Organic Non GMO Wholesome Feed?

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Corn, if it's organic, is okay for cooler weather. I try to avoid this starchy product during the hotter seasons. I hold down the sunflower seeds during the hotter seasons too.
 
tigger19687 said:
Organic IS Non-GMO (has to be in order to be CERTIFIED Organic).
I feed New Country Organic, NON-Soy. Corn is ok and it is NOT the 1st ingredient so I am ok with that. It also has a LOT of good stuff in there that other Organics don't have.
Igredient list http://www.newcountryorganics.com/s...d/grower-broiler-50-pounds.html#product-tabs2

It FF's Very well too
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I use New Country Organic also. I was using another feed that was Non-GMO, Non-soy and assumed it was organic until I met the folks at New Country Organic at the Mother Earth Fair. Found out there non-GMO, non-soy doesn't mean they don't spray. Organic means it has to be non-GMO and they cannot spray pesticides. However, my one complaint. I buy the Whole grain but I don't like the corn. I also buy the layer feed with no corn and then I mix both. After reading articles on fermentation, I am going to start fermenting my whole grain mix. But I too like to reserve corn for only winter months so they can keep their bodies heated. But New Country Organic will make your own mix if you want. Not sure how much they charge for that but they did tell me they would make a mixture for me if i didn't like their food.
 
Leighe said:
I use New Country Organic also. I was using another feed that was Non-GMO, Non-soy and assumed it was organic until I met the folks at New Country Organic at the Mother Earth Fair. Found out there non-GMO, non-soy doesn't mean they don't spray. Organic means it has to be non-GMO and they cannot spray pesticides. However, my one complaint. I buy the Whole grain but I don't like the corn. I also buy the layer feed with no corn and then I mix both. After reading articles on fermentation, I am going to start fermenting my whole grain mix. But I too like to reserve corn for only winter months so they can keep their bodies heated. But New Country Organic will make your own mix if you want. Not sure how much they charge for that but they did tell me they would make a mixture for me if i didn't like their food.
Click to expand...

Organic is a tough cookie to identify to my specifications. To start with, organic is okay since it SHOULD mean no pesticides. For gardening I use OMRI-certified products because my hens dig through my veggie garden beds. I like to make sure my chicken feed specifies non-GMO, no corn/no soy in addition to the "organic" label, since I don't rely on the "organic" verbage by itself to mean what I want it to mean.

I've noticed from reading the BYC posts that different areas of the USA have different local organic feed products and each owner has to research his area for his best feed choice. Just in Calif depending on whether you are Northern or Southern there are so many different organic feed mills to choose from.

For myself, I've chosen not to ferment feed since the one I get has too many different size pieces and powders in it, plus I've read that the B vitamins change composition during fermentation so I don't bother with it. You have to be so careful about bacteria, keeping the mix only a certain number of hours, etc, and frankly I'm too lazy to be that fastidious. I've got hens going on 6 and 7 yrs old so I figure I must've done something right along the way - teehee!
 
Sylvester017 said:
Organic is a tough cookie to identify to my specifications. To start with, organic is okay since it SHOULD mean no pesticides. For gardening I use OMRI-certified products because my hens dig through my veggie garden beds. I like to make sure my chicken feed specifies non-GMO, no corn/no soy in addition to the "organic" label, since I don't rely on the "organic" verbage by itself to mean what I want it to mean.

I've noticed from reading the BYC posts that different areas of the USA have different local organic feed products and each owner has to research his area for his best feed choice. Just in Calif depending on whether you are Northern or Southern there are so many different organic feed mills to choose from.

For myself, I've chosen not to ferment feed since the one I get has too many different size pieces and powders in it, plus I've read that the B vitamins change composition during fermentation so I don't bother with it. You have to be so careful about bacteria, keeping the mix only a certain number of hours, etc, and frankly I'm too lazy to be that fastidious. I've got hens going on 6 and 7 yrs old so I figure I must've done something right along the way - teehee!
Click to expand...

I've gotta go find the article on fermenting. Every reason you are giving is exactly opposite of what fermenting's about and its just about the easiest thing for us lazy folks, lol. Let me see if i can rustle up that link....
 
