Non Gmo or Non Soy?

[Debbie292d]

You could still provide organic feed. Try a fence to contain your birds.

I understand all that. The post confused me by not considering organic feed because of what is grown nearby.

That wouldn't help anyway as I couldn't be selling organic eggs with two farmers next to us that are non-organic.

Besides, they've free-ranged their whole lives and get lots of bugs over there lol. I keep them in the coop days they spray their fields, but that's about it.

 

[Krux5506]

Regarding organic feed generally, feeds carrying the USDA Organic stamp of approval can (and generally do) include synthetic Methionine (appears as DL-Methionine on the label).

I've definitely wondered how all (or any for that matter) of the added vitamins/fortifiers would pass as "organic". the modesto milling feed i use does include DL-Methionine. I guess at some point, if someone needs that pure of a feed they ought to just be making their own.

 

[TaylorGlade]

I've definitely wondered how all (or any for that matter) of the added vitamins/fortifiers would pass as "organic". the modesto milling feed i use does include DL-Methionine. I guess at some point, if someone needs that pure of a feed they ought to just be making their own.

They do allow things that are difficult/impossible to get organically. We see this in human food as well. For example, organic gummy bears - gelatin doesn't have to be organic because of the difficulty in finding an organic source.

However, organic does mean that is not supposed to contain any GMO products. That's hard to maintain, as y'all have pointed out. However, we do have a better chance of getting non-gmo by purchasing organic or non-gmo labeled products than if we just throw it all to the wind.

I wish we had a local source for feed around here that didn't grown gmo. I would support them. However, I end up having to buy food from Chewy because it's the only place I can find it and - ironically - cheaper than TSC.

We wanted to order from a place in Ohio, but they require a one ton deliveries to even come to the area. Would love some options. I even looked at growing our own feed but that seems pretty intensive and we don't have enough land for it.

 

[Krux5506]

I wish we had a local source for feed around here that didn't grown gmo. I would support them. However, I end up having to buy food from Chewy because it's the only place I can find it and - ironically - cheaper than TSC

That's where I've been ordering too. Hard to beat their pricing when they offer promo codes - thats when I just stock up. If I had a decent local option I'd go that route, but I really don't have time to drive 2 hrs one way to get feed.

 

[Debbie292d]

That's where I've been ordering too. Hard to beat their pricing when they offer promo codes - thats when I just stock up. If I had a decent local option I'd go that route, but I really don't have time to drive 2 hrs one way to get feed.

It's only 15-minute drive for us, but we only get the horse bedding pellets at TSC. Besides chickens, we also have two macaw parrots, three cats, and two dogs, and when Chewy has sales and/or spend $100 and get a $30 gift certificate, they are sure hard to beat so I get the vast majority from them too.

 

[TaylorGlade]

It's only 15-minute drive for us, but we only get the horse bedding pellets at TSC. Besides chickens, we also have two macaw parrots, three cats, and two dogs, and when Chewy has sales and/or spend $100 and get a $30 gift certificate, they are sure hard to beat so I get the vast majority from them too.

Yep. We have 7 cats and 34 chickens. Chewy is a godsend

 

[Krux5506]

It's only 15-minute drive for us, but we only get the horse bedding pellets at TSC. Besides chickens, we also have two macaw parrots, three cats, and two dogs, and when Chewy has sales and/or spend $100 and get a $30 gift certificate, they are sure hard to beat so I get the vast majority from them too.

I'm actually in the midst of a battle with chewy because I've now received 4 shipments of moldy feed. 2 40lb bags of modesto soy free pellets in each shipment. Pretty ridiculous at this point. They send more without hassle but it's all GARBAGE! I've been refunded, but the only solution now is to try the crumble instead of pellets in hope that that stuff isn't water damaged/moldy. Definitely an issue at their warehouse, the bags are clearly water damaged upon receiving.

 

[TaylorGlade]

I'm actually in the midst of a battle with chewy because I've now received 4 shipments of moldy feed. 2 40lb bags of modesto soy free pellets in each shipment. Pretty ridiculous at this point. They send more without hassle but it's all GARBAGE! I've been refunded, but the only solution now is to try the crumble instead of pellets in hope that that stuff isn't water damaged/moldy. Definitely an issue at their warehouse, the bags are clearly water damaged upon receiving.

Wow. Never had that problem but we use crumble. Our cat food has always been fine. I hope they got that issue worked out

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I've definitely wondered how all (or any for that matter) of the added vitamins/fortifiers would pass as "organic". the modesto milling feed i use does include DL-Methionine. I guess at some point, if someone needs that pure of a feed they ought to just be making their own.

Minerals - calcium, salt, etc are excluded from the Organic/Not Organic distinction, by definition.

Making one's own feed is ALMOST ALWAYS a mistake, for a long, long, long list of reasons. And because there are no spectacular methionine sources in the plant world, a person who chose to make their own Organic feed at home would almost certainly produce a sub-par product. Even then, they will either have to make a processed plant "meal" with a byproduct of oil for other uses, or provide a quality organic methionine source - like organic porcine blood meal. Somehow, I think even an extreme chicken keeper is unlikely to bleed their pigs and dry the results to include as a powder in their poultry feed mix (great source of iron, as well!) The more common alternative is a heavy seed mix, which always results in too much fat, and missing your MKE targets. Insect proteins are a middle ground satisfying none, though there are some commercial efforts (Grubblies, for example) trying to make a go at it, their insect inclusion rates seem rather low and they aren't making high protein feeds.

Now that I'm not at work, usda organic and methionine Only 15 pages, quick read.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

They do allow things that are difficult/impossible to get organically. We see this in human food as well. For example, organic gummy bears - gelatin doesn't have to be organic because of the difficulty in finding an organic source.

However, organic does mean that is not supposed to contain any GMO products. That's hard to maintain, as y'all have pointed out. However, we do have a better chance of getting non-gmo by purchasing organic or non-gmo labeled products than if we just throw it all to the wind.

I wish we had a local source for feed around here that didn't grown gmo. I would support them. However, I end up having to buy food from Chewy because it's the only place I can find it and - ironically - cheaper than TSC.

We wanted to order from a place in Ohio, but they require a one ton deliveries to even come to the area. Would love some options. I even looked at growing our own feed but that seems pretty intensive and we don't have enough land for it.

Check your mom and pop feed stores. Tucker Milling is a local in the area, they produce some reasonably priced non-GMO stuff (though not a huge product line). I've used it myself and was satisfied, but not thrilled, with the product.

Not sure where in the Panhandle you are located, but I've picked it up in a couple places.