Can't find organic chick starter locally! UGH!

[ChickensAreSweet]

I buy my organic feed from Azure Standard. Basically it is like a once a month food coop that gets you whole foods type products/produce/household supplies for a much cheaper price. They have routes all over the country, you should see if they have one near you. I absolutely love them! You have to log into an account to see the prices.

http://www.azurestandard.com/

My question is should I buy the regular organic or corn/soy free?

You should try both to see which one you like the best. I have found that my birds gain weight better and lay better with some organic soy. I tried soy free for awhile (mixing my own feed with peas, sun. seeds, flax seeds, and pumpkin seeds for protein). If you feed a lot of meat scraps or raw milk from your goats or cows then you wouldn't need soy in my opinion. Now I mix 1/3 organic chick starter (soy, corn) with 2/3 of my own mixed grains and seeds and LOVE the results in my chickens.

Everyone has their opinions but that is mine LOL.

 

[Nambroth]

I buy my organic feed from Azure Standard. Basically it is like a once a month food coop that gets you whole foods type products/produce/household supplies for a much cheaper price. They have routes all over the country, you should see if they have one near you. I absolutely love them! You have to log into an account to see the prices.

http://www.azurestandard.com/

My question is should I buy the regular organic or corn/soy free?

This is a really personal choice, and there isn't a wrong answer. Studies have shown that soy proteins CAN be passed through the egg, so if you or anyone you know has a soy allergy, the soy-free might be a good choice. Otherwise research and see how you feel about soy and corn. There are as many opinions out there as can be, so it's really something you will have to decide for yourself.
I feed soy-free (countryside) and let them range for insects in the summer and feed meat scraps in the winter and do not have problems but that is only my anecdotal experience.

 

[ShadyHillFarm]

I buy my organic feed from Azure Standard. Basically it is like a once a month food coop that gets you whole foods type products/produce/household supplies for a much cheaper price. They have routes all over the country, you should see if they have one near you. I absolutely love them! You have to log into an account to see the prices.

http://www.azurestandard.com/

My question is should I buy the regular organic or corn/soy free?

I looked into them, but I don't think they have any drops in Georgia yet. The closest thing I saw was Tennessee.

 

[beccaporter]

Call them. They seem to add new drops daily.

 

[ShadyHillFarm]

Call them. They seem to add new drops daily.

will do!

 

[ShadyHillFarm]

Called and there are no routes in the gulf states as of yet. They said they're doing some studies for the area to see, but it could be a few years before any routes get added. Closest is Knoxville Tennessee.

 

[beccaporter]

I'm in Louisiana, they must not extend that far east. You could order non-perishable stuff via UPS, but I don't know how much shipping is.

 

[Nambroth]

I pay about $16 for UPS shipping on a 50lb bag of feed from VA to NY. People think I'm nuts but it's worth it to me. It lasts my 7 birds (was 8) nearly 2 months. I am thinking the higher quality means they need to eat less? They are all very healthy weights.
If you can find others locally to split an order, it's cheaper to buy a pallet's worth at once, for shipping. I don't know anyone else around here that keeps chickens though so I have to buy one bag at a time. It would spoil long before I could use an entire pallet myself.

 

[ShadyHillFarm]

I pay about $16 for UPS shipping on a 50lb bag of feed from VA to NY. People think I'm nuts but it's worth it to me. It lasts my 7 birds (was 8) nearly 2 months. I am thinking the higher quality means they need to eat less? They are all very healthy weights.
If you can find others locally to split an order, it's cheaper to buy a pallet's worth at once, for shipping. I don't know anyone else around here that keeps chickens though so I have to buy one bag at a time. It would spoil long before I could use an entire pallet myself.

It cost me $18, but I went ahead and got a 50lb bag of the Countryside. I'm going to contact a few of my local feed places and see if they couldn't stock it, so as maybe to get it cheaper.

 

[Nambroth]

It cost me $18, but I went ahead and got a 50lb bag of the Countryside. I'm going to contact a few of my local feed places and see if they couldn't stock it, so as maybe to get it cheaper.

Good luck to you, genuinely! My local feed shop looks at me as if I've grown two heads when I ask if they'd consider carrying it. Our area is economically depressed and I doubt many people would consider paying more for chicken feed.