New - Questions about GMO/organic feed / protein content

[minniemom]

Hi All,

We are brand new to raising chickens, just started building our coop and are hoping to pick up a dozen pullets in the next few weeks.

I would really like to avoid any GMO grains when feeding them, but I'm very unclear on my options. I've been reading a lot about organic feed not having a high enough or good quality protein. Are there any ways around this? Is it better to make your own mix and if so, does anyone have a good recipe?

Thanks for any input! I'm so excited to start down this path, but nervous too . . . I want to make sure we know what we're doing!!

 

[Cindy in PA]

Most Organic feeds are 16-17% just like conventional feed. There was a thread where someone said their organic feed was only 14%, but that is unusual. Some organic feed is vegetarian & some would say that is a problem, but a good number of conventional feeds are also. An organic feed should have enough protein.

 

[mitsuman]

Anybody have a link to an easy to mix organic feed?

 

[appletrails]

We are getting our first flock in a week or two and my hubby and I are in a debate about organic vs. commercial feed. I just purchased an all- natural, non-GMO, no soy feed with 17 % protein that our organic store makes themselves. It was $21.80 for a #50 bag. I got 3 bags as store owner told me that would last our 15 birds... which will be year-old laying hens about a month at feeding them 1/3 # pound per chicken per day. We are getting Buff Orph. and Black Alstros....Does this sound right to all you chicken experts out there? And what do you think of that price? Hubby wants cheapest food, but I am an organic gal...so we are looking at $65.40 per month on this feed, plus added oyster shells.

Any info would be great. Thanks.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Hi All,

We are brand new to raising chickens, just started building our coop and are hoping to pick up a dozen pullets in the next few weeks.

I would really like to avoid any GMO grains when feeding them, but I'm very unclear on my options. I've been reading a lot about organic feed not having a high enough or good quality protein. Are there any ways around this? Is it better to make your own mix and if so, does anyone have a good recipe?

Thanks for any input! I'm so excited to start down this path, but nervous too . . . I want to make sure we know what we're doing!!

Organic feed cannot have animal protein in it from my understanding. From my experience, my chickens didn't gain weight as well or lay as well when I was feeding soy free. So I would recommend either milk if you have a dairy animal, meat scraps, scrambled/boiled egg scraps, or roasted soy (my organic feed that I buy is only soy and corn plus vitamins/minerals). This is what I have found to be true for me and have found it to be cheaper to go with an organic feed that is HIGH in protein (chick starter) and cut it with conventionally grown grains such as wheat and barley, etc. This way my soy and corn is non-GMO. See below if you will.

Also, it is important to offer a constant source of greens (grass, alfalfa, kitchen greens) to your flock if you are cutting vitamins from the commercial feed with non-supplemented sources so they don't end up with a vitamin deficiency.

Anybody have a link to an easy to mix organic feed?

Here are some of my favorite links:
http://www.lionsgrip.com/protein.html
http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/livestock/poultry/bba01s20.html
http://www.ca.uky.edu/smallflocks/Feed_ingredients/Proteins.html
http://www.ca.uky.edu/smallflocks/Feed_ingredients/Grains.html

We are getting our first flock in a week or two and my hubby and I are in a debate about organic vs. commercial feed. I just purchased an all- natural, non-GMO, no soy feed with 17 % protein that our organic store makes themselves. It was $21.80 for a #50 bag. I got 3 bags as store owner told me that would last our 15 birds... which will be year-old laying hens about a month at feeding them 1/3 # pound per chicken per day. We are getting Buff Orph. and Black Alstros....Does this sound right to all you chicken experts out there? And what do you think of that price? Hubby wants cheapest food, but I am an organic gal...so we are looking at $65.40 per month on this feed, plus added oyster shells.

Any info would be great. Thanks.

I currently feed these things (not all at once sometimes):
1/3 organic chick starter
2/3 of the following mix:
oyster shell
grit as needed
rolled barley
rolled oats
millet
wheat
black oil sun. seeds
split peas
org. cracked corn

I try to aim for around 15% protein (really watch that protein percentage) and the different amino acids are important also. For example, only peas would cause a problem.

Try to get everything possible from the feed store and it will save lots of money.

I am currently paying $28 for a 40 lb bag of organic chick starter. So the feed prices are really high for organic.

 

[Cindy in PA]

Many organic feeds have fishmeal and/or crabmeal in them.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

... I just purchased an all- natural, non-GMO, no soy feed with 17 % protein that our organic store makes themselves. It was $21.80 for a #50 bag. I got 3 bags as store owner told me that would last our 15 ...laying hens about a month at feeding them 1/3 # pound per chicken per day.

No mention is made about what type of pullet-hen you will be buying. Laying breeds like most of the leghorn's have outstanding feed to egg conversion ratios. A broiler variety hen on the other hand has a poor feed to egg conversion ratio. Dual purpose birds are neither fish nor fowl they are a compromise and as such they miss both marks. I wouldn't recommend a dual purpose chicken for any reason except that if I was leaving Earth on a space ship and room was tight.

Most of the old time brown egg laying breeds are hogs when it comes to their # of feed to a # of eggs ratio. This is the sole reason brown eggs cost more in the grocery store than white eggs, it takes more feed to maintain one brown egg laying hen and you get fewer eggs. Anyway, all hens eggs are white on the inside or next to the part that you eat.

Depending on how well they forage, on the breed, and on what extras your hens get like table scraps, most hens need 2 - 4 ounces of feed per day. Maybe a little more in cold weather or a little less in hot weather. For 15 pullets this would be 3.75 pounds per day. Make it 4 pounds for argument's sake. 15 birds @ 4 pounds of feed times 30 days is 120 pounds. There is a certain amount of loss involved with feeding animals. It is possible but unlikely that you will loose 2/3 of a sack of feed every month to the weather, mice, rats, other vermin, wild birds, spillage etc. Provided that your hens average 300 eggs per year for their first full year that would be 4,500 eggs. Divide that by 12 and that will equal 375 dozens of eggs @ $2.14 per dozen in feed cost or about 18¢ per egg. With your hubby's feed maybe half that or less. Your mileage may vary.

What to be warry of is ask the store to show you their lab report on protein content.

 

[donnacccslp]

I bought Coyote Creek chick starter feed and it says it's 20% protein. I'm not giving them anything else, but mine are outside 12 hours a day right now (5-6 weeks old), and I saw one eat 3 worms as I was putting the others inside the run this morning. What are the oyster shells for? Anything else I've offered them has been ignored (pulp from juicing and greens).

 

[minniemom]

Some of these prices are scaring me! We eat a lot of eggs and I love the idea of knowing how the animals are cared for and what they're eating, which is why we wanted to get our own chickens, but I also hoped and expected it to be cheaper to raise them versus buying good quality eggs. Not so sure that's going to be the case after reading some of this . . .

I don't necessarily have to get organic feed, but I absolutely want non-GMO grains. Has anyone found a reasonably priced option??

 

[Cindy in PA]

Prices for organic are high, but some feeds last longer in my experience. When using Purina I usually went through 2 50 lb bags a month. When I was using Nature's Best organic (this has soy), 2 bags usually lasted 6 weeks, so cost per bag is not the only consideration. It's hard to pay less for homegrown eggs than store bout 99 cent specials in my experience.