Corn FREE Feed and Soy FREE Feed (STARTER?)

[GinaNew York]

here is a good article on research on soy and chickens/eggs - she confirms what Dr. Dodd says about how it affects the thyroid http://www.phoenixorganicfeed.com/why-no-soy.html

 

[VeggieGoneEggie]

In order to be certified organic it must be non-gmo. The biggest issue I see with soy is how it's processed. No matter how good the process, chemically processed soy leave trace amounts of chemicals that I don't want in my feed. This is why I prefer cracking whole roasted soy (also whole lasts longer at the mill). Expeller processed is fine but has a really short shelf life and of course some are whole fat, while others are no fat and probably every variation in between.

Interesting. Do you see problems with organic corn as well because of however it's processed?

 

[VeggieGoneEggie]

Sadly, the research I've read, including Dr. Dodd's book https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ca...MIk8mv19iC2AIVRBobCh3CNAd8EAQYASABEgJ-__D_BwE have found serious issues with soy and the thyroid and effects on the body. this is a great read for anyone interested in how food affects us at the most basic cellular level and how soy is affecting this generation of human children through food

my preference is always to try and find out where the grains in a food are grown and how - organic should mean non-gmo but doesn't always

here is a good article on research on soy and chickens/eggs - she confirms what Dr. Dodd says about how it affects the thyroid http://www.phoenixorganicfeed.com/why-no-soy.html

Thanks for sharing those links. Personally, I am still not convinced based on what the modern scientific/medical community is saying. Soy does appear to cause potential problems in people with thyroid issues, but there also appears to be a lot of good, too.

Here's an article that kind of runs down the history of soy over the decades: http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/07/health/soy-foods-history-cancer-where-do-we-stand-explainer/index.html
And a little piece on WedMD: https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/how-good-is-soy#1

(One of those articles mentioned that 80% (!!!) of soy grown in the U.S. is used for animal feed. That's insane! Ha! People like to joke that vegetarians eating tofu is why rainforests are being cut down to grown soy, but it's mostly for the cows!!! Haha that was pretty surprising!)

BUT to your point, regardless, I like the idea of knowing what I'm consuming, and I totally hadn't thought about the nutrients/impacts of soy (and probably all the other ingredients too, huh?) that make their way into the eggs that we consume. Definitely food for thought.

Makes me want to just make my own chicken feed like I've heard of others doing, but I have no idea where to get the ingredients!

 

[rjohns39]

Interesting. Do you see problems with organic corn as well because of however it's processed?

No. Corn is generally mechanically shucked and then cracked or ground mechanically.

When it comes to my feed, I try to get to know the farmers who grow the ingredients and I like to know who their neighbors are and what they are growing/doing. I'm not hard over on organic, if I know the farmer is growing non-gmo grains in a sustainable model without pesticides and herbicides and there's no potential for drift from his neighbors.

 

[PatchtoTable]

Great thread - I just posted an article on this topic which I think answers some of your questions.

The article is called "Primal Chickens - 6 chicken keeping secrets from the evolution of chickens." This challenges some of the conventions (including diet), by studying the evolution of chickens from Junglefowl (their primal ancestors) to the domesticated chickens we have today.

The diet I recommend for chickens is to supplement grain with as much foraged food as possible (leaves, vegetables, fruit and insects / animal protein).

I also challenge the idea that chickens do best on grass lawns and instead I recommend an environment with trees, plants and mulch.

Here is the article (It covers a lot of detail):

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...secrets-from-the-evolution-of-chickens.73654/

I also wrote a post which explains how commercial feed is made

http://patchtotable.com/best-type-of-chicken-feed/

For chicken feed, I use a soy free organic layer mash (it smells like it's based on a fish protein). Its a whole grain mix with micro-pellets. My chickens love it, and it lasts a lot longer because the chickens don't waste it (they actually eat it rather than scratch it out). With other layer mashes, most of the pellets would end up rotting on the floor which is a massive waste. Its more expensive, but I think when you look at value for money you are much better off with a quality feed.

I'm based in Australia - so not much of a help with the supplier: http://organicstockfeed.com/poultry/layer-birds

Hope that helps -

 

[Noreaster Egger]

Great thread - I just posted an article on this topic which I think answers some of your questions.

The article is called "Primal Chickens - 6 chicken keeping secrets from the evolution of chickens." This challenges some of the conventions (including diet), by studying the evolution of chickens from Junglefowl (their primal ancestors) to the domesticated chickens we have today.

The diet I recommend for chickens is to supplement grain with as much foraged food as possible (leaves, vegetables, fruit and insects / animal protein).

I also challenge the idea that chickens do best on grass lawns and instead I recommend an environment with trees, plants and mulch.

Here is the article (It covers a lot of detail):

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/primal-chickens-–-6-chicken-keeping-secrets-from-the-evolution-of-chickens.73654/

I also wrote a post which explains how commercial feed is made

http://patchtotable.com/best-type-of-chicken-feed/

For chicken feed, I use a soy free organic layer mash (it smells like it's based on a fish protein). Its a whole grain mix with micro-pellets. My chickens love it, and it lasts a lot longer because the chickens don't waste it (they actually eat it rather than scratch it out). With other layer mashes, most of the pellets would end up rotting on the floor which is a massive waste. Its more expensive, but I think when you look at value for money you are much better off with a quality feed.

I'm based in Australia - so not much of a help with the supplier: http://organicstockfeed.com/poultry/layer-birds

Hope that helps -

Awesome. I'll read this later tonight. This is right up my alley and the direction I've been wanting to go with my birds.

 

[Sallydonlin]

Hey everyone, I appreciate your replies. I'm not here to stir up any hostility. I'm simply asking for feed suggestions on brands/suppliers I'm unfamiliar with.

What we feed our pets and our flock is a personal thing. I spent a lot of time at college studying Animal science, so explaining why or how I came to my decision is really a combination of my classes in not only nutrition, but also evolution, paleontology and anthropology. If you do have a question and are genuinely intrigued, I will answer in as short an answer as I can muster, or maybe even send you a nice article. But if you just think I'm crazy and think my view is nonsense, then please just move on, thanks.

I am very interested in reading articles about this. Can you point me in the right direction?