GMO corn/soy and fertilty/hatch rates

[pawtraitart]

Since I've severely limited the amount of GMO corn and soy my birds get (I do feed a bit of commercial feed for convenience), I've noticed that my hatch rates have dramatically improved. I'm curious to know if anybody else has experienced this.

 

[Chris09]

I use regular feeds and grains from the mill for my mix and I could not see how my hatch rate could get much better. As of this year I was running a hatch rate of about 95 to 98 percent.

Chris

 

[pawtraitart]

I use regular feeds and grains from the mill for my mix and I could not see how my hatch rate could get much better. As of this year I was running a hatch rate of about 95 to 98 percent.

Chris

Is it a store/name brand or do you mix your own?

 

[Chris09]

Is it a store/name brand or do you mix your own?

I feed a mix of Purina Game Bird, Game Fish Pellet, and my Custom "Sweet Feed Mix".

The above custom sweet feed mix has --
Corn, Oats, Soybean Meal, Whole Roasted Soybean, Soy Hulls, Vit. A-D-E, Magnesium Oxide, Di-calcium Phosphate, Trace Mineral Salt, Molasses.



Chris

 

[Jrb599]

I feed a mix of Purina Game Bird, Game Fish Pellet, and my Custom "Sweet Feed Mix".

The above custom sweet feed mix has --
Corn, Oats, Soybean Meal, Whole Roasted Soybean, Soy Hulls, Vit. A-D-E, Magnesium Oxide, Di-calcium Phosphate, Trace Mineral Salt, Molasses.



Chris

What brand of fish pellet do you feed?

 

[pawtraitart]

What brand of fish pellet do you feed?

X2

 

[Chris09]

I've been using Purina Game Fish Chow,




And I have been using Purina Game Bird Conditioner,





Chris

 

[Spangled]

Since I've severely limited the amount of GMO corn and soy my birds get (I do feed a bit of commercial feed for convenience), I've noticed that my hatch rates have dramatically improved. I'm curious to know if anybody else has experienced this.

Possibly.

Our chickens don't get any GMO soy/corn from any source that I know of, and I managed to win Best Hatch Rate in Mahonri's 2012 BYC Easter Hatch-A-Long.

I'm not sure that I can attribute improved hatch rates to GMO free feed because it's more likely these three changes were the main, but not the only, reasons for better hatch rates:

1. Not attempting to hatch eggs that have arrived through the mail.
2. Buying a Brinsea incubator. First batch in there a couple of years back and I got 100% hatch on my Black Copper Marans! I still use my other incubator, but I don't do as well with it.
3. Increasing all nutrients that my chicken nutrition books claim provide for better hatchability. For instance, increasing animal protein starting 3 weeks prior to beginning to collect eggs.

You could be correct that hatchability is increased by removing GMO soy/corn from chicken diets, but there haven't been any studies done one way or the other to prove whether hatch rates are better with GMO filled diets or with GMO free diets. I don't even think there have been any studies done on hatchability of eggs from chickens fed approved organic diets vs. non-organic diets. Besides, that would be kinda silly since organic feeds are still allowed to include synthetic methionine which is obviously not an organic ingredient (though not every last one of them does).

Anyway, so all we're doing is guessing if we think that feeding our chickens lard-enhanced fish pellets is raising hatching rates. No studies = no proof.

However, on the other hand, anecdotal evidence is a lot of fun to read and hear about. So if there's anyone else out there that is feeding a non-GMO feed (that includes organic feeders), step up and let us know about your improved hatch rates.

 

[Chris09]

Possibly.

Our chickens don't get any GMO soy/corn from any source that I know of, and I managed to win Best Hatch Rate in Mahonri's 2012 BYC Easter Hatch-A-Long.

I'm not sure that I can attribute improved hatch rates to GMO free feed because it's more likely these three changes were the main, but not the only, reasons for better hatch rates:

1. Not attempting to hatch eggs that have arrived through the mail.
2. Buying a Brinsea incubator. First batch in there a couple of years back and I got 100% hatch on my Black Copper Marans! I still use my other incubator, but I don't do as well with it.
3. Increasing all nutrients that my chicken nutrition books claim provide for better hatchability. For instance, increasing animal protein starting 3 weeks prior to beginning to collect eggs.

You could be correct that hatchability is increased by removing GMO soy/corn from chicken diets, but there haven't been any studies done one way or the other to prove whether hatch rates are better with GMO filled diets or with GMO free diets. I don't even think there have been any studies done on hatchability of eggs from chickens fed approved organic diets vs. non-organic diets. Besides, that would be kinda silly since organic feeds are still allowed to include synthetic methionine which is obviously not an organic ingredient (though not every last one of them does).

Anyway, so all we're doing is guessing if we think that feeding our chickens lard-enhanced fish pellets is raising hatching rates. No studies = no proof.

However, on the other hand, anecdotal evidence is a lot of fun to read and hear about. So if there's anyone else out there that is feeding a non-GMO feed (that includes organic feeders), step up and let us know about your improved hatch rates.

I will first say that when studying a feed you must study the ingredients that make up the feed.and not the feed it's self, there are plenty of studies done on the ingredients that make up fish pellets.

Now when you had a hatch rate of 100% how many eggs did you set? If you had 25 to 40 egg in the incubator then yes it is possible but keep in mind when I said I had a 95 to 98 percent hatch rate that percentage was/is on no less than 100 eggs per setting of eggs. I will also add that the incubators used was a little old Hova-bator and a homemade "sportsman" type incubator.

Chris

 

[pawtraitart]

Another variable to consider is the breed of the chicken. I've found that hybrids are insanely easy to hatch while some of the purebred strains are more difficult, possibly due to inbreeding with the more rare varieties. For a true test, I imagine you'd have to split the same genetic pool into groups and keep the other conditions the same as well, other than the feed. I'm not looking for the results of a big study.....just a general impression from fellow poultry hobbyists. Nutrition is an interesting subject.