corn fed

[Buster52]

Quote:
Studies on factory farmed X birds (which I assume were not fed cheap feed) show more than 70% with some form of physical damage (including heart failure) due largely to their rapid growth and genetics.

Blame it on the grower if you wish, but the problem lies with the birds.

 

[uhuh555]

These Mega farms do use the cheapest blends. They figure they can loss up to 25% and still turn a tidy profit. When we first started we would drive 60 miles to Zeeland, Michigan to get the same feed one of these "Mega" farms used, thinking it was good. When we sent 3-5 pound samples to New Jersey Feed Lab for testing; it did not meet the industries basic standards for vitamins or minerals. They diluted with corn, soy, and fish additives—the heavy metals (namely mercury) were near dangerous levels but were within Federal Standard for animal feed. They operate like most companies do-profit first.

We had a grain mill here in Hastings, Michigan that would custom mix feeds; they went out of business due to inconsistent blending. Friends bought their layer (at $.075 per pound) for their 1000 ISA Brown hen egg operation; the hens stopped lying within days of their second batch from them. It cost them thousands of dollars in lost labor and revenues. It turned out to be only ground corn with a sprinkling of soy bean. The protein tested out at 7%. It was within a few weeks the mill went out of business.

That is why we grow and mix our own feeds.

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

Quote:
Mega farms do NOT, I repeat do NOT simply use the cheapest blends. There are extensive research trials in the the optimum combination of nutrients and profit. It would be fool hardy for them to feed deficient rations given the monetary investment they have in the birds, personnel, and buildings.

I prefer to have animal protein in my bird feeds, but they are too expensive for commercial flocks to use. I also like to have botanical extracts and direct fed microbials in my chicken feeds, in commercial rations the return on investment is not enough to justify feeding them, especially in broilers.

Demonizing the "mega farms" is easy, but don't do it at the expense of the truth.

Jim

 

[seedcorn]

Welcome back Jim...........