How does Organic feed vs non-organic feed for chickens affect the Egg quality?

[Shadrach]

I'm assuming these studies were for CAFO-style 'organic' farms. Sounds like CAFO business as usual, just with organic ingredients in the concentrated feed.

https://attra.ncat.org/publication/organic-poultry-production-providing-adequate-methionine/

 

[Perris]

and https://attra.ncat.org/publication/pastured-poultry-nutrition-forages/

note especially "In the modern poultry industry (including organic), most methionine is supplied in poultry diets by synthetically produced protein powders (the only way that so-called vegetarian poultry diets are possible)."

 

[Krux5506]

Variety of feed like free range flocks get would have an impact on taste but organic vs. non I highly doubt would have any difference. My problem is I dont trust the organic label or what its ever changing definitions mean. Can I really trust food and grain coming from narco states in South America or Mexico to be organic? Even in the US I dont trust the organic label. I do try and buy as much American produced foods as possible rather than organic or non organic.

Ironically my local mills seem to be way too vague with what is actually in their feeds. First 3 ingredients on all their chicken feeds list "grain products, plant protein products, processed grain by-products"

Kinda sucks I can't find a local mill that actually uses good ingredients like the Modesto feed I buy online.

 

[Folly's place]

Interesting ingredient labeling, have you talked to the mill operators about it? What's the nutritional profile on their products? Ask at Cornell's poultry department, or another university poultry department.
And then buying something else may make perfect sense!
Mary

 

[Krux5506]

Interesting ingredient labeling, have you talked to the mill operators about it? What's the nutritional profile on their products? Ask at Cornell's poultry department, or another university poultry department.
And then buying something else may make perfect sense!
Mary

Very unimpressive nutrient levels - some layer feeds below 16% protein, LOW levels of methionine (with several feeds not even listing it on the label), high fat...etc...I dunno, maybe I'm too picky, I won't deny that, however I can find feeds that fit what I'm looking for pretty easily even if they are a few bucks more.

here's an example of one of their labels I just am not too impressed by...

https://www.keystonemills.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/9203213-Key-AN-Layer-345-TSC-Rev070218.pdf

And an organic one:

https://www.keystonemills.com/wp-co...373-Natures-Trail-Layer-222-TSC-Rev010117.pdf


Am I wrong in saying that 5-6.5% fat content seems pretty excessive for laying hens?

 

[Folly's place]

I would buy something else too. Methionine is mentioned as an ingredient, and might be in the added mix, but nowhere is the actual level on the label, which seems deficient in listing other nutrients.
And I wonder about those 'processed grain products', as in how long have they been stored after being 'processed'. Again, what's happening about vitamins?
Cheaper, maybe, but ???
Mary

 

[SamLockwood]

How does Organic feed vs non-organic feed for chickens affect the Egg quality?

By itself, not at all. The USDA rules on "organic" foods are pretty broad and vague, and it doesn't mean what many people think it means (like not using pesticides or fertilizers).

You need to look at what nutrients are in the feed, and trust that the manufacturer has good quality control standards. You may need to experiment a bit if it seems like you're feeding them the right nutrient mix but not getting the expected results and try a different brand with the same nutrients.

Depending on the particular feed and what I'm doing, I may use an "organic" or "non-GMO" feed or a "regular" feed depending on the nutrient mix I need for chicks, keets, pullets, or adult birds, or whether the flock is molting or not. A lot of times I'll pick a given brand or variety because I've had the most consistent good results with that feed.

It also depends on how consistent you are with feeding and watering your flock. When I went from feeding them "manually" a couple times of day to going with larger feeders they could graze in whenever the want to, lo and behold they become more consistent layers with better egg quality (especially the older girls).

I'm also somewhat stingy with "treats" or table scraps because as much as they love it it doesn't really help egg production and it's actually quite unhealthy to over-treat them. You can have the best feed in the world but if half of what they eat is chicken junk food it won't matter for egg quality or flock health.

 

[RennaeHanson]

Let's look at the stats. I've got the facts. (Sorry needed to make the reference lol)

For years I used organic feed, convinced it was way healthier, putting more faith in that organic label than anything else.

In 2023, I started thinking about some things. I'd lost multiple birds for no reason. Organic feed is $30 for a 40lb bag, while one feed place near me has normal feed as $14 for a 50lb bag (!)

So here's how the stats turned out for each batch of birds I got last year:

March: Got some chicks from tractor supply and my own incubator. Used ORGANIC feed. Lost about three in the first couple weeks.

April: Got some chicks from a hatchery. Used ORGANIC feed. Lost about four.

May: Got more chicks from a hatchery. Used NON-Organic feed. Lost zero.

June: Got some turkeys from a hatchery. Used NON-Organic feed. Lost zero.

July: Got more chicks from a hatchery. Used NON-Organic feed. Lost zero.

November: Got more chicks from a hatchery. I got some of those for my nephews and nieces for Christmas, and out of respect for my brother's wishes, I used ORGANIC feed. Lost one the very first day.

Not making this up a bit. I'm just saying... double price for less feed just cuz of your unquestioned faith in that "Organic" label, then you see the results... has convinced me that it's a subtle scam.

How does Organic feed vs non-organic feed for chickens affect the Egg quality?

The quality of your organic feed plays a big part in the health of your chickens, as mentioned by GarfieldGeorgia, their organic feed was of poor quality and they lost chicks. The organic feed I get comes directly from the farmers that grow and mill the feed themselves, it includes the required oyster shell or like product so the chickens get the nutrients and roughage they need. So I pay $32.50 for a 50 pound bag that includes everything they need and my chickens look amazing and produce incredible eggs. All of my friends that also have chickens have mentioned how wonderful and healthy my chickens look and these are friends that purchase their feed from Tractor Supply or other feed stores. I do give my chickens fresh aged veggies and fruits and sometimes I also give them grubs...they absolutely love these extras but their main diet is organic chicken feed. I like organic feed because I know what is going into my chickens and I also know the amount of protein that they are getting - unlike the snafu that happened previously with chicken feed being sold by certain stores that didn't have enough protein in them to allow chickens to produce any eggs.

 

[BGMatt]

Organic vs Not is less important than the actual nutrient content of the food. Many of your smaller "Organic" brands and recipes online were started and formulated by people who frankly do not have the nutrition degrees and experience needed to formulate a proper diet for poultry. There are exceptions of course. And as others have said, Organic doesn't mean less pesticides or fertilizer, they actually have to use more in a lot of cases and some of it is known much more toxic and worse for environment than the regular stuff (see copper sulfate amongst others).

With feed the proof is in pudding so to speak. Are your birds producing at what should be considered max efficiency for their genetics? How is their body and feather condition as well as other outward factors of health. Are they fertile? What is the hatch rate like? When you butcher what do the internal organs look like are they healthy? If growing out, what is their growth rate like? Are they reaching their full genetic potential as far as size and growth rate? I can tell you from decades of experience I saw a lot of really nicely bred birds with stunted growth and never reach their potential because they were fed poorly (and sometimes that poor feed was expensive organic stuff).

 

[Shadrach]

It really doesn't make any difference wether it's organic or not as far as egg production and growth are concerned. Good feed is about the nutritional profile, particularly the amino acid profile. I make the feed I give to the chickens at great expense I might add to support organic farming. The chickens don't care. If people are reporting changes in productivity from changing to organic, they are either mistaken, or the feed they were giving wasn't adequate.