Anyone feeding New Country Organics?

[katiedarling]

Hi everyone! glad to see some discussion on NCO and S&P. When we started with our chicken adventure, we began with S&P because of the organic, soy-free, non-gmo, whole grain features and benefits. Our chickens looooved it and I liked the fact that the smell was so fresh that it almost made ya think it was trail mix. I knew from the moment I opened the bag that their food was probably better than my food! I was absolutely tempted to taste it just for the heck of it. I didn't. I trusted my birds. LOL
I did notice just one con which seems to be a familiar obstacle and that was some of the birds seemed to be just picking out the bits they liked.

The reason we switched was the cost effectiveness for us. It was doable on a single income for 4 birds but once our second group was added (one who had a more sensitive digestive system than the others) and then another group, ordering the 25lb bag on Amazon wasn't going to work, so we started ordering through Azure. Also, pretty great except for the fact that my ADD makes it nearly impossible to remember to meet the deadline. We order our stuff through Azure now.Eventually we switched to Nutrena All-Flock, then Feather Fixer due to a not so romantically inclined rooster with super sized spurs who seems to have a fetish for the more petite ladies.

Now- during all this time, I noticed a decline in egg production(very slight) but mainly in egg/shell quality despite the addition of oyster shell, which is always accessible. AND- I've recently figured out, either I'm allergic to eggs or I'm definitely allergic to corn-which is in every dadgummed chicken feed on the market. So, my question to those of you who have used the NCO, what kind of egg quality do y'all see in your layers? I know with the S&P we had some of the most beautiful eggs I've ever seen and I hope that as long as I can find a feed that is corn free, I should be ok. Eggs are on my list of food favorites and it's kind of a bummer giving all my extra eggs away to neighbors and watching my husband eat them whenever he feels like it. I'm jealous.

NCO is the brand I think I have it narrowed down to, and unlike the S&P which I loved, I can buy it in a store without having to order online, even if it IS 60 miles away. I just discovered there's a retailer within a mile of my husband's work place, so that is a plus! I'm intrigued by the fermenting idea, but admittedly intimidated. I've never fermented any food before, let alone for chickens. My guess is it may not be the best way to start out(?). How would I know if I got it "right"? I would hate to have the mixture be incorrect and cause harm to the flock.

 

[TillyPeeps]

Hi everyone! glad to see some discussion on NCO and S&P. When we started with our chicken adventure, we began with S&P because of the organic, soy-free, non-gmo, whole grain features and benefits. Our chickens looooved it and I liked the fact that the smell was so fresh that it almost made ya think it was trail mix. I knew from the moment I opened the bag that their food was probably better than my food! I was absolutely tempted to taste it just for the heck of it. I didn't. I trusted my birds. LOL
I did notice just one con which seems to be a familiar obstacle and that was some of the birds seemed to be just picking out the bits they liked.

The reason we switched was the cost effectiveness for us. It was doable on a single income for 4 birds but once our second group was added (one who had a more sensitive digestive system than the others) and then another group, ordering the 25lb bag on Amazon wasn't going to work, so we started ordering through Azure. Also, pretty great except for the fact that my ADD makes it nearly impossible to remember to meet the deadline. We order our stuff through Azure now.Eventually we switched to Nutrena All-Flock, then Feather Fixer due to a not so romantically inclined rooster with super sized spurs who seems to have a fetish for the more petite ladies.

Now- during all this time, I noticed a decline in egg production(very slight) but mainly in egg/shell quality despite the addition of oyster shell, which is always accessible. AND- I've recently figured out, either I'm allergic to eggs or I'm definitely allergic to corn-which is in every dadgummed chicken feed on the market. So, my question to those of you who have used the NCO, what kind of egg quality do y'all see in your layers? I know with the S&P we had some of the most beautiful eggs I've ever seen and I hope that as long as I can find a feed that is corn free, I should be ok. Eggs are on my list of food favorites and it's kind of a bummer giving all my extra eggs away to neighbors and watching my husband eat them whenever he feels like it. I'm jealous.

