Corn good or bad?

[Folly's place]

x2! I had poultry science and animal nutrition classes in college, and they convinced me to let the experts do the feed, and I'll happily buy it by the bag. It's not economical, or easy, to make a balanced ration at home for a small flock (less than 500+ or thousands of birds!), and buying ingredients in small batches is not practical.
It's even harder to make actual organic feed!
Mary

 

[chicken vet girl]

I would never consider making my own feed. However there are some layer rations advertised on the internet. What do you think of these alternatives? Here are a few:

http://www.ranch-way.com/products/organic-feed/easy-feed-organic-no-corn-no-soy-layer-15

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS

• Crude Protein, min16.0 %
• Lysine, min0.7 %
• Methionine, min0.4 %
• Crude Fat, min6 %
• Crude Fiber, max8 %
• Calcium, min3.5 %
• Calcium, max4.5 %
• Phosphorus, min0.8 %
• Salt, min0.2 %
• Salt, max0.7 %
• Vitamin A, min6,000 IU/lb
• Vitamin D, min3,000 IU/lb
• Vitamin E, min20 IU/lb

INGREDIENTS
Organic Ground Wheat, Organic Canola Meal, Organic Chopped Barley, Organic Wheat Midds, Calcium Carbonate, Organic Ground Dehy Alfalfa, Organic Ground Peas, Organic Canola Oil, Dicalcium Phosphate, Organic Ground Flaxseed, Salt, Choline Chloride, Manganese Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Magnesium Oxide, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Organic Roughage Products, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Biotin, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, DL-Methionine, Dried Aspergillus niger Fermentation Product.

http://www.newcountryorganics.com/s.../layer-feed-corn-free-soy-free-50-pounds.html

Analysis Crude protein, minimum - 17.00%. Lysine, minimum - 0.9%. Methionine, minimum - 0.25%. Crude fat, minimum - 3.00%. Crude fiber, maximum - 6.00%. Calcium, minimum - 3.5%. Calcium, maximum - 4.5% Phosphorous, minimum - 0.8%. Salt, minimum - 0.45%. Salt, maximum - 0.95%.
Ingredients Organic Peas, Organic Oats, Organic Wheat, Organic Barley, Calcium Carbonate, Fish Meal, Organic Alfalfa Meal, Organic Flaxseed, Sodium Silico Aluminate, Dried Organic Kelp, Active Dry Yeast, Organic Sunflower Oil, Monocalcium Phosphate, Salt, DL Methionine, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Menadione Dimenthylpyrimidinol Bisulfite, Riboflavin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenic Acid, Niacin Supplement, Choline Chloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Manganese Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Organic Vegetable Oil, Dried Aspergillus oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dried Lactobacillus plantarum Fermentation product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation product, Dried Bacillus licheniformis Fermentation product, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation product, Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast culture.

https://www.azurestandard.com/shop/...soy-and-corn-free-organic/14948?package=GP493

Guaranteed Analysis:

Crude protein MIN 16.00% Calcium MIN 3.75%

Lysine MIN 0.70% Calcium MAX 4.75%

Methionine MIN 0.30% Phosphorus MIN 0.50%

Crude Fat MIN 3.00% Salt MIN 0.25%

Crude Fiber MAX 5.00% Salt MAX 0.75%

Ash MAX 15.00% Omega 3 Fatty Acids MIN 1.00%
Ingredients
organic wheat, organic barley, organic peas, organic linseed meal, ground limestone, oyster shell, fish meal, organic sesame meal, organic vegetable oil, monocalcium phosphate, dicalcium phosphate, organic dehydrated kelp meal, salt, dl-methionine, choline chloride, ferrous sulfate, organic wheat flour, dried aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract, dried aspergillus niger fermentation extract, dried saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation solubles extract, dried trichoderma reesei fermentation extract, silicon dioxide, manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate, d-alpha-tocopheryl acetate, active dry yeast, selenium yeast, niacin, copper sulfate, d-calcium panthothenate, vitamin A acetate, vitamin D3 supplement, riboflavin supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex, pyridoxine hydrochloride, biotin supplement, vitamin D supplement, thiamine mononitrate, calcium iodate, vitamin B-12 supplement, folic acid, sodium selenite

