Need advice on buying chicks.

[leithsloft]

Hi everyone!

I am getting back to raising chickens. Last time was the mid 70's. I am organic and only buy/ eat non GMO. I want to buy 50 meat chicks and 5 laying hen/chicks and one rooster. I was told that if I buy chicks that are being fed gmo medicated feed, I can't switch them to organic feed? I am really confused by this. Does it mean that they will not survive if I switch them....or does it mean that they will not be considered "organic" if they were started on gmo, non organic feed and it will never...how do I state this...maybe never be able to have this medicated, non gmo, come out of their cells...if you know what I mean? It seems to me that cells turn over very rapidly and that switching them to being, "organic chicks" would happen rapidly? I'm only raising them for our consumption but want to make sure they are organic.

I am having a hard time finding local chicks that are strictly organic. Any advice is greatly appreciated! Gee whiz, back in the 70's we never had these concerns about feed, antibiotics, etc. Please teach me! Thanks! Renee

 

[TLWR]

Order your chicks from a hatchery, find the food you want to feed them and you won't have to worry about it as they won't eat anything until they get to your house.

 

[GermanChick]

Like TLWR said, if you order them from a hatchery and they get shipped to you then they won't eat anything until you get them. Nutrena NatureWise Chick starter is non medicated. That is what I am using, since I don't want medicated foot either. Around here it is hard or almost impossible to find organic chicken feed. A friend of mine is a organic farmer and she is ordering the organic grains from Iowa to get shipped here and she mixes her own feed. In the farm stores around here there is no organic chicken feed. Hope you have better luck in your area.
I never had any issues with my chicks and non medicated feed.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

And you can't buy hatchery vacinated or give them tap water to drink...

 

[chickengeorgeto]

In that case you can't go Vegan if you're an omnivore.

And once a cannibal always a cannibal.

And if you first learned to swim in fresh water you can never swim in sea water.

Gee, where do people get these wacky ideas?

 

[leithsloft]

Ok! Thanks for the info! I just could not understand the reasoning that if you buy chicks that were fed medicated feed, you could not switch them to a "non gmo, organic" feed. I am going to buy chicks from a local feed store and "do my thing". Meaning that I will start them on organic chick starter and hope for the best! I did find an amish source for feed and plan on raising them with lots of garden waste, free range (protected) as much as possible.
Thanks for your input, much appreciated! Renee

 

[3riverschick]

organic chicks 2014

Maybe something for you at one of these three sellers? Ask if Moyer's is organic,
they seem to have a bunch of customers from the sustainability movement.
http://naomisorganic.blogspot.com/p/hens-chicks-ducks.html ( Oregon)
http://www.moyerschicks.com/about-moyers-chicks ( Pennsylvania)
http://groworganics.org/ ( Oregon)
Best,
Karen in western PA, USA

 

[Klutch]

Don't paint yourself into a corner, if you use well water like I do that's organic. If your on city processed water, then that is not organic because of all of the chemicals used.

 

[Ridgerunner]

To me, organic is a lifestyle more than a rigid set of rules, but the organic rigid rules state that as long as the chicks don’t eat anything other than organic feed, they are considered organic. It does not matter what their parents ate. If the chicks ever eat anything that is not organic, they can never be organic.

If you get day-olds from a hatchery they won’t eat anything until you feed it to them. The hatcheries don’t feed them. Or find someone local that does the hatching themselves and make an arrangement to pick up the chicks before they are fed, straight out of the incubator. Your problem is solved. Feed stores feed them immediately to help them get over shipping stress. They are highly likely to not be organic.

Of course if a young chick eats a bite of something that is not organic then is fed nothing but organic the rest of its life, with the turnover of cells the effects of that “non-organic” are going to be microscopic and probably nothing but a figment of someone’s imagination, but the organic rules are trying to close loopholes that some people would exploit.

It’s your choice, lifestyle or a rigid set of rules. Switching from one to the other will not kill them.

 

[leithsloft]

Thank you for links. I will check them out. And I am on 10 acres with a well so I'm good with that. I'm not being, "anal" with my choices. I just want to stay away from GMO's, and try to eat clean like my grandparents did in their days. Since my health is not the greatest....I'm trying to do the best I can. Getting old is a *****! Thanks all for taking the time to reply. It is much appreciated as I always love to learn from the "experienced folks"!