NCO is the brand I think I have it narrowed down to, and unlike the S&P which I loved, I can buy it in a store without having to order online, even if it IS 60 miles away. I just discovered there's a retailer within a mile of my husband's work place, so that is a plus! I'm intrigued by the fermenting idea, but admittedly intimidated. I've never fermented any food before, let alone for chickens. My guess is it may not be the best way to start out(?). How would I know if I got it "right"? I would hate to have the mixture be incorrect and cause harm to the flock.

I used to feed my chickens NCO and was very happy with the results. I no longer have any chicken due to moving, but I sure miss my girls and their egg. The feathers of the girls are shiny. The egg shells are so strong and the yolks are bright orange color - the girls free range a couple hours a day. Most important: my son is not allergic to these eggs. He has egg allergy and has reaction to all store bought eggs, especially non-organic eggs. He can eat a small amount of organic egg yolks from supermarkets, but he could eat as many our chicken eggs as him wanted and never had any problem. Only thing I don't like about NCO is the protein level is low, so I did provide extra animal protein to the girls. I also add ingredients based on this receipts:
http://www.fresheggsdaily.com/2012/07/new-and-improved-breakfast-of-champion.html

 

[balloonflower]

I was also skeptical of fermenting feed the first time my DH brought it up. I thought, nice--one more layer of work for me in caring for the chickies. And to be clear, I really love my chickies. But I agreed to try a little bit, thinking I could just use as a supplement when I did it. So I tried it and I found that it really wasn't hard for me and shifted to all FF. A little more difficult right now in winter, but he made me one of the cinder block light bulb heaters that I can use to avoid freeze. I truly love fermenting their feed, and they love it. I do multiple small batches because it makes me feel better about the process, though many do just fine on continuing a single batch. I use an organic crumble from a local mill. Just give it a try--you'll probably find that actually going through the process will alleviate your concerns.

 

[katiedarling]

I used to feed my chickens NCO and was very happy with the results. I no longer have any chicken due to moving, but I sure miss my girls and their egg. The feathers of the girls are shiny. The egg shells are so strong and the yolks are bright orange color - the girls free range a couple hours a day. Most important: my son is not allergic to these eggs. He has egg allergy and has reaction to all store bought eggs, especially non-organic eggs. He can eat a small amount of organic egg yolks from supermarkets, but he could eat as many our chicken eggs as him wanted and never had any problem. Only thing I don't like about NCO is the protein level is low, so I did provide extra animal protein to the girls. I also add ingredients based on this receipts:
http://www.fresheggsdaily.com/2012/07/new-and-improved-breakfast-of-champion.html

That is good to know. The food allergy issue is a recent(?) development. At first I thought it was egg allergy but noticed some nasty reactions related to corn & corn byproducts. And it must have begun years ago but I just wasn't making the connection at the time. I haven't eaten our eggs in months because of the corn in the feed. I'm currently shopping allergy docs to find out about getting tested. I'm hoping they'll narrow it down and tell me it's just the corn and not eggs. I'll die if they tell me I can't eat eggs. LOL
Corn is an all time favorite food too, but if I had to pick one or the other, I can't imagine life without chickens, so the obvious choice there is eggs FTW!

Seems like things I've been eating all my life have suddenly turned against me. It's so strange. And a total PITA because corn and corn byproducts seem to be in just about everything. Grocery shopping takes 10x longer now because I have stop to read every label before it goes in the cart.

What is the protein level in the feed? I ordered a bag online (shipping cost was unbelievable) because the shop that carries them, doesn't stock the corn free formula.

