McAdams

McAdams Puppy: Free Range Chicken review

Name: McAdams Puppy: Free Range Chicken
Brand: McAdams

56.5/100Good

DryPuppy

A grain-free growth kibble built on 50% whole British free range chicken, in our Good band. Chicken is the only meat, and the provenance is named right down to the hand cut Irish seaweed. The label stops short of printing its moisture or its calcium.

Where to buy: coming soon

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Our view

Likely to suit

Owners who like knowing where the meat came from
Puppies kept to chicken: no other meat in the bag, stock and fat included
Homes that leave grain out, with sweet potato at 17% leading the starch
A sensitive young gut, with FOS and MOS at 0.15% apiece
Anyone who enjoys a label with character, dried orange and camomile to lavender

Worth watching

No calcium figure, the number large breed rearing rests on
Carbohydrate estimated at 42.4% of dry matter, above the 39.0% typical for puppy kibble
Salmon oil and green lipped mussel, so fish and shellfish are both in the bag

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

How this scores

How we score

56.5/100Good

Protein and processingAverage

Nutritional balanceAverage

TransparencyOutstanding

ValueGood

The details

Dog fit

Listed for puppies of every size. For a large breed pup, ask McAdams for the calcium figure; they will tell you if you ask.

Food type

Dry

Life stage

Puppy

Breed size

Toy, Small, Medium, Large, Giant

Main protein

Chicken

The score, in context

Free Range Chicken 56.5

All one Good. Typical dry food: Good.

The naming of the meat carries it; a starch load above the field's middle and a label without moisture or calcium hold it back.

What's in it

Whole British free range chicken50%Named to country and farming method. Weighed fresh, so the share shrinks in the oven.
Sweet potato17%More fibre and vitamin A than ordinary potato.
Pea protein, lentilsPlant protein and bulk.
TapiocaClose to pure starch.
Chicken fat, chicken stockThe same bird.
Yeast, vitamins and minerals
Vegetable fibre, celluloseCellulose is purified fibre that works the gut and brings no nutrients.
Salmon oilPuts fish in a chicken bowl.
Prebiotics: FOS, MOS0.15% eachThe more interesting inclusion for a young digestion.
Marigold, yucca, seaweed, orange, green lipped mussel, herbs and vegetables0.03% down to 0.01%The mussel at 0.02% is a nod to joints and a shellfish entry.

Vitamins A, D3 and E with zinc, iron, manganese, copper, iodine and selenium, all printed, and mixed tocopherols to preserve.

No calcium figure on the label. For a large breed pup, ask McAdams for it.

Moisture is not declared, so the dry-matter figures assume 8%.

Named ingredients

Whole British Free Range Chicken (50%), Sweet Potato (17%), Pea Protein, Tapioca, Chicken Fat, Yeast, Vitamins and Minerals, Chicken Stock, Vegetable Fibre, Lentils, Salmon Oil, Cellulose, Prebiotics (FOS (0.15%), MOS (0.15%)), Marigold, Yucca Extract, Hand Cut Irish Seaweed (0.03%), Dried Orange, New Zealand Green Lipped Mussel (0.02%), Camomile, Carrot (0.01%), Cranberries (0.01%), Rosemary, Spinach, Tomatoes, Lavender.

Against the range

Nutritional analysis

Declared analysis

Energy

372 kcal/100g

Protein

27%

Fat

14.5%

Fibre

Ash

8.5%

Dry weight

Protein

29.3%

Fat

15.8%

Fibre

3.3%

Ash

9.2%

Carbs

42.4%

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

51.6%

Carbs

40.8%

Veg

0.7%

Oils

3.2%

Other

3.7%

Pricing & size