I'm Sending Feed to be Analyzed

[Geena]

 

[PapaCharles]

Some people do just buy a different feed. And if their birds start laying better, they still don't know whether the feed caused the change, or the daylength, or something else. If the feed is just as good, it doesn't really matter. But if the new feed is more expensive, or harder to get, or has some other disadvantage, then it would be helpful to know whether the original feed really was the problem or not.

If there really is a contaminant in the feed (like when melamine was found in pet foods), then a test might find it, and then the company could recall the affected feed, and everyone's flock would benefit.

And, if the feed is not the problem, then something else IS the problem. It's a waste of time and money for everyone to try several brands of feed every year, if what they really need is supplemental light. Or if their hens are molting and nothing will make them lay until they finish. So what we learn this year can be helpful in later years too.

I think testing feed to get one data point, or a few data points, is a good idea.
And I think people changing feed to see if their flock lays better is also a good idea.
And if changing the food seems to help, I think changing back to see if the laying continues can be a good idea too.

There's no need to pick one "best" method and cut down the others. Different people trying different ideas, and all sharing the results, can be a good way to figure out what things help, what things hurt, and what things have no effect.

I don't believe I've cut down anyone's methods. On the contrary, I think it is far easier to switch feeds than go through the expense of testing. Every single bag of feed I have ever got gives the lab analysis right on the bag. Right? So, unless the person who mailed the test and gets the results back has the knowledge available in their brains to figure out what the results mean, then all we have is speculation.

You say people switch feeds (several times a year, you say) then that's part of the problem.

 

[3KillerBs]

I don't switch feed deliberately, but I do have to be flexible because of availability when the supply chain is being challenged.

I've noticed the increased consumption with the cheap layer, but I've never noticed any difference in laying due to a couple weeks on a different feed when my preferred option was unavailable.

 

[Cindy in PA]

@Cindy in PA Over 3.5 million people died from starvation in the Ukraine under Stalin. Pray tell, what is funny about that?

The freaking government conspiracy theories. 25 years ago one side laughed at the crunchy anti-government type, the organic movement. Now everyday down the rabbit hole the government is trying to kill you, the chem trails & the GMOs are bad. Go organic they say, grow your own, things that many of us have done our whole lives. Sorry I've had my fill.

 

[NatJ]

I don't believe I've cut down anyone's methods.

I think you were being fairly polite about why you think certain methods are not worth the fuss. But plenty of other people have also said that one method or another is not worth trying, because something else is better, and not all of them have been polite about it.

On the contrary, I think it is far easier to switch feeds than go through the expense of testing.

That's what you think. And it's fine for you to do that with your flock.
But some other people think testing makes sense, so it's fine for them to do that too.

Every single bag of feed I have ever got gives the lab analysis right on the bag. Right? So, unless the person who mailed the test and gets the results back has the knowledge available in their brains to figure out what the results mean, then all we have is speculation.

Some of the people on this forum do have the knowledge to understand the test results, or they know where to look up the parts they don't yet know.

As for the nutritional analysis on the bag-- is that accurate? One theory is that maybe the feed does NOT match what is printed on the bag, but is actually short of one nutrient or another. Testing the feed is one way to answer that question.

You say people switch feeds (several times a year, you say) then that's part of the problem.

I don't quite understand what you mean here.

I definitely said that people COULD switch feeds if they want to see whether it helps.
And yes, I suggested that if it helps, they could switch back to the maybe-bad feed, to see if the problem comes back (implying bad feed) or stays gone (implying some other cause).

But I don't think that people switching feeds is "part of the problem."

I know there are some people who switch feeds often, according to what is available and fresh at their local store, and some of them report that their chickens perform equally well on all the kinds they use. I have read their experiences, but never tried that myself.

Edit: I re-read my own former post, and now I see what you mean. If someone's hens are not laying, and they are changing feed to try and fix that, it is a problem IF the not-laying is caused by something else. Changing feed in that case would distract them from finding the real cause of the problem. So changing feed can be a reasonable thing to try, but eventually it's useful to figure out whether it really did help or not.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

I would tend to disagree. BSFL are a fantastic source of protein and fat for chickens. They eat just about any kitchen waste including meat, so they can serve double duty as waste management and food. It’s cheap enough that someone here in AZ produces enough to feed their entire flock with them plus any garden waste and that’s all. No commercial feed is used. The biggest part of the cost is the environment, ie maintaining that perfect temp and humidity for them to reproduce. They use far less of our water resources than vegan options, no chemicals are needed to control them, and adults have no mouth so they don’t eat. Escapees won’t damage crops or bite people.

I am under the assumption that vegan eggs is a plant based egg. No?

Vegan egg or vegan chicken feed? I’m confused on what this means. My son is vegan and eggs are off the menu.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Change it to "The government is deliberately out to get me" and recent and not-so-recent history makes me more sympathetic to the fear. Government has a history of sacrificing some (yes, even lives) for the profit of others - see the 'conspiracy' list above. It was not that long ago that the Federal government tried to have everybody fired who did not receive a certain medical treatment regardless of the advice of their doctors. I'm sorry, but 'you are not allowed to earn a living' is much closer to "The government is deliberately trying to kill us" than not.

Fear ... I think that is key. It motivates people to believe things that are not necessarily rational.

"people repeating the lies haven't bothered to read the cited studies for themselves" I would argue for some degree of leniency here - especially on a forum of fellow chicken raisers ... and even more so for established members of the forum. (I've noticed lots of new accounts in the discussion and that give me reason to pause.) Not everybody has the time or ability to fully digest studies. That's okay. Thus they depend on those they trust. We can point out issues with a study without referencing 'chem trails.' In doing so, can earn their trust over the previous source. That seems more valuable.

Except it says right on the summary of both studies that the eggs need to come from chickens that have been immunized. All one would have to do is click on it.

Questioning is more than fine - it's smart. But repeating it as fact without vetting really bothers me and doesn't help anyone.

 

[Chicken poppy]

I think you were being fairly polite about why you think certain methods are not worth the fuss. But plenty of other people have also said that one method or another is not worth trying, because something else is better, and not all of them have been polite about it.


That's what you think. And it's fine for you to do that with your flock.
But some other people think testing makes sense, so it's fine for them to do that too.


Some of the people on this forum do have the knowledge to understand the test results, or they know where to look up the parts they don't yet know.

chicken feed is like politics.

 

[Chicken poppy]

Will be watching this thread! Very interested to see the results.

 

[Bhubbard]

A bit confused what this conversation is about but just want to add its not possible to be vegan and eat eggs. You would not be vegan.

I thought it was just me…