I was also skeptical of fermenting feed the first time my DH brought it up. I thought, nice--one more layer of work for me in caring for the chickies. And to be clear, I really love my chickies. But I agreed to try a little bit, thinking I could just use as a supplement when I did it. So I tried it and I found that it really wasn't hard for me and shifted to all FF. A little more difficult right now in winter, but he made me one of the cinder block light bulb heaters that I can use to avoid freeze. I truly love fermenting their feed, and they love it. I do multiple small batches because it makes me feel better about the process, though many do just fine on continuing a single batch. I use an organic crumble from a local mill. Just give it a try--you'll probably find that actually going through the process will alleviate your concerns.

I'm not sure it's skepticism as much as it is fear that i'll screw it up. From what I've read about the benefits of fermenting, it seems like a good thing. My concern is that I have pretty hardcore ADD. And if it is a task that requires proper timing or anything like that, I'm terribly forgetful and oftentimes I drop the ball, if you know what I mean.

What state are you in? I'm in the SE so our winters are relatively mild. When it really gets into freezing temps, I keep a heat lamp in the run for the sole purpose of keeping the water from freezing and if they need a little warmth, they'll hang out near the lamp if they feel like itThe majority of the time, I just let the sun do the work because the run is covered with a clear plastic to keep it dry, so it is sort of like a really weak greenhouse. I would hope that keeping it a few degrees warmer in that spot wouldn't be an issue for the feed freezing. It's usually no more than 10 degrees warmer in there compared to outside.

 

[mich9510]

NCO has a broiler/grower formula that is 19% protein. That's what I use for now. I'll probably continue with that same formula and just add oyster shells free choice once the girls start laying. They are dual purpose chickens so I want them to have a higher protein level in their feed. NCO also has a layer ration that I think is 16%protein. I'm not sure about the corn free since I don't use it. I don't buy any GMO food (or chicken food) all NCO is non GMO.
As far as fermenting goes, just do a search on BYC and you will get more information than you could possibly need. Fermenting feed (ff) is super easy. Although I ferment in a back room of my house now with a heating pad under the bucket. It's way too cold here in PA for fermenting outside now. It stays around 62-65 degrees in that room so I like to sperm it up with supplemental heat.

 

[katiedarling]

NCO has a broiler/grower formula that is 19% protein. That's what I use for now. I'll probably continue with that same formula and just add oyster shells free choice once the girls start laying. They are dual purpose chickens so I want them to have a higher protein level in their feed. NCO also has a layer ration that I think is 16%protein. I'm not sure about the corn free since I don't use it. I don't buy any GMO food (or chicken food) all NCO is non GMO.
As far as fermenting goes, just do a search on BYC and you will get more information than you could possibly need. Fermenting feed (ff) is super easy. Although I ferment in a back room of my house now with a heating pad under the bucket. It's way too cold here in PA for fermenting outside now. It stays around 62-65 degrees in that room so I like to sperm it up with supplemental heat.

I decided this week after a bit of research that I will go ahead and experiment with fermenting the feed. I'm gonna just do a small mason jar of it and sort of do a tiny test batch. See how they like it. As far as the NCO, they seem to like it, but at the moment I am mixing it with their other feed to transition them off of it. Gaining access to the NCO may actually be a PITA, more than ordering the S&P from Azure, simply because I'll have to drive 120 miles round trip. If I can manage to keep my distraction level to a minimum, I'll only have to drive 15 minutes to the Azure drop location. Wish me luck!

 

[Sara H.]

Are you still feed NCO? Do your chickens still like it? Have you noticed any issues? Just looking into this myself, and wondered how your chickens have done on this feed. I am currently feeding Scratch N Peck and just can't afford it anymore. Hoping this is a viable alternative, rather than making my own. Thanks!

 

[LJoWilly]

Hi there....still feeding NCO. Corn and soy free, and the ladies still lovin' it.

 

[Sara H.]

Thank you! I just ordered 50# of the corn and soy free. I am still considering making my own, as NCO also has the organic grains available, but we will feed the premix for now. Thanks for your response!

 

[Lulu Lipshitz]

I am in the process of switching my girls to New Country Organics. Anyone in central/ southern Indiana interested in putting our heads together to have a buying group to get a better price for shipping?