https://www.scratchandpeck.com/shop/naturally-free-layer/

Organic Wheat, Organic Barley, Organic Peas, Organic Flaxseed Meal, Ground Limestone, Fish Meal, Organic Sesame Meal, Organic Flaxseed Oil, Vitamin and Mineral Premix

 

[chickengeorgeto]

From the photos there seems to be a great amount of fines or dusts. There also seems to be a greater amount of hulls and chaft than normal. I like the fish meal but a better oil would be good old fashion cod liver oil. The percentage of fish meal seems also seems low. I know that there is no fixed figure for the fish meal but the ingredients are listed in order of their percentages with the highest amount (by weight) coming first. So there is more oystershell than fishmeal.

 

[Folly's place]

Also, mixed grain diets tend to get eaten unevenly, so some birds, at least, get an unbalanced diet because they pick out the tastiest bits and leave the rest. For that reason I prefer a pelleted or crumble type feed instead.
Mary​

 

[Geena]

x100 everything that CC had to say! There aren't 'good' or 'bad' ingredients, so much as those that are more or less expensive or available at any given time. The feed must be balanced and that's what's important.
A person who happens to be allergic/ sensitive to some grain or other may want to avoid it in their chicken feed, so as to avoid inhaling it or handling it in the coop. I'm very careful to buy fresh feed, by the mill date on each bag, for two reasons. Older feed is loosing some vitamins, not a good thing for my birds, and I'm personally allergic to dust mites, and maybe grain mites, so fresh is best for me too. And a face mask when I'm out there in the dust.
Mary

I'm allergic to dust mites as well.

IMO you can't go wrong with tried and true traditional chicken feed. If one feels the need to up the quality of their chickens' diet, as many of us do, supplement with some fresh fruit, veggies, meat, eggs, etc.

The organic, non GMO, no corn, no soy, chicken food fad reminds me of the grain free dog food craze... and look how that's turning out now.

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

The organic, non GMO, no corn, no soy, chicken food fad reminds me of the grain free dog food craze... and look how that's turning out now.

Owners buy into these 'fad' craze for themselves not soo much for their pets, if you ask me. But then again one's pet is an extension of one's self.

 

[Perris]

@chicken vet girl you might find this interesting; although titled 'Pasture-raised poultry nutrition' it spends most time on what's in commercial feeds for industrial flocks and then considers how they might need to be adapted for small sustainable pasture raised flocks of heritage breeds.
http://ucanr.edu/sites/placernevadasmallfarms/files/102993.pdf

 

[Geena]

Owners buy into these 'fad' craze for themselves not soo much for their pets, if you ask me. But then again one's pet is an extension of one's self.

For sure in part it's for ourselves, naturally it makes us feel good to believe we are providing the very best for our animals.
The problem being that whatever the current fad dictates is not necessarily what's best. Companies are always going to exploit whatever the current trend is. If they can get consumers to pay twice as much for chicken feed that doesn't contain corn or soy, well then that's what they are going to produce, whether it's really best for the chickens or not.
If you look at the ingredients in a bag of "grain free" dog food you'll see that many of them are mostly made up of peas, potatoes, oatmeal, millet etc. because those things are so much better for dogs than corn, right? lol

 

[chicken vet girl]

@chicken vet girl you might find this interesting; although titled 'Pasture-raised poultry nutrition' it spends most time on what's in commercial feeds for industrial flocks and then considers how they might need to be adapted for small sustainable pasture raised flocks of heritage breeds.
http://ucanr.edu/sites/placernevadasmallfarms/files/102993.pdf

Thanks Perris! I'll be sure to read this article.