- Nov 10, 2013
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My local store just started selling this. Is it a good feed for roosters and layers? I have no idea how to tell. Cost is $13 per 50 lb. bag.
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Is this a good non-GMO feed?
- Thread starter Mtnmomma3
- Start date
The simple truth of it is we can't buy all these supplemental feeds for our chickens. Yes, I know about them, I've seen them. We can barely feed ourselves on a military pension. That's the long and short of it. I free range my birds on mountain property, hoping they will find enough natural forage to supplement the feed itself. in winter, that's a bit more difficult.
Overall, I have healthy flocks with long lived birds (after the hatchery genetics have left the building). I have 6, 7 & 8 year old hens laying. I do what I can. I do not care about organic, frankly. I just don't care, for me or my birds, and even if I did, I could not afford it anyway. I bought some organic minced garlic in a squeeze tube the other day for my birds, only because it wasn't much different from the non-organic package, but I do only those few-and-far-between spot buys like that. I bypassed bags of organic apples for those non organic due to price considerations. That's what we must do to live around here. So, if I do that for myself, well, the birds already get a huge chunk of my food budget and we can't eke out anymore for them. As it is, we're allowing their numbers to dwindle over time through attrition because of cost of keeping this many around. We may have to buy nasty grocery store eggs occasionally, but we can't continue to feed large numbers of birds anymore just to insure we never run out of eggs.
I buy the best quality feed I can find in my area on my budget. As it is, I spend more on my 40+ birds than I do on my husband and me, trying to keep them eating well and their coops clean and dry. @Michael Apple, I am concerned that feed based on only wheat and fish meal would encourage enteritis, if that is the case. I am grateful for that information, thank you. Since the 22% Super Layer has come down in price now, about the same price as the non-GMO from Tucker Milling, I think I paid $13.25 for that last bag of 22%, I will probably be buying that for awhile. It contains porcine animal protein and they seem to do well on those feeds. With the molt and winter approaching, seems prudent to up the protein now.
Mtnmomma3, I hope you gleaned the information you needed from the replies here. I would be concerned about there not being any corn at all in the Tucker Milling Non-GMO feed, if what Michael says (and he provides links for backup) is true about the enteritis concerns with wheat-and-fish-meal based feeds. I bought a bag, it smelled good and the pellets are wonderful like all their mini pellets, not dusty at all, etc. I do wish they had done a little better on the ingredients, though for a basic non Gmo feed, they have kept the price low; the price is possibly low because they didn't formulate it with non-GMO corn but wheat instead? Though TM usually has good prices anyway.
Overall, I have healthy flocks with long lived birds (after the hatchery genetics have left the building). I have 6, 7 & 8 year old hens laying. I do what I can. I do not care about organic, frankly. I just don't care, for me or my birds, and even if I did, I could not afford it anyway. I bought some organic minced garlic in a squeeze tube the other day for my birds, only because it wasn't much different from the non-organic package, but I do only those few-and-far-between spot buys like that. I bypassed bags of organic apples for those non organic due to price considerations. That's what we must do to live around here. So, if I do that for myself, well, the birds already get a huge chunk of my food budget and we can't eke out anymore for them. As it is, we're allowing their numbers to dwindle over time through attrition because of cost of keeping this many around. We may have to buy nasty grocery store eggs occasionally, but we can't continue to feed large numbers of birds anymore just to insure we never run out of eggs.
I buy the best quality feed I can find in my area on my budget. As it is, I spend more on my 40+ birds than I do on my husband and me, trying to keep them eating well and their coops clean and dry. @Michael Apple, I am concerned that feed based on only wheat and fish meal would encourage enteritis, if that is the case. I am grateful for that information, thank you. Since the 22% Super Layer has come down in price now, about the same price as the non-GMO from Tucker Milling, I think I paid $13.25 for that last bag of 22%, I will probably be buying that for awhile. It contains porcine animal protein and they seem to do well on those feeds. With the molt and winter approaching, seems prudent to up the protein now.
Mtnmomma3, I hope you gleaned the information you needed from the replies here. I would be concerned about there not being any corn at all in the Tucker Milling Non-GMO feed, if what Michael says (and he provides links for backup) is true about the enteritis concerns with wheat-and-fish-meal based feeds. I bought a bag, it smelled good and the pellets are wonderful like all their mini pellets, not dusty at all, etc. I do wish they had done a little better on the ingredients, though for a basic non Gmo feed, they have kept the price low; the price is possibly low because they didn't formulate it with non-GMO corn but wheat instead? Though TM usually has good prices anyway.
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Should I be caring more about my chickens health? Because I often buy the cheaper stuff!
The cheapest isn't usually the best and the most expensive doesn't mean it is best. I've seen rations which were expensive, but preferred an ingredient list of something else a few dollars cheaper. When birds are active, muscular and not skinny, have bright red combs and glossy feathering, good egg quality, they are benefiting from adequate nutrients.
My local store just started selling this. Is it a good feed for roosters and layers? I have no idea how to tell. Cost is $13 per 50 lb. bag.
It's a little lower in protein than I prefer (I like 20%) - but is sufficient on that count. It does not show a calcium content breakdown, is not labeled as a layer ration and does suggest supplemental calcium - so my presumption would be that it has minimal calcium content and *should* be safe for all flock members - but that does make offering that extra calcium for your actively laying birds very important. You could contact the milling company and ask what the calcium content is just to be sure (I probably would)
http://www.tuckermilling.com/nongmo.html
^ Here is the Web page with some supplemental info about this particular feed.
