Feeding soy-free? HELP!!

[NicChick]

I cannot eat soy. Most commercial feed, including everything mixed at the local feed store, contains soy. I do not want soy in my eggs, and even though many people want to argue with me on whether or not the soy passes into the egg, and whether or not chickens can lay properly without ingesting soy, I still will not feed them soy, because I cannot eat it. I do not want to take the chance, and the "research" out there is very biased one way or the other. Does anyone else feel strongly about feeding soy-free, and have you found an easy option? I am beginning to think I am going to have to spend A LOT of money to buy everything in bulk and mix it myself (we have 18 layers and they are free range, but still consume a decent amount of feed- those 20-40# bags don't last long!) However, I am not a poultry nutritionist, and I don't want to hurt my beautiful hens! The only nutritionist I have spoken with tells me 1) soy does not pass into the egg and 2) without it the chickens will not get the correct amino acids and will be unhealthy and won't lay 3) and then proceeds to lecture me about why GMOs are not harmful. I don't want to debate with him, I just want eggs that don't contain soy. I can't. eat. soy. HELP!!!

 

[shamrockmommy]

I'm currently trying out Countryside Organics, and it has no soy. They are located in Virginia, and they do ship, but it's costly.

Buckeye layer feed doesnt have soy in it (check the website for ingredients to be sure).

Good luck I may poke around some more for you.

 

[Cindy in PA]

It would help if we knew where you are located. I can get local soy free mash in Oley PA & I can get soy free pellets 25 miles away in Chester County PA. We really can't tell you where to get soy free until we know where you are!

 

[NicChick]

LOL! I am in the very corner of southeast Nebraska, home of the soybean.

 

[HighStreetCoop]

I feed Scratch & Peck which is soy-free. Chickens do not NEED soy. They need protein. IMO, a good animal-based protein (like fish meal) is better for them anyway since chickens are omnivorous.

 

[Weehopper]

Funny you should mention soy. I was looking for a new feed store in my area as I am not that happy with the one I'm using. I found one near me that advertises that they carry soy free, organic and non gmo feed. They also have regular feeds. They have a flock feed that is all grains that is not made into pellets. So I know that stuff is out there. I am, of course, going there tomorrow. I have a hunch this stuff ain't cheap, but I want it anyway. .
I did my searching online. Just looked up feed stores for my area, then started looking at their web sites. Lol, they even carry a special feed for Pot Bellied Pigs.

 

[Weehopper]

That's the name of the feed I found at one of my local feed stores. I just bought a bag, tried tossing out a little to my girls, and, oh my, they really went for it! It's expensive here, $30.00 for forty pounds, but I don't have many hen's right now, so 40 lbs will last quite a while. I sure like the way it looks and smells. No corn in it either. I am excited

 

[rides2far]

I pay $37 for 40 lbs of scratch & peck. There r only 2 places here to get it & the other place is even more expensive. It makes me sick when I see how much we have to pay for things here in California. We produce so much agriculture & oil, yet we pay more than almost anyone. Wahhh.

 

[Rhetts]

I found this very helpful and informative!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/947979/conventional-non-gmo-whole-grain-seed-recipe-for-layers

 

[beginnergirl]

I spent a long time looking online for food. I considered making my own but buying and storing 50# bags for my small flock made no sense.

There are other organic feeds that use wheat middlings as a main ingredient. It is a by product of making flour and I didn't like that as a first ingredient. You will find something. Like the other poster, I looked online, called feed stores. It took me too much time, but am happy with Scratch & Peck. The only thing is that the hens eat the grains first and don't eat all the powder. They seem healthy.

I spoke with with folks at both Scratch & Peck and Countryside Organics. Both very nice and generous with their time. Shipping costs for Countryside were too high. Scratch & Peck ships for free. I think I paid $29 for a 40# bag here in Oregon.

For me one important thing is to feed good foods to my hens. Personally, I avoid GMOs. There has been too little research and they encourage the use of more pesticides. So I won't chose anything with corn or soy unless it is OG.