Do I Really Need Expensive, Organic, Non-GMO Feed?

[Folly's place]

I'm happy to feed Flock Raiser, not the cheapest, but it works for my flock. I don't eat only organic stuff myself, so don't feel the need to get it for my chickens. And, I'm not concerned about the whole 'GMO' thing; I'm fine with it.
I'm not allergic to either corn or soybeans, so that's not an issue here either. How can you live without soy sauce? And popcorn?
Mary

 

[Acre4Me]

I hate being the guy on a post, but Oreo's are not Vegan according to the manufacturer...hides***

Vegan is:contains no animal products. Regular Oreos have no animal products. Maybe something has changed-I hardly ever buy Oreos so don’t have a package to check. Has the definition of vegan changed?

 

[ChickenLeg]

Its just amazing to me that feed is so cheap where you guys live. Basic laying pellet feed is never cheaper than $16 for 50 pounds here. Stuff that's a step up, like Feather Fixer is $20 for 40 pounds. And the GMO / Organic stuff is $30 for 35 pounds!

I tried the cheapest stuff that milled locally and had major soft shell and no shell issues, so now I go with middle of the road Purina Layena Omega 3 and have had no issues since. Would love my eggs to be organic but its just too expensive for the feed my area.

Come over here to Tennessee, you can buy cheap land, cheap chicken feed, and pay little in taxes

 

[Birdinhand]

the studies done on pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers do not take into account all the other things we are exposed to. my understanding is that the vast majority of exposure comes from animal products because the chemistry bio-accumulates up the food chain. some years back the FDA put out a recommendation that breast feeding mothers and children should eat organic. it didn't take long for the meat and dairy industry to force them to redact this recommendation.

my family does not eat 100% organic, but until my kids nervous systems are done developing, I do focus on giving them organic meat and dairy and eggs. everyone's got to make choices based on their priorities and means, I'd say do what makes sense to you. For me, the best organic feed typically results in the the best product for me, best tasting eggs, best tasting meat birds. the proof is in the pudding, IMHO.

 

[MissChick@dee]

My problem in changing feed is my location. Shipping costs as much if not more than the feed I’m interested in switching too.
Buying large quantities is not for me as the feed would get stale. Guess I’m just going to have to make the 6 hour round trip. I just don’t like driving the mountain passes in winter.
The feed I get now is from the Ace Hardware store lol.
Amazon Prime gets a lot of business in our town but they don’t carry what I’d like to try.
What to do...what to do

 

[Chullicken]

Come over here to Tennessee, you can buy cheap land, cheap chicken feed, and pay little in taxes

That's funny, my buddy keeps nagging me to come visit him in Tennessee lol...'I'll find you a job buddy'.

 

[Molpet]

I eat organic as much as I can. No organic pineapples around here LOL..
Because I believe it's healthier... if it's really organic, but that's another story.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4947579/
A recent study examined the possible relation between glyphosate, genetically modified crops, and health deterioration in the USA. Correlation analyses raised concerns about possible connections between glyphosate use and various health effects and diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, strokes, autism, kidney failure, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, and cancer (82). Furthermore, there are concerns about the possible ability of glyphosate to cause gluten intolerance, a health problem associated with deficiencies in essential trace metals, reproductive issues, and increased risk to develop non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (92).


https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/23/well/eat/can-eating-organic-food-lower-your-cancer-risk.html :
Now a new French study that followed 70,000 adults, most of them women, for five years has reported that the most frequent consumers of organic food had 25 percent fewer cancers over all than those who never ate organic. Those who ate the most organic fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meat and other foods had a particularly steep drop in the incidence of lymphomas, and a significant reduction in postmenopausal breast cancers.

I grow most of my vegetables and some fruit.. all of my eggs and turkey and chicken. Since the poultry provide food I feed them organic. I was getting feed from a farmers co-op mill 2 1/2 hr round trip....grains from mainely local farmers...but they shut down the feed division, because they were not making any money off it. 28% turkey was $25 for 50lbs.. now I am getting Prince from a wisconsin mill, that a local feed store is carrying. 20% chicken starter is $29 for 50lbs. I use 3 bags a week.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

View attachment 1609663
Is it cheaper in-store?

A lot of feed is manufactured in the same manner that I and my department use to use to manufacture Green Ball Bearings. I would sent a driver down to the BCA Bower Ball Bearings warehouse and they picked up a 66 Pontiac Catalina Station Wagon Full of BCA Alternator Bearings. Once back at my warehouse the workers in my department went to unboxing the BCA bearings and re-boxing them in boxes that said "Green Ball Bearings" then hand labeling the boxes (ironically) in ball point pen with the corresponding Green Ball Bearing Part Numbers. Presto changeo; Green Ball Bearings.

I would like to hear from the people who feed non-GMO feed and see a copy of the lab report that came back after you sent off a sample of your non-GMO feed off to have it analyzed by an independent lab.

 

[Molpet]

A lot of feed is manufactured in the same manner that I and my department use to use to manufacture Green Ball Bearings. I would sent a driver down to the BCA Bower Ball Bearings warehouse and they picked up a 66 Pontiac Catalina Station Wagon Full of BCA Alternator Bearings. Once back at my warehouse the workers in my department went to unboxing the BCA bearings and re-boxing them in boxes that said "Green Ball Bearings" then hand labeling the boxes (ironically) in ball point pen with the corresponding Green Ball Bearing Part Numbers. Presto changeo; Green Ball Bearings.

I would like to hear from the people who feed non-GMO feed and see a copy of the lab report that came back after you sent off a sample of your non-GMO feed off to have it analyzed by an independent lab.

well you have about a 100% chance of it not being organic if you buy conventional.
Much better chance of it being organic if you buy organic.

 

[rjohns39]

A lot of feed is manufactured in the same manner that I and my department use to use to manufacture Green Ball Bearings. I would sent a driver down to the BCA Bower Ball Bearings warehouse and they picked up a 66 Pontiac Catalina Station Wagon Full of BCA Alternator Bearings. Once back at my warehouse the workers in my department went to unboxing the BCA bearings and re-boxing them in boxes that said "Green Ball Bearings" then hand labeling the boxes (ironically) in ball point pen with the corresponding Green Ball Bearing Part Numbers. Presto changeo; Green Ball Bearings.

I would like to hear from the people who feed non-GMO feed and see a copy of the lab report that came back after you sent off a sample of your non-GMO feed off to have it analyzed by an independent lab.

We have a farm here in middle Tennessee that tests every batch of feed they get.. I plan to do the same when funds permit.

Certified Organic give you a high probability that you're safe, that said if the certified farm rests next to a GMO farm the potential of drift is high. Hence my original statement, I want to know who's providing what and what their neighbors are doing.

After living in the international community for many years, I was able to see the effects of the US food chain in my kids. I quickly adjusted to buying from the Amish and learning to grow myself.