Sunglo vs. Show-Rite vs. Purina: Choosing Your Show Lamb Feed Brand

Ask three successful lamb feeders what brand to run and you’ll get three different answers — and all three of them will be winning. Lambs win on all of the big programs. The question is which one fits your situation: your dealer network, your show’s rules, and how much complexity you want to manage.

We don’t sell feed, so here’s the neutral version.

Purina — the accessible standard

The pitch: the most established name in show feed, sold nearly everywhere.

Purina’s show program splits into Honor Show Chow base feeds and High Octane supplements, distributed through co-ops, farm stores, and Tractor Supply nationwide. That availability is a genuine advantage: if you’re two bags from empty on a Thursday night, Purina is the brand you can actually find.

The High Octane line is also unusually well-organized around problems rather than hype: Fitter 35 and Fitter 52 for trimming, Golden Ticket for bloom and finish, Heavy Weight for emergency energy on hard keepers. And because High Octane supplements are species-neutral in much of the line, one bag can cover a mixed barn — check each label for sheep suitability first.

Fits best: first-year families, mixed-species barns, and anyone who values being able to buy feed on any road trip.

Show-Rite — the deepest supplement line

The pitch: a named product for nearly every phase and problem.

Show-Rite (Hubbard Feeds, now under Akralos — the Alltech/ADM partnership) has one of the deepest sheep lines we’ve documented: 17 products, with dedicated phase tools like Sculpt for trimming front ends, Star Shine for shaping, and Rite Tyme for hide and lean muscle. Alltech’s fermentation and probiotic technology runs through the line, and their official feeding guides give full circuit protocols, not just feeding rates.

One thing to know: three of their four base feeds are medicated with decoquinate (Deccox). That’s a feature for coccidiosis control, but if your show requires drug-free feeding, read the tags carefully and plan withdrawal.

Fits best: experienced feeders who want precise phase tools and are comfortable managing a multi-product program.

Sunglo — the show-day specialist

The pitch: a tight, sheep-specific line that shines late in the program.

Sunglo (owned by Cargill) runs a simpler structure: one complete textured Show Lamb base feed plus ten supplements. Where the line stands out is the finishing and show-day toolkit — Sumo for milk-based cover and bloom, S’more Fill for fill and appetite, Full Tank for rib shape, and 4-Sure for show-day hydration and water masking.

Fits best: feeders who want one base feed and a focused set of late-program tools.

Bottom line

• Buy on availability first. The best program is the one your dealer reliably stocks — switching feeds mid-program because of supply problems costs more than any brand difference.
• Check medication status against your show’s rules before committing. Medicated base feeds are common across all three brands.
• You can mix. Plenty of families run one brand’s base feed with another’s supplements. The directory’s substitutes tables exist for exactly that — every product page shows the equivalent products from other brands.

Compare all three full product lines in our brands directory.