Namroth, do you have a reason why you prefer the mash over the pellets? I have often wondered but never thought to ask, I just thought it was a personal preference. I do pellets right now but am willing to change it up when I switch to the soy free.
I found this from home sweet farms. I can not attach a document to this message so here is the link to download the .doc which looks like a scan of their layer feed.
Thank you. So the calcium is sitting between 4.5% and 5.5% from Calcium Carbonate and added Oyster Shells. And they say to not add a free choice calcium source. Hmmm. To me, that's not ideal. 
(Chickens really are capable of self-regulating their intake of additional calcium through oyster shell.)
Thanks for the tag. There are some other slight issues that I might quibble about, but if it's really non-GMO feed, then they are way down to totem pole of concerns because the perfect feed is not out there. And if it were, there's a mighty good chance I wouldn't recognize it.
-Enjoying eggs of heterotic hens because I lack the ability & patience to succeed in a purebred world. (credit msucares.com/poultry/commercial/history.html)
-As Aunt Augusta says: I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone. The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately...
-Enjoying eggs of heterotic hens because I lack the ability & patience to succeed in a purebred world. (credit msucares.com/poultry/commercial/history.html)
-As Aunt Augusta says: I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone. The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately...
I found this from home sweet farms. I can not attach a document to this message so here is the link to download the .doc which looks like a scan of their layer feed.
Thank you. So the calcium is sitting between 4.5% and 5.5% from Calcium Carbonate and added Oyster Shells. And they say to not add a free choice calcium source. Hmmm. To me, that's not ideal. (Chickens really are capable of self-regulating their intake of additional calcium through oyster shell.)
Thanks for the tag. There are some other slight issues that I might quibble about, but if it's really non-GMO feed, then they are way down to totem pole of concerns because the perfect feed is not out there. And if it were, there's a mighty good chance I wouldn't recognize it.
LOL, agreed.
As soon as they email me anything, i'll post it here.
The only thing about living out where I do is the choice (lack of) a good feed besides purina from TSC. There is a Blue Seal dealer about 70 miles from me and I have driven out there a couple times for their "breeder pellet". Dont know if you have looked at them or not....but if I could get their nutrition profile in a non soy / non GMO; that would be as close to a perfect feed as I could imagine at this point
The only thing about living out where I do is the choice (lack of) a good feed besides purina from TSC. There is a Blue Seal dealer about 70 miles from me and I have driven out there a couple times for their "breeder pellet". Dont know if you have looked at them or not....but if I could get their nutrition profile in a non soy / non GMO; that would be as close to a perfect feed as I could imagine at this point
Again, with the perfect chicken feed ... I couldn't afford it even if I could recognize it. Okay, I could afford it, but I'd probably have to start driving without insurance and start keeping the heat set to 50F all winter and take in a lodger or other crazy money saving schemes. I know my perfect feed would be appreciably more than $20/50#. I would love to get more seafood into my chickens' diet. And fruit ... like blueberries or cranberries. They get some cherries in cherry season, but I'd like to see them eating a smidge of fruit year round. Of course, some would say it's better that they eat seasonally, so ... who knows? Putting it all together on my own is way too much work. Can you just see me at thanksgiving time buying a few hundred pounds of cranberries and dehydrating them for the chickens? No. Not going to happen.
Maybe, though, you'll be able to work something out with a local feedstore or some friends and get a shipment of
Hiland Naturals down to your neck of the woods or at least the nearest city. (If they manage to answer those questions to your satisfaction.)
-Enjoying eggs of heterotic hens because I lack the ability & patience to succeed in a purebred world. (credit msucares.com/poultry/commercial/history.html)
-As Aunt Augusta says: I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone. The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately...
-Enjoying eggs of heterotic hens because I lack the ability & patience to succeed in a purebred world. (credit msucares.com/poultry/commercial/history.html)
-As Aunt Augusta says: I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone. The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately...
Namroth, do you have a reason why you prefer the mash over the pellets? I have often wondered but never thought to ask, I just thought it was a personal preference. I do pellets right now but am willing to change it up when I switch to the soy free.
Mash is the only type of feed that the manufacturer I prefer (Countryside Organics) offers. They did have a poll up recently asking if customers would be interested in a pelleted version, so perhaps they are considering it. I would consider cold-pressed pellets, but not extruded ones.
The downside to pellets is that during the extrusion process (the most commonly used commercial process) heat is applied, and the nutritional values of some of the ingredients changes, including the killing of raw food enzymes, and removes beneficial amino acid profiles. In human studies, it also makes the grains less digestible and it does increase their glycemic index.
