.

Where to buy: coming soon

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Our view

Likely to suit

Medium and large adults, the frames the kibble is sized for
Owners who like knowing where the meat came from
No cereal at all: sweet potato, tapioca and lentils do the starch work
Owners watching minerals, with calcium at 1.41% of dry matter and every trace element dosed

Worth watching

Chicken from meat to stock to fat, and salmon oil in both, so neither suits a dog kept off either
Pea protein high on the list, so not all of the 20.0% protein is chicken

Written by our editorial team. Independent guidance, not veterinary advice.

How this scores

How we score

55.6/100Good

Protein and processingAverage

Nutritional balancePoor

TransparencyOutstanding

ValueGood

The details

Dog fit

Listed for medium and large adults; the label asks 280 to 385 grams for a 30kg dog. Scale it to your dog and judge by the waistline.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Adult

Breed size

Medium, Large

Main protein

Chicken

The score, in context

Free Range Chicken 55.6
Free Range Chicken 55.4

All two Good. Typical dry food: Good.

The stated sourcing and the dosed panel pull upward, while the plant side, carbohydrate above typical and pea protein doing some of the lifting, holds both back.

What's in it

Whole British free-range chicken50%Fresh, so most of its water goes in the oven. Protein finishes moderate at 21.7% of dry matter.
Sweet potato24%Starch with fibre and micronutrients.
TapiocaPure starch, very little else.
Pea proteinRaises the protein figure; not the equal of the meat.
Chicken fat, brewer's yeast, chicken stockYeast for B vitamins, stock for palatability.
Pea fibre, minerals, lentilsLentils add fibre, protein and minerals.
Salmon oil, vegetable fibreFish in the bowl, via the oil.
FOS, MOS0.2% and 0.15%Prebiotics for the large intestine's bacteria.
Marigold, yucca extractYucca to soften stool smell.
Irish seaweed, orange, green lipped mussel, camomile, carrots, cranberries and other botanicals0.03% down to 0.01%Seaweed brings minerals and the fruits antioxidants, but at these levels the tail is decoration.

Vitamins A, D3 and E with trace minerals as sulphates, every dose printed, and selenium as sodium selenite.

Named ingredients

Whole British Free Range Chicken (50%), Sweet Potato (24%), Tapioca, Pea Protein, Chicken Fat, Brewer's Yeast, Chicken Stock, Pea Fibre, Minerals, Lentils, Salmon Oil, Vegetable Fibre, Prebiotics (FOS (0.2%), MOS (0.15%)), Dried Marigold, Yucca Extract, Hand Cut Irish Seaweed (0.03%), Dried Orange, New Zealand Green Lipped Mussel (0.02%), Camomile, Carrots (0.01%), Cranberries (0.01%), Rosemary, Spinach, Tomatoes, Lavender.

Against the range

Meat: Chicken 50%; 40% chicken plus 10% salmon on the other bag.
Fibre, dry matter: 4.3%; 3.3% on the salmon.
Energy: 358 kcal per 100g; 365 on the salmon.

The plainer of the pair, and the sensible start for a dog with no history on fish.

Both bags lead on whole British free-range chicken, fresh, with no dried chicken meal behind it. Sweet potato does most of the starch work with tapioca and lentils behind, and pea protein sits high on the list. Chicken stock, chicken fat and salmon oil appear on both.

A long tail of named plants closes each list at fractions of a percent. The trace minerals are dosed line by line, and calcium works out at 1.41% of dry matter.

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

358 kcal/100g

Protein

20%

Fat

13.5%

Fibre

Ash

8.5%

Moisture

Dry weight

Protein

21.7%

Fat

14.7%

Fibre

4.3%

Ash

9.2%

Carbs

50.1%

As-fed composition

Estimated breakdown of the finished product by ingredient category, from the declared ingredient list and ingoing weights. These are estimates, not measurements.

Meat

51.9%

Carbs

43.2%

Veg

0.2%

Oils

2.4%

Other

2.2%

Pricing & size