FERMENTED FEEDS...anyone using them?

[LindaB220]

i actually just called Azure and they dont have any locations where i live and i dont think its worth it to ship 50lbs of feed through UPS because of the cost of shipping. I can get an organic feed at my feed store but it is way too expensive and i didnt really like the quality and i dont so much care about organic as much as i care about non GMO and the company had never gotten back to me when i asked if the feed was non GMO or not. If i lived in a different state i dont think i would have such a problem lol. I think my next step will be to go to organic chicken farms in the area and ask what they feed their chickens

Or the next time they place an order maybe you can add to it. Maybe they will sell you a bag of theirs to get started. Worth a try

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I finally got my "manual cement mixer" tool, and have figured out how to use it to stir the FF so it is easier on my arms. I think it's going to work ... I'll see if I can make & post a video later.

That link to the poultry feed recipe ... she states that she only uses egg shells as the calcium source, and the chickens are seeming to do fine on that. But what I've read suggests that a laying bird not getting enough calcium will pull the calcium out of her own bones, and could seem to do fine for a while, but not do well long term. I've also read that a chicken needs to consume 3-4 eggshells to get enough calcium to make one new eggshell ... so ... I hope she makes the time to get to the feed store to buy some Oyster Shell or other calcium supplement soon ... ?

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

i actually just called Azure and they dont have any locations where i live and i dont think its worth it to ship 50lbs of feed through UPS because of the cost of shipping. I can get an organic feed at my feed store but it is way too expensive and i didnt really like the quality and i dont so much care about organic as much as i care about non GMO and the company had never gotten back to me when i asked if the feed was non GMO or not. If i lived in a different state i dont think i would have such a problem lol. I think my next step will be to go to organic chicken farms in the area and ask what they feed their chickens

This would be WAY too much of a PITA for me to ever do, so advising this makes me a hypocrite, but MAYBE you could look into starting a local Azure Standard buying group so you can get a drop in your area. I would think there would be plenty of people in your area looking to buy many of the things available through Azure standard ... and they do mixed drops.

 

[chickengirl1193]

Or the next time they place an order maybe you can add to it.  Maybe they will sell you a bag of theirs to get started.  Worth a try

That's probably what I'll end up doing

This would be WAY too much of a PITA for me to ever do, so advising this makes me a hypocrite, but MAYBE you could look into starting a local Azure Standard buying group so you can get a drop in your area. I would think there would be plenty of people in your area looking to buy many of the things available through Azure standard ... and they do mixed drops.

They told me they are trying to expand to my area but they don't even come to my state or surrounding ones so it will be a lot of work...

 

[jbher]

This would be WAY too much of a PITA for me to ever do, so advising this makes me a hypocrite, but MAYBE you could look into starting a local Azure Standard buying group so you can get a drop in your area. I would think there would be plenty of people in your area looking to buy many of the things available through Azure standard ... and they do mixed drops.

I'm working with Azure right now on getting a drop in our city. They're looking to expand in many areas!!! You should give them a call or email. They just sent me two huge boxes of catalogs and brochures I can give to people that would be interested.

 

[pdirt]

I know for human supplements, those are mostly produced a long way from my coop, in places where quality control is questionable. I don't know where feed-grade supplements are produced.

When I was reading the Feeding Poultry book it kept explaining how adding animal products to the ration wasn't just about adding protein to the diet, it was to supply the nutrients missing in the grains. Especially liver consistently improved performance of the poultry, and also milk, and to some extent alfalfa, which is high in nutrients for a plant ... though with modern farming techniques that's less and less true.

But economically feeding a small flock on home-mixed rations? Anywhere but a mild-weathered jungle setting? People crunching numbers before me say stick with commercial poultry rations. So I did, and had very sad looking birds, even with free feeding. Their eggs did taste great.

That said ... I'm less sure about some of the more modern choices for poultry rations ... and I would like to avoid them. "Plant-based proteins" just isn't very specific.

I would agree that probably most of the chicken feed out there is just crap. And crap mostly because they are either GMO or laden with pesticide/herbicide residues or both. "Organic" should not just be for the people who an afford it (or think they can afford it) but for all of the people. I'm not saying there isn't a time and a place for what is now industrial farming practices, but they should be exceptions to the rule, not the rule.

That said, we're fairly new to chickens and have only tried 3 different feeds. Two were non-organic and yes, had labels like "plant proteins" which I translate as GMO soy and corn, even if that is not what it actually is. Why would I translate it that way...because GMO crops are CHEAP. That's why the feed is cheaper. They only ate a couple bags of that stuff. Now we pay more (about 40% more in cost) for an organic feed that includes fish meal. I'm actually considering switching to a cheaper non-organic-but-no-chemicals brand that has no animal protein for the summer months. Why, because they free range on so many bugs that I don't think it's probably necessary to feed them THAT high quality of feed during ranging season. Anyways, they are thriving very healthy-like on the FF organic/fishmeal stuff (scratch n peck). Just looking at the feed is no comparison, it looks and smells fresh, not like some mystery mash.

My last tangent, I read an interesting article recently that showed what people paid for food and health care in 1920 vs. 2000. It was astonishing, something like 70:30 (foodalth care) in 1920 vs 30:70 in the year 2000. I'll see if I can find that article again. Yes, food cost more back then, but then again, ALL food was more or less organic and there was less need for medical care (says one who works in the health care field).

@ pdirt It can be done.   Research what you need to add to get what vitamins and minerals.   I will probably do it later.    One thing I can do is get scrap bones from the butcher and pressure cook them and grind in food processor.   Add a little ea day to the grains.  and I buy Azomite. (rock dust)  Cheap enough to last for several years.   Tons of minerals.    Or add powered dry milk if you don't have ground bone meal.  Keep looking.   

Thanks for the tip of cooking/grinding your own bones, I might try that. And we do have Azomite rock dust, I'll try mixing a bit of that into their FF.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I prefer soy to Camelina, which is what is often in the "no soy" feeds.

 

[subhanalah]

I prefer soy to Camelina, which is what is often in the "no soy" feeds.

what is camelina, and why do you not like it?
I've been wanting to go non-soy, but need all the information before I can decide.

 

[Ms Jellybean]

I prefer soy to Camelina, which is what is often in the "no soy" feeds.

It sounds like a good thing. Why don't you like it?

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Soy is a food ... Camelina is not.