I want to feed them Organic & Non GMO -- but the price is just too high!

[Cindy in PA]

It definitely is difficult to find non GMO & organic in some places. I prefer no soy & actually have 2 sources for that type of feed. One is pellets that I have to drive 25 miles one way & pay $30.50/50 lbs. Luckily the other is a local organic farmer that makes his own using Fertrell Minerals. That is $31/80 lbs. or $19.38 for 50 lbs. This is transitional organic & a mash, but it lasts really long with my 20 birds. I could get certified organic for $37/80 or $23.13/50 lbs., but I would have to buy 1/2 a ton. Layena is around $16/50 around here, so for about $8/ month I can feed a great feed. All you can do is keep searching and in the don't worry about it in the mean time. Feeding commercial feed is not the end of the world. You have to do what you have to do, just don't give up the search. I found around here my choices really multiplied in the last 3 years. Previous to that it was only Purina.

 

[centrarchid]

Do you have to feed the birds a complete diet. If free-range forage adequate you may be able to simply supplement with an organically raised grain during much of the year. The supplement would not provide all needs in itself but rather provide what forage is lacking.

This does not apply if birds are confined.

 

[10xmama]

Do you have to feed the birds a complete diet. If free-range forage adequate you may be able to simply supplement with an organically raised grain during much of the year. The supplement would not provide all needs in itself but rather provide what forage is lacking.

This does not apply if birds are confined.

I want to free-range them ... but on my 4.5 acres there are a lot of predators. We live in an estate lot neighborhood where the surrounding neighborhoods are conventional PUDs. The critters gravitate to our woods. We have raccoons, fox, hawks, snakes, bobcats, swamp rats, occasional dogs ... my property is not completely secured. With all my kiddos, I am afraid I could not supervise the chickens enough to protect them .... Their coop/run are well secured. I have considered letting them out for a couple of hours before they go in to roost .... but I am afraid of how difficult it would be to chase them all down if they didn't go in on their own. I had to teach them to go into the coop from the run at night .... that wasn't so bad... but teaching them to go back in from outside could be quite a task... I can just see me and all the kids chasing them around the woods.

FWIW -- I have 12 chickens.... 3 EE, 3BO, 3 AL, 3 RS

I think I will call the nearest feed store and check into what brands they do carry. I know they have the Purina... and I know they don't have anything organic or nonGMO ... but a friend here recommended Nutrena ... she uses it with her chickens and says its is a really good feed .... the best she can afford without being able to go the organic route.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Sometimes choices have to be made. A productive, small flock of pullets in the first year will lay all the eggs a family could ever use. Older, non laying mouths to feed creates a choice or decision.

The non-gmo, or organic creates another decision. How much can I afford to feed and what can I afford to feed? Decisions and choices.

Personal decision. A few years ago, my wife had a small egg business and she was selling eggs to all kinds of folks she knew. That was fine, but when prices exceeded $16 for a bag of generic, vegetarian Purina type, 50 lbs, something had to give. I didn't feeling like working this hard, with that large of a flock, only to find myself on the treadmill of egg sales.

I slowly converted the flock to a smaller, but prettier heritage bird flock. I'm enjoying it much, much more. Now, we only sell eggs on a rare basis and that's just fine with me. Additionally, I found that through talking to agriculturally minded people that local feed stores were available, at about an hour away. When life takes me in that direction, I stock up at 100 lbs for $21.

All these bits of decisions and discoveries have changed the landscape of my flock and their purpose and it is all for the better, for me. For me. That our feed store, which grinds its own grains for the feed, recently switched to locally grown, non GMO corn? An unexpected bonus.

Best wishes as you sort through all these flock decisions. The picture is always adapting, and that's fine.

 

[10xmama]

Thank you all for sharing your thoughts. It has helped me feel better about letting go of the nonGMO and organic idea for now. I will certainly keep checking for a reasonable source but until I do, you all have helped me have a peace over using a commercial feed. Thanks!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

See my signature line for what I feed. I feed organic soy and corn, and conventional everything else. Rolled barley is very inexpensive. If you are going to formulate a feed, I recommend looking at the lionsgrip feed website, as well as doing a bit of research, maybe buying a poultry nutrition book like GF Heuser's "Feeding Poultry" for example by Norton Creek Press.

 

[kimi]

I know this thread is old but I wanted to tell you that I started using Azurestandard.com to get organic, non gmo ingredients to "build" my own feed. I also have a maggot bucket set up (reduces flies & provides a never ending protein supply)

My chickens are on a no soy, organic, non gmo diet that costs me a little over half of what I was paying for feed @ My local feed store!

 

[10xmama]

I know this thread is old but I wanted to tell you that I started using Azurestandard.com to get organic, non gmo ingredients to "build" my own feed. I also have a maggot bucket set up (reduces flies & provides a never ending protein supply)

My chickens are on a no soy, organic, non gmo diet that costs me a little over half of what I was paying for feed @ My local feed store!

I appreciate you sharing … but last I checked, Azure standard didn't have any drop points here in north florida. I tried to open and account with them … but they just didn't have any routes here.

 

[classyq]

@Cindy in PA
Hi Cindy in PA

I'm also in PA (Hbg area) In 1 week I will be switching my girls from starter feed to grower feed. I have been feeding the medicated starter (manna) but knew I wanted to switch to non-GMO organic grower then organic layer feed. But like everyone else, it's somewhat difficult to find locally and paying the shipping from on line orders is just crazy!
Perhaps I'm somewhere close to you and able to utilize your sources?

 

[kimi]

I appreciate you sharing … but last I checked, Azure standard didn't have any drop points here in north florida. I tried to open and account with them … but they just didn't have any routes here.

Azure has really upped the drop points BUT you can become a "Drop leader" & set up your own drop place.... Monthly orders from entire group only have to equal $550 ($50 min per person) & if you don't hit the 550 they just let you know your drop won't be shipped for that month. It's worth a shot to call Azure. If you let me know what city you're in, I'll be happy to look it up in my drop shedule book....

Can ya tell that I'm a huge Azure fan??