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Dry kibble · Guaranteed basis · checked 2026-07-25

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Natural Balance Chicken & Barley Recipe

Dry kibble all life stages Formulated

Part of the Natural Balance Original Ultra line. On a dry-matter basis this recipe is 26.7% protein and 15.6% fat, at 3,590 kcal per kilogram (380 kcal per cup). Its adequacy statement says the recipe is formulated to meet an AAFCO nutrient profile.

Composition as sold · 0–100% of the food by weight

Drawn from the published guaranteed analysis. The two hatched bands are inferred rather than measured: carbohydrate is estimated by difference and ash is assumed, because neither is required on a US label.

Label nutrition data

Guaranteed analysis as it appears on the label: minimums for protein and fat, maximums for fibre and moisture. The dry-matter and per-1,000-kcal columns are computed from those published figures, not restated from anywhere else. Hatched cells are values Natural Balance does not publish. Scroll horizontally — 4 columns. Published source ↗
Nutrient As fed (label) Dry matter g / 1,000 kcal
Crude protein (guaranteed min) 24% 26.7% 66.9g
Crude fat (guaranteed min) 14% 15.6% 39g
Crude fibre (guaranteed max) 5% 5.6% 13.9g
Moisture (guaranteed max) 10% — —
Omega-6 fatty acids (guaranteed min) 3.5% 3.9% 9.7g
Omega-3 fatty acids (guaranteed min) 0.65% 0.7% 1.8g
Taurine (guaranteed min) 0.25% 0.3% 0.7g
Carbohydrate (estimated) ~39% ~43.3% ~108.6g

First ingredients

Not published by Natural Balance

Natural Balance does not publish an ingredient list for this recipe in a form we can capture — Ingredient list published as label image only; not transcribed. We do not transcribe ingredient lists from retailers or third-party databases: they go stale silently when a recipe changes, and a stale ingredient list is worse than none.

AAFCO statement

“Natural Balance Original Ultra Chicken & Barley Recipe dog food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles for All Life Stages including growth of large size dogs (70 lb. or more as an adult).”

Quoted verbatim from Natural Balance's published label data, and not scored.

The two wordings are different claims. Formulated to meet means the recipe was matched to an AAFCO nutrient profile on paper. Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures substantiate means the finished food was fed to dogs under a defined protocol — a minimum of eight dogs over twenty-six weeks. Both are legal standards of adequacy; only one involved dogs, and neither is a statement about ingredient quality. We quote whichever appears verbatim, and weight it in the score above: 20 points for a feeding trial, 12 for a formulation claim.

Try it with your dog's numbers

The feeding calculator turns this food's published calorie density into a daily portion for a given weight. The cost tool converts whatever you actually pay into a cost per 1,000 kcal, which is the only way to compare a subscription box against a bag.

Similar foods across every brand

Same format, nearest protein on a dry-matter basis. One food per brand, and this recipe's own brand is held back so the comparison actually crosses a brand line.

Royal Canin · 3,616 kcal/kg

Medium Adult

25.7% protein on a dry-matter basis.

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The label, charted

Everything above, as one square you can save or send. It is generated from this page's own figures, so it cannot drift from them, and it is ours to publish — no manufacturer supplied it and none can withdraw it.

Label data chart for Natural Balance Chicken & Barley Recipe: on a dry-matter basis, protein 26.7%, fat 15.6%, estimated carbohydrate 43.3%. Not scored — too little published.
Dry-matter basis · Manufacturer's label ↗

Manufacturers reformulate without announcing it, and a website can lag a bag by months. The panel on the pack in your hand outranks this page; where the two disagree, the pack is right and we want to know.

Source naturalbalanceinc.com ↗ Captured 2026-07-25 Methodology