It adds at the bottom to make sure and include free-choice calcium for your laying hens, so no worries about feeding it to your entire flock.
I agree with Ol Grey Mare that 16% is the absolute lowest of the low range when it comes to feeding your featherkids protein. Personally, I would track down a soy- and corn-free grower/finisher ration around 18 - 20% and offer calcium free-choice. I have mixed ages of both roosters and hens, and the extra protein is good for the ones growing, doesn't bother the adult birds, and the hens have access to all the calcium they need.
Food for thought!
MrsB
^ Here is the Web page with some supplemental info about this particular feed.
It adds at the bottom to make sure and include free-choice calcium for your laying hens, so no worries about feeding it to your entire flock.
I agree with Ol Grey Mare that 16% is the absolute lowest of the low range when it comes to feeding your featherkids protein. Personally, I would track down a soy- and corn-free grower/finisher ration around 18 - 20% and offer calcium free-choice. I have mixed ages of both roosters and hens, and the extra protein is good for the ones growing, doesn't bother the adult birds, and the hens have access to all the calcium they need.
Food for thought!
MrsB
I am feeding it right now. It is adequate and a good all-round feed for mixed ages and sexes, however, it is a bit low on the protein side for a molting flock. It is like feeding grower and having to add calcium, though the protein percentage is at the layer percentage, not the grower. For the price, you can't beat it, IMO. It really depends on why you're feeding it and who you are feeding.
I bought a bag of their 22% super layer to add in with the non GMO feed because I have a bunch of molting birds who need to gain some weight. I am a proponent of Tucker Milling feeds, generally. They still have animal protein in them, which I love, and they smell fresh, not like chemicals as some do.
I bought a bag of their 22% super layer to add in with the non GMO feed because I have a bunch of molting birds who need to gain some weight. I am a proponent of Tucker Milling feeds, generally. They still have animal protein in them, which I love, and they smell fresh, not like chemicals as some do.
My local store just started selling this. Is it a good feed for roosters and layers? I have no idea how to tell. Cost is $13 per 50 lb. bag.
No, that is not good quality. You could do worse, but you could also find a much better ration. Wheat is the first ingredient, then fish meal. Diets high in wheat and fish meal are known to cause immuno- deficiency problems resulting in enteritis.
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/6/diseases-of-poultry/184/necrotic-enteritis
Black oil sunflower does not offer much for nutrition either. Non-GMO is a label meant to sell a product. It doesn't mean it is organic (even USDA certifications are not truly organic). If you look at feed tags such as the ones I'm about to show, you'll see the difference in ingredients for a base diet:
http://www.modestomilling.com/poultry.html
http://king-brand.com/new/index.php...category_id=79&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=6
KING BRAND
ORGANIC POULTRY
LAYER CRUMBLES
______________________________________________________________________________________
GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
Crude Protein, not less than....17.0%
Lysine, not more than....................0.7%
Methionine, not less than.............0.3%
Crude Fat, not less than................2.5%
Crude Fiber, not more than..........5.0%
Ash, not more than........................15.0%
Calcium, not less than.................3.5%
Calcium, not more than............. 4.0%
Phosphorus, not less than.........0.5%
Sodium, not more than.................0.3%
_________________________________________________________________________________
INGREDIENTS
Organic Corn, Organic Soybean Meal, Organic Wheat, Ground Limestone, Organic Flaxseed, Monocalcium &
DicalciumPhosphate, Diatomaceous Earth, Mineral Sea Salt (Redmond), DL Methionine,
Hydrolyzed Yeast,Brewers Dried Yeast, Calcium Carbonate, Organic
Garlic Granules, Organic Horseradish Powder, Organic Star
Anise Oil, Organic Juniper Berry Oil, Reed Sedge Peat, Cal
cium Bentonite, Choline Chloride, Manganese
Oxide, Niacin Supplement, Zinc Oxide, Vitamin E Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, D
-Calcium Pantothenate,Vitamin A Supplement, D
-Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement, Tribasic Copper Chloride, Vitamin B-12 Supplement,
Vitamin D3 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Menadione Dimethyl Pyrimidinol Bisulfate (Source of
Vitamin K activity), Ethylene Diamine Dihydroiodide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite.
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Michael makes the point that just because something says non-gmo does not mean organic. Some folks seem to equate the two things.
Interestingly enough, sort of off topic,Tucker Milling also has a formulation that is supposed to be specifically for free range flocks that is even less protein, 15%. Not sure why that would be something anyone would feed, even free ranging their birds on lush property, no idea the reasoning behind it and it has no animal protein at all as their other feeds do.
Here is the information on that feed:
Quote:
I just want to find a good feed that is less than $14/ 50# that does NOT have calcium and does have adequate protein levels, other than chick starter. Locales have a lot to do with what we have to feed our birds!
Interestingly enough, sort of off topic,Tucker Milling also has a formulation that is supposed to be specifically for free range flocks that is even less protein, 15%. Not sure why that would be something anyone would feed, even free ranging their birds on lush property, no idea the reasoning behind it and it has no animal protein at all as their other feeds do.
Here is the information on that feed:
Quote:
I just want to find a good feed that is less than $14/ 50# that does NOT have calcium and does have adequate protein levels, other than chick starter. Locales have a lot to do with what we have to feed our birds!
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We got into the GMO talk on another thread. It got shut down so I'm afraid to get involved in this again.
Lord have mercy, some topics can be worse than religion and politics.
Lord have mercy, some topics can be worse than religion and politics.
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