Heritage Feeds for Heritage Breeds

[WoodlandWoman]

There are heritage breeds from all over the world and there are heritage breeds as defined by the ALBC.

When I think of heritage breeds, I think of all the very old breeds from anywhere in the world, not just the American heritage breeds, as defined by the ALBA. I think of vegetables the same way. Many old varieties didn't come here until more recently. They are still old varieties and I still have an interest in them.

Not every heritage breed is an American heritage breed.

 

[Jake Levi]

That is my view also.

 

[KenK]

Mills in general are interesting to me, an acquaintance has a water powered mill, so I've been looking at them today.

This one claims 300 pounds per hour of coarse feed.
http://www.millsrus.com/site/898654/product/M-003
Direct from the source.
http://www.csbellco.com/grist-mill-60.asp

 

[Jake Levi]

That is interesting Ken,

my neighbor has water driven electric, a small stream pours onto the vanes of an alternator, runs year around, much can be done with water.

I am putting out some ads looking for the oldstyle farm mill, somewhere there has to be some, the new kitchen ones are nicde to make flour for baking etc, several are very well made, they are up ~ $4-500 though.

With commercial grain shooting up as it is we need to do something to make it cost effective again.

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
I'm still paying 9.00 for a 50 pound bag of 19% Layer mash and it is a semi-custom mix.

Chris

 

[Jake Levi]

Thats what I was paying in MI, here in WA it is $16 for 50lbs, and going up.

Thats much of why I started this thread, very soon folks all over the country are going to find their costs going up remarkably. The cost of grain has increased this year, corn and wheat have both gone up.

We will need better and more economical ways to feed our flocks.

It has to be.

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
See it hasn't gone up all that much here. In fact I was just up at the mill today and corn and the mixer that I use is down since a about 2 weeks ago.
The mixer that I use is 1.00 cheaper on a hundred than it was 2 weeks ago.

Chris

 

[Jake Levi]

I hope that is a sign for all of us but I am cynical, wheat is up again this year and corn also, we shall see. I am going to a mill and a couple other places today to check out grains, and pick up some layer and goat feed. In the midwest at the elevators both corn and wheat are up, for the corn it is more ethanol demand and on the wheat just not as much as usual, although I know in ID there are huge amounts sitting on the ground.

Last month in MI corn was up 50 cents a hundred from this summer.

 

[Zoomom]

Facinating topic. Signing up to subscribe so I can learn.

 

[Erica]

One thing I will say for commercial feeds, they're exceptionally good at being cheap. But if you look at what keeps them cheap, you'll see that there's a heavy reliance on petroleum at every level.

Aside from transport, most (or perhaps even all) commercial feeds rely on synthetic (petrochemical derived) vitamins to enable the use of substandard, rancid or low-vitamin byproducts. It's a doomed system if oil ever runs out or stops being cheap.

Of course that sort of scenario could never happen...