What do you pay for your organic feed?

[Jewelwing]

So please forgive me. But I am new to the NYC and I have to ask, why no soy produces? A lady in my office says she feeds her chicken everything bit egg shells. She says that is because they might start to eat their own eggs. And is really okay to feed chicken scrambled eggs? Seems kinda Hanable Lecterish to me.

It is absolutely OK to feed chickens both scrambled eggs and egg shells. It will not make them start to eat their own eggs, if you cook the shells.

I just wait until I have a bunch of shells, pop them in a 200* oven for about 1/2 hr, and then crush them with my fingers until they're about the size of the oyster shell bits you can buy. It's a really good way to recycle the calcium and let them use it again, and they love the shells.

I haven't given them shells with raw whites still inside, and my chickens have never tried to eat their own eggs, even when one of them lays one while sitting on the roost and it breaks when it hits.

Soy will be GMO so some people like to avoid that.

Not organic soy, at least not very much (see below).

Even some organic soy has been contaminated via cross pollination with GMO soy, but there's no way to tell without expensive lab testing.

The main difference between GMO soy and non-GMO soy is that the GMO has been modified to withstand a TON of the herbicide Roundup (glyphosate). So when GMO soy is grown, it is liberally sprayed with this toxic chemical, which then ends up in the plant. When you eat GMO soy (and corn), you are also eating Roundup. Glyphosate is a known estrogenic compound (mimics estrogen in humans, making our bodies respond as if we had higher levels of estrogen), which is where the main health consequences of ingesting Roundup come from.

Even though some organic soy fields have been contaminated with the GMO strain, farmers that grow organic soy do not use Roundup, so even though there is some GMO soy in the product, there is no glyphosate in the food the chickens (and you) are eating.

That's why I choose organic - to avoid feeding pesticides & herbicides to my family.

 

[Feed Guy]

If I may add a comment to this conversation, I have owned and operated a small certified organic feed mill in northern IL and have recently built a second mill south of Des Moines, IA doing nothing but certified organic feed since starting in 2005.
On the subject of organic feed prices, there is a great variation prices and qualities on the market. We sell layer feed for $22 for 50lbs, broiler grower @ $23 for 50lbs and chick starter for $24 for 50lbs. This is not going to be soy free for you that desire that but is a tried and true feed that will perform. We do have testing equipment and are testing to keep our feed under GMO levels set by the NON GMO Project.
We are a small family operated business and have not advertised much over the years. We do not ship much but if there would be a demand for it we would consider that. We have a website under construction and you can get our basic contact info there. yorktownorganic .com

 

[ladyearth]

cwalsh 2

you mean 1200 lbs. or 120 lb.......? $80 wow I paid at a little Amish mill paid $15 for 25 lbs...... just few weeks ago
thanks

 

[tfb4me]

I managed to track down a family farm thats not too far outside Brantford into Organic Feed for Hens,turkeys pigs and cattle.
But for the Laying Hens i snagged a 50lb bag for $21.00 .

Yes ISADREW you are right at that price, I use it too..however after reading other posts id like to add that the feed is certified organic here in Canada but it has corn and soy in it. It would have to be organic..Now what interests me is why does this seem to be an issue with others in here? What does corn and soy do to the birds? Why do so many steer away from it?

 

[Jewelwing]

Yes ISADREW you are right at that price, I use it too..however after reading other posts id like to add that the feed is certified organic here in Canada but it has corn and soy in it. It would have to be organic..Now what interests me is why does this seem to be an issue with others in here? What does corn and soy do to the birds? Why do so many steer away from it?

I think it's because almost all corn and soy produced in the US is GMO. Of course you're right - if it's organic, that's not an issue.

But soy also has other potential problems - both impacting chickens and the people who eat them and their eggs. When it's used in chicken feed, it's usually the main protein source, so that food generally does not contain an animal source protein (like fish meal). I've heard it's important for chickens to have animal protein, so maybe feeds with soy are avoided for that reason.

The health impact on people of feeding soy to chickens is that it ends up in their eggs (and I assume their meat? - I don't eat our chickens). Some people are allergic to soy, so that would obviously be a problem. But also, soy contains estrogenic compounds, and I think the jury is still out as to whether these specific compounds contribute to all the estrogen-related problems that are so common today: hypothyroidism, early puberty in girls, and lower testosterone levels in men. Limiting the amount of soy in our diet then seems like maybe a good thing to do.

