Need a No GMO, No Soy, NO PEAS feed. Halp!

[raingarden]

I get conflicted when thinking about ingredients. In the fishery community, feeding menhaden, anchovy or sardine meal to chickens is a real sore spot. The annual removal of all those small fish for rendering into fish meal and fish oil is collapsing populations of their natural predators in each of the world's oceans. The story told to the fishery managers is that the poultry industry (perhaps the largest consumer of fishmeal) is working hard to reduce the amount of fish meal in rations and switch from menhaden and anchovy meal to fish processing waste. But, it is all smoke and mirrors. An acceptable substitute for fish meal has not been developed, the demand for wild-harvest fish meal continues to increase and populations of certain predatory fish species continue to decline. I like chickens, but I like fishin' too.

 

[Folly's place]

It's sad but true. Overharvesting anything messes up ecosystems, often in unexpected ways, and usually noticed when things are really in bad shape.
Mary

 

[PeepOverlord]

Didn't mean to add drama. I see I was wrong. I apologize.

Whut??? NO. It wasn't you hijacking my thread to preach your personal opinions to everyone. No No No. You're one of the good guys

 

[PeepOverlord]

This has been interesting, although there's no way I'm going to make my own feed at home!
The Freedom Rangers from Pennsylvania are terrific, have had them several times. And their New Hampshires look interesting. Maybe next year, if the post office gets better...
Mary

Cackle Hatchery is closest to me, so I'd get the Freedom Rangers from there if anyone nearby wanted to split them up with me. Which place in PA has good ones? Are they really as predator savvy and free range competent as advertised?
Go ahead and laugh, but I have full grown hens who are afraid of red wiggler worms. Wish I was kidding.
Some competent free rangers would sure help out with this feed issue!!

 

[Folly's place]

Mine have been from the Freedom Ranger hatchery, nice birds, and nice folks to deal with.
Mary

 

[PeepOverlord]

Hate to break it to you but chickens eat anything that doesn't eat them first, bugs being way up on the list. If not caged in a sterile environment they are eating whatever they find.

Weevil can cause feed to heat and just basically empty a grain and leave the shell.

Well this post is mostly a mute point after reading the above post.

@allenw "Hate to break it to you but chickens eat anything that doesn't eat them first," 100% Truth!!

My velociraptors eat snakes, lizards, mice, baby birds (sorry but true), frogs, and have stolen, fought over, and attempted to swallow my cat's fuzzy wormy toy while she was playing with it. Idiots.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Mine for protein love grasshoppers/locust, pinky mice (adults too if they can catch them), and raw eggs. But bugs can carry worms and the other two options aren't sustainable.

Perhaps sprouting is the way to go for a bit of a protein boost?

 

[Wolf River]

Can you guys please recommend a layer feed that IS : Organic, Non GMO, No Soy?
But that is NOT: Pellets, crumbs, dust, or a very expensive bag of peas?
My hens absolutely refuse to eat peas of any kind. Fresh, cooked, raw, fermented and especially not the yellow ones!
They won't eat pellets, crumbs and can't eat powder/dust.
Every Organic, Non GMO, No Soy feed I can find lately is >50% peas. Huge waste of money!
Also lately, every feed I've tried is >35% powder
Powder is much heavier than grains and feed is sold by weight.
There's zero excuse for not screening out powder/dust, esp when so many customers are Still complaining about it, 4 months after it was supposed to be "fixed".
$40 for 23lb where barely 5lbs of it is edible? Nope.
$40 for 25lb with claims of "Organic" and I find large amounts of unlisted rapeseed in it? "Oh it must have gotten in from some other product being manufactured" Nope!
$61 for 50lb bag of peas and corn, with claims of Organic but zero certification or proof - "Its organic cuz we say so" ? Nope.

p.s. Before anyone trashes on my hens being picky - no wild animal will touch those nasty peas (in any form) or the supposed "Organic" corn.
I've got about 80 lbs of them dumped in a field nearby, where none have even sprouted.

I think Nutrena makes a blend that will work.Check the website

 

[PeepOverlord]

Mine for protein love grasshoppers/locust, pinky mice (adults too if they can catch them), and raw eggs. But bugs can carry worms and the other two options aren't sustainable.

Perhaps sprouting is the way to go for a bit of a protein boost?

@JacinLarkwell Yeah, too bad not a single grain of any of the feeds I've bought in the last 10 weeks will sprout. Not indoors, outdoors, not in growing medium, not in potting soil, not in a paper towel, not in distilled water, not with a heat lamp or plant heat pad......
Which is sad. Pre-pea MileFour feeds (Starter, Grower, Layer) sprouted every where a grain fell. It was common to see grains sprouting in 18-36 hrs. Even in pine needles, pecan leaves and wood shavings!! My little cat used to enjoy the sprouted oats.

I recently bought a LOT of cover crop seeds from Southen Exposure Seed Exchange ; which were meant for soil regeneration and to break up the nasty hard clay for next year's garden but I guess the hens will be eating it now
And I started a shopping/sprouting list of organic seeds on Azure - actually meant for the hens.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Anthony's (Amazon) has a bunch of non GMO and Organic seeds for cooking in good quantity. I buy 5# bags of fenugreek for planting (late in the season, keep this in mind for spring). One of the better plant Methionine sources. Not great, but better than most. Favors "Mediterranean" climates.