Organic Non GMO Wholesome Feed?

[moderndayhippy]

Does such a thing even exist for chickens? In the past we fed our hens Layena, and it just never felt right to me. We are big into organics, non GMOs, no processed foods, etc., and I would love to do the same for our chickens.

Do any of you purchase such a feed for your chickens, and if so, where do you get it from & how much does it cost?

Thank you so much for any input. Much appreciated.

 

[Wifezilla]

More people are moving to a mix of whole grains for their birds to get away from the gmo corn and soy. I am still feeding commercial feed to my ducks and quail, but also offering grains and seeds separately. The goal is to find out what they like, and eventually find a blend they can thrive on. so far I have tried crimped oats and milo. They do nibble at it and it has helped me cut my feed bill. The quail get a separate bowl of wild bird feed and they seem to prefer them to the feed but they are still getting both. Next time I go to the feed store I will see what other whole grains they carry and add that to the oats and milo.

It is MUCH easy to blend your own and not risk health issues if your chickens are freeranging.

 

[Nostalchic]

There are a number of organic feeds producers, but they are all expensive, especially if you have to have it shipped. Our local RanchWay feed store now mills a line of organic layer, grower, etc - it costs nearly twice what commercial layer does, about 50 cents a pound ($20 for a 40 lb bag) but it is mostly corn. We are shareholders in a local raw-milk dairy, and they get a custom organic layer from Nebraska that I now buy - 58 cents a pound, that doesn't have any corn in it. I mix the two sometimes, don't mind the corn but don't want nearly all corn. There are several threads on this site about organic feed sources, you may find someone has posted info for your area if you do a search.

 

[Illia]

Honestly is there even such thing as non GMO Soy?

I would rather skip soy all together. Naturally, chickens need their protein from insects and meat as well as soy-rich plants or seeds, not from soybeans.

There was a thread back when I first joined here all about feed that doesn't have soy, most of it didn't have GMO corn either. . . I haven't found it since then though, I just remember that I loved a certain brand of feed that was coconut based.

Me? I'll be growing my own crops this summer.

Colored heirloom corn, Amaranth, Quinoa, Tef, and various vegetables as well as many things like oats and flax spread through their pasture.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

There are a couple brands of organic chicken feed. In the US to be labeled as organic your feeds cannot have any components of GMOs. And like the above poster said some people are mixing their own grains if you have access to mills or buy bulk...


Organic Feeds;
http://www.azurestandard.com/shop/search?q=cascade&submit=
http://www.azurestandard.com/shop/search?q=rogue&submit=
http://www.geaugafeed.com/files/Organic_Layer.pdf
http://www.ohkruse.com/poultry-gamebird.html



Mixing;
http://www.greenerpasturesfarm.com/ChickenFeedRecipe.html
http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Making-Poultry-Feeds-1.html

 

[Illia]

Quote:
Not true. The term Organic can be used quite loosely, and it especially varies from state to state. To sell just about anything "organic" in states like OR, all you need is to make a profit under a certain quota. (I believe it was 5k? or 50k?)

Organic does not mean non-GMO. In most places, it just means to not use pesticides, herbicides, etc.

 

[bairo]

I found a lot of good information at lionsgrip.com
I agree with dropping the soy completely. I believe there is no longer ANY non-GMO soy available due to the "Monsanto" monster. Remember that most of the formulas on that site came from the UK...that means the word "corn" really means grains to us and not corn at all. If you can find the individual ingredients in organic non-gmo form easier than an organic premix feed and just mix your own, this may prove more fruitful and cost effective. I am still very new at this, but will keep you informed of my experiences with the feed aspect. The above statement of what exactly "organic" means these days with federal as well as state standards is my opinion as well. I would pay just as much attention to GMO and give non-GMO every bit as much weight in my decisions.

Remember also that regardless of belief; sea creatures (fish and fish meal) are not regulated at all by the organic label. If you buy it labeled as organic it is a complete lie and usually just means it was farm raised and fed. Since they are feeding a lot of corn now in the hatcheries (a source of omega 6) which has never been found in the sea and that food chain up until now is actually more detrimental..IMO I know it should not be this hard; but we have to think of the entire food chain.

 

[clairabean]

I am in BC, Canada.

I feed my chickens Otter Co-op organic layer crumble or Whole Earth layer pellets. WE is all vegetable, soy free, non certified 'organic'.

In my area organic is huge. Non certified is nearly as good as certified. It just means that organic methods are used, non sprayed. There is a huge certification process, which most local farms do not (or can not) go through. Buying local non certified is good enough for me.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
You might want to check your facts there. The term "Organic" in the United States is regulated by the USDA.

GMO are prohibited under the National Organic Plan:

Excluded methods. A variety of methods used to genetically modify organisms or influence their growth and development by means that are not possible under natural conditions or processes and are not considered compatible with organic production. Such methods include cell fusion, microencapsulation and macroencapsulation, and recombinant DNA technology (including gene deletion, gene doubling, introducing a foreign gene, and changing the positions of genes when achieved by recombinant DNA technology). Such methods do not include the use of traditional breeding, conjugation, fermentation, hybridization, in vitro fertilization, or tissue culture.

Here is a link to the Federal Regulations for your reference:

http://tinyurl.com/464poho

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
Yes there is, there is a lot of organic, non-GMO soy grown in my area. Our local organic feed mill owners even own an organic soy processing plant:

http://www.cfspecial.com/