Why is Purina feed "bad"?

[Nambroth]

Yep-- chicken feed. I am worried about the long-term health of my chickens (they are pets) and the long term health of the people that eat their eggs. If I was raising meat birds, I'd be concerned about the long term health of anyone that ate my birds as well.

That being said, I want to say that I respect that we are all different people with different concerns. We all pick our daily battles with issues ranging from food to transport to family problems. If chicken feed is at the bottom of your worries, there is nothing wrong with that. I am just explaining why I select my chicken feed so carefully.

 

[Rich386]

Ok now that we have all calmed down and have acknowledged the fact that we all have an opinion. I see a lot of negative comments but I have not seen any alternative suggestions. For the sake of argument lets say I agree with those that say certain feed is toxic. What should we be feeding our chickens?

 

[Nambroth]

I don't think it's necessarily toxic either, I am just concerned about some aspects, such as corn and soy, and GMOs... which is an argument that has been hashed back and forth on this forum in many other threads. It's okay if others are not concerned about them, but I find that I am, and so in my particular case I try to avoid them. To this end, I feed an organic feed, which may not (legally) contain GMOs as well as overall having far less if no pesticide and herbicide treatments applied. I go one step further and feed a mash that has no soy added to it.

This approach is more expensive, bluntly. If I were starving, it would hardly be a priority. I do notice that I go through a lot less of this higher quality food so the cost is not overall too much more, in the long run. If my birds live longer lives and continue to produce for me for longer periods because of it, perhaps it only costs me a little bit more. Time will tell!

Again these are personal choices and I don't think that folks that make other choices are "wrong" in the least. I am just explaining why some of us choose to avoid brands such as Purina, in a rational way.

Perhaps my fears are for nothing-- but at the end of the day all it has cost me is some extra money. If my concerns about GMO and soy turn out to be totally false, me nor my chickens are any worse off for my precautions.

 

[StoverCreek]

I thought it was "why is Purina feed bad"

I don't use their chicken feed because of all the problems with their other feeds.

 

[Camp Leader]

I just bought a bag of Purina Starter from another Back Yarder. Hope the girls like it and nothing magic happens, like they grow an extra wing or all turn into roosters. LOL

 

[Msmalarky]

I use Purina and my ladies seem to be doing fine. But I'm wondering whether Purina feeds use gmo grains. Anyone know?

 

[Fred's Hens]

I use Purina and my ladies seem to be doing fine. But I'm wondering whether Purina feeds use gmo grains. Anyone know?

It would seem they most assuredly do.

 

[Nambroth]

I use Purina and my ladies seem to be doing fine. But I'm wondering whether Purina feeds use gmo grains. Anyone know?

Unless otherwise specified, in the USA, animal feeds containing soy, corn, or canola are almost guaranteed to be GMO. If you look at the label you can see if there are any of these ingredients in your feed (most commercial chicken feeds contain soy and corn in large amounts). Large corporation animal feed producers will use the most cost effective grains to produce animal feed, and at this time those are going to be GMO grains and legumes. As of 2012, 88% of corn and 94% of soy grown in the USA was GMO (source).
If you are seeking a GMO free feed, you will need to look for one that is certified organic (may still have a small % of GMO cross-contaminated items) or certified by the non-GMO project.

I'm not arguing for or against GMO-- just letting you know that your Purina feed probably does contain a fair amount.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote: Around 90% of the corn and Soybeans grown in this country are "GMO"
If feed doesn't SAY "Organic", it most likely contains GMO corn or soy.

Lots of people have shown their "dislike" of Purina, but I haven't seen anyone give a LOGICAL explanation as to why the GRAIN used by Purina is any
different from the GRAIN used by their local mills

Don't you all realize it's the SAME GRAIN?

 

[Trefoil]

Mistakes happen. With whatever kind of feed you are using, if it smells bad, return it. I really didn't enjoy this topic, I'm in Michigan and it seems like everyone is paying less for their feed (same brands) than I am. The feed mills around me are selling the "brands" rather than mixing feed anymore and that is a loss. Most farmers have their own mills, which leaves the small chicken or livestock owner dependent on whatever brand is sold at the stores at whatever price they have decided on
.
Anyone that doubts the potential danger poised by these brands needs to do a little research. Start with Scotts birdfoood in the 2008-2011 time frame. For a couple of years they were using poison as a preservative, and they knew it. Then look up the pbb problem that brought down farm bureau, contaminated large swarths of land in Michigan, and,yes, killed people.