Sylvester017 said:
Organic is a tough cookie to identify to my specifications. To start with, organic is okay since it SHOULD mean no pesticides. For gardening I use OMRI-certified products because my hens dig through my veggie garden beds. I like to make sure my chicken feed specifies non-GMO, no corn/no soy in addition to the "organic" label, since I don't rely on the "organic" verbage by itself to mean what I want it to mean.

I've noticed from reading the BYC posts that different areas of the USA have different local organic feed products and each owner has to research his area for his best feed choice. Just in Calif depending on whether you are Northern or Southern there are so many different organic feed mills to choose from.

For myself, I've chosen not to ferment feed since the one I get has too many different size pieces and powders in it, plus I've read that the B vitamins change composition during fermentation so I don't bother with it. You have to be so careful about bacteria, keeping the mix only a certain number of hours, etc, and frankly I'm too lazy to be that fastidious. I've got hens going on 6 and 7 yrs old so I figure I must've done something right along the way - teehee!
Click to expand...

Okay, it was in the signature of @lazy gardener and I was scared to "ferment". Read the article and went....crap....I can do that! https://tikktok.wordpress.com/2014/04/13/fermented-feed-faq/
 
@Sylvester017 All I meant was that in order for it to be USDA Certified Organic, it HAS to be NON-GMO and no use of pesticides not allowed by Organic. and USDA Cert Organic is what all the states have to go by anyway. I believe states, if they want, can add more but they can not add less.
Not wure I like that OMRI-certified thing you listed. They don't come and see your production, LOTS of Fees.

FF is good and I am wondering wwhat B vit you are talking about that changes ?
 
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I'm too lazy and have very little room to set up a fermenting process since a lot of my space is taken up sprouting seeds for my little flock but I posted the following quote from the Breda page from a person who's been breeding peacocks, guinea keets, ducks, geese, gamebirds, and multiple chicken breeds for many years -- if it helps anyone:

"I got my originals from a few different places, Greenfire and a couple of other breeders who had assisted in importing them. There were only a handful of pure Bredas left in the world, and thanks to Greenfire and some of their constituents they imported eggs and birds in from several of these small flocks.
I totally disagree with the use of garlic for chickens. Yes for us it is beneficial but it is not safe for chickens because it will kill out the necessary beneficial gut bacteria.
The other thing you mention is referring to fermented feed. There's a few steps left out here. I used to use fermented feed but it is a lot of work and very messy. It just became totally impractical with the number of birds I have.
When mixing fermented feed you need at least 2 or 3 days worth to start your culture. I always used some apple cider vinegar in mine to get the culture going. You fill your container with water until after soaking up the feed you still have a small amount of water sitting on the top to protect it from bacteria. You MUST stir it to begin with and stir it every day. Each day as you remove feed you add more water and more feed. Be sure to keep the sides clean as well. If it starts to mold you have to toss it and start over. It's much like using a bread starter. You have to keep the fermenting process going to make it work. Once it is ready to use it almost smells sweet. You will learn to recognize that smell. And also any that doesn't smell good. It has to be kept warm. We have extremely cold winters here and I had to keep my fermented feed in a heated area. At the same time you don't want it to get too hot either cause that can destroy it. It needs some air to breath but you certainly don't want to risk having flies or gnats in it. That is another thing that will ruin it. I used to set a lid on it but leave it ajar so the air could still get in. It does increase protein and the birds actually end up eating less after a while. Because of all the additional flora it stops the chicken poop from smelling bad and if you butcher roosters they also don't stink like normal. It makes their feathers shiny and healthy. It really is great if you can manage the mess and the work.
I would do so today but I was mixing a 55 gallon barrel of it each day and it became to heavy to stir or manage. I feed at least 150 pounds of dry feed a day, and the fermented feed was over double that because of the water volume. It was just too much work.
The other caution is to never use this feed with metal containers. It will cause the galvanized surface to slough off and poison your birds. And the other thing is that you feed only what they will eat. No free choice food cause it will go bad if not changed daily.
I'd recommend you try it rooster but do some research on it before hand so you know what you are doing for sure."
 

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