Pellets can also be cold-pressed... that is, formed without heat (pressure only). This is the lesser evil, as the nutrition remains better, but the pellet is more prone to falling apart, and generally is not done on large scale manufacturing. Smaller companies are more likely to be open to cold-pressing pellets.
I just checked out H&H and unless you have money dripping out of your chicken coop it's completely unaffordable!
I just finished a series call Raising Dinner. It documents the 7 week growth cycle of Cornish Cross meat birds and gives a very layman's review of Hiland non-gmo feed. http://thefowlfamily.com/raising-dinner-week-7-time-to-harvest/
I don't think there's anything in GMO foods to harm anyone. And no one has shown any evidence that it does any harm.
Hi all,
"The Bt toxin being used in GMO corn, for example, was recently detected in the blood of pregnant women and their babies. But perhaps more frightening are the risks that are still unknown."
If Bt shows up in human blood ... it is not a good product for food crops.
Other GM foods are;
"3. Sugar: According to NaturalNews, genetically-modified sugar beets were introduced to the U.S. market in 2009. Like others, they’ve been modified by Monsanto to resist herbicides. Monsanto has even had USDA and court-related issues with the planting of its sugar beets, being ordered to remove seeds from the soil due to illegal approval.
4. Aspartame: Aspartame is a toxic additive used in numerous food products, and should be avoided for numerous reasons, including the fact that it is created with genetically modified bacteria.
5. Papayas: This one may come as a surprise to all of you tropical-fruit lovers. GMO papayas have been grown in Hawaii for consumption since 1999. Though they can’t be sold to countries in the European Union, they are welcome with open arms in the U.S. and Canada.
6. Canola: One of the most chemically altered foods in the U.S. diet, canola oil is obtained from rapeseed through a series of chemical actions.
7. Cotton: Found in cotton oil, cotton originating in India and China in particular has serious risks.
8. Dairy: Your dairy products contain growth hormones, with as many as one-fifth of all dairy cows in America are pumped with these hormones. In fact, Monsanto’s health-hazardous rBGH has been banned in 27 countries, but is still in most US cows. If you must drink milk, buy organic.
9. and 10. Zucchini and Yellow Squash: Closely related, these two squash varieties are modified to resist viruses."
I don't think there's anything in GMO foods to harm anyone. And no one has shown any evidence that it does any harm.
Hi all,
"The Bt toxin being used in GMO corn, for example, was recently detected in the blood of pregnant women and their babies. But perhaps more frightening are the risks that are still unknown."
If Bt shows up in human blood ... it is not a good product for food crops.
Other GM foods are;
"3. Sugar: According to NaturalNews, genetically-modified sugar beets were introduced to the U.S. market in 2009. Like others, they’ve been modified by Monsanto to resist herbicides. Monsanto has even had USDA and court-related issues with the planting of its sugar beets, being ordered to remove seeds from the soil due to illegal approval.
4. Aspartame: Aspartame is a toxic additive used in numerous food products, and should be avoided for numerous reasons, including the fact that it is created with genetically modified bacteria.
5. Papayas: This one may come as a surprise to all of you tropical-fruit lovers. GMO papayas have been grown in Hawaii for consumption since 1999. Though they can’t be sold to countries in the European Union, they are welcome with open arms in the U.S. and Canada.
6. Canola: One of the most chemically altered foods in the U.S. diet, canola oil is obtained from rapeseed through a series of chemical actions.
7. Cotton: Found in cotton oil, cotton originating in India and China in particular has serious risks.
8. Dairy: Your dairy products contain growth hormones, with as many as one-fifth of all dairy cows in America are pumped with these hormones. In fact, Monsanto’s health-hazardous rBGH has been banned in 27 countries, but is still in most US cows. If you must drink milk, buy organic.
9. and 10. Zucchini and Yellow Squash: Closely related, these two squash varieties are modified to resist viruses."
I don't think you can just copy and paste from some website and call that evidence do you ?
http://www.nationofchange.org/top-10-gmo-foods-avoid-1343568178
Nice website but hardly evidence.
improvise adapt and overcome
improvise adapt and overcome
Hi all,
"The Bt toxin being used in GMO corn, for example, was recently detected in the blood of pregnant women and their babies. But perhaps more frightening are the risks that are still unknown."
If Bt shows up in human blood ... it is not a good product for food crops.
I will err on the safe side especially when my children are impacted.
Check the following web site
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/Bt_Toxin_Kills_Human_Kidney_Cells.php
Saying it does not affect humans does not mean it does not affect humans. Some plastics when used for microwave cooking end up in our blood as well so we switched to glass cookware when microwaving food.