That said, I feed my family tofu and edamame beans, so maybe soy in the chicken feed (as long as it's organic) shouldn't be my biggest worry!

 

[tfb4me]

I think it's because almost all corn and soy produced in the US is GMO. Of course you're right - if it's organic, that's not an issue.

But soy also has other potential problems - both impacting chickens and the people who eat them and their eggs. When it's used in chicken feed, it's usually the main protein source, so that food generally does not contain an animal source protein (like fish meal). I've heard it's important for chickens to have animal protein, so maybe feeds with soy are avoided for that reason.

The health impact on people of feeding soy to chickens is that it ends up in their eggs (and I assume their meat? - I don't eat our chickens). Some people are allergic to soy, so that would obviously be a problem. But also, soy contains estrogenic compounds, and I think the jury is still out as to whether these specific compounds contribute to all the estrogen-related problems that are so common today: hypothyroidism, early puberty in girls, and lower testosterone levels in men. Limiting the amount of soy in our diet then seems like maybe a good thing to do.

That said, I feed my family tofu and edamame beans, so maybe soy in the chicken feed (as long as it's organic) shouldn't be my biggest worry!

Awesome well written and thought out reply..Love this place..As for now I will continue to use the Organic feed with Soy and corn as finding someone else without it may be next to impossible..

 

[Jewelwing]

Awesome well written and thought out reply..Love this place..As for now I will continue to use the Organic feed with Soy and corn as finding someone else without it may be next to impossible..

Thanks!

I would do the same. I wish I could find a local source of organic feed so I wouldn't have to keep paying shipping costs! Makes my 50lb bag over twice what yours costs!

 

[autumnhearth]

For us it came down to Scratch n Peck, Hiland Naturals or Countryside Organics. Although we are in Ohio there is not a store nearby that carries Hiland feeds, closest is over an hour and a half away, their shipping and feed is more expensive than CO and the ingredient list is not as good- soy or corn first, as opposed to field peas first and they never got back to me after the two emails I sent asking about their different lines and about custom blends.

I love Scratch n Peck as a company but the shipping is way too much for us across the country. We ordered a 10 lb bag of their chick starter to mix in with the organic feed that I picked up at nearby nursery that has chicks and supplies. We love the sweet smell of it, its like sugar snap peas and even makes their dropping smell better, which is a major plus as they are still living in the house. A 25lb bag of grower feed with shipping works out to be about the same from SnP and CO $20-22 and $13-14 shipping. BUT when you get to 50 lb I would have to order two 25 lb bags from SnP for $44 plus $31 shipping for a total of $75. Whereas CO has a 50lb for $29 (significant savings when you by more) and only $17 shipping to Ohio so I ended up paying $47.

So I'd recommend West Coast folks order from Scratch n Peck and East to Eastern Midwest people go with Countryside Organics unless of course you have something better locally. Not quite as cheap as getting the organic feed at our local nursery, I think it was $38, but the brand they carry, CFS has a major lack of transparency, no ingredients on the bag and the website just says "Corn, Soy, Calcium and Special House Premix" yeah... though I just noticed they have a no-soy option with corn, wheat, peas, alfalfa, crab and fish meal, still, they are out of Wisconsin not any more local than Virginia.

Eventually we would like to find local organic grains and mix our own (and down the road when we have land grow our own) but for now we feel pretty good going with Countryside Organics, one thing I haven't found out yet is if their layer feed is whole grains, I assume the starter and broiler/grower is crumble. I would prefer the whole grains which is something I like about SnP, I did see that CO sells 50lb bags of most of their grains individually which is cool but not so affordable for us here and now.

 

[ElCerritoPlace]

I paid 28 for a 50lb bag of non soy organic at our feed store. Then found a mill about 1hr away that does organic feed. Not sure what their soy free organic rate is but the straight organic feed is $19 per 50lb bag. Thats only a few bucks more then what I pay for regular pellet feed ($15-17 per 50lb).

 

[Summre]

Our current suggested retail for Organic Soy-Free Layer Pellets is $24.30 (In the northeast).

Do you have a list of places in PA that carries your feed?