Non Gmo or Non Soy?

[Krugerrand]

That's what I order from chewy. It's not the organic one though - non-gmo. But chewy does carry the organic one and I found that their prices are better than local stores.

Fortunately my local prices seem to be in line with that. But, when I was looking Chewy didn't have organic in the pellets - just crumble.

 

[TaylorGlade]

Fortunately my local prices seem to be in line with that. But, when I was looking Chewy didn't have organic in the pellets - just crumble.

Oh. Yeah. We feed the crumble. I've notice that several of the reviews on the pellets on chewy and on here have mentioned that they've received moldy food. I've never had that problem with the crumble. I don't know why there is a difference but it's seems to be ubiquitous across brands with chewy. I've never personally experienced this since our chickens like the crumble

 

[Krux5506]

k

Oh. Yeah. We feed the crumble. I've notice that several of the reviews on the pellets on chewy and on here have mentioned that they've received moldy food. I've never had that problem with the crumble. I don't know why there is a difference but it's seems to be ubiquitous across brands with chewy. I've never personally experienced this since our chickens like the crumble

I just got 4 shipments of moldy pellets from chewy (modesto milling) and i finally had them change it to crumble and there's no issue. According to Modesto this can actually happen a couple different ways. The most obvious, is water damage during transport, which is what I figured the issue with my stuff was. The second far less obvious is that apparently pelletized feed needs to cool down before being bagged, and if it's rushed, it can result in hot feed causing moisture/mold/clumping etc.

 

[Krugerrand]

k


I just got 4 shipments of moldy pellets from chewy (modesto milling) and i finally had them change it to crumble and there's no issue. According to Modesto this can actually happen a couple different ways. The most obvious, is water damage during transport, which is what I figured the issue with my stuff was. The second far less obvious is that apparently pelletized feed needs to cool down before being bagged, and if it's rushed, it can result in hot feed causing moisture/mold/clumping etc.

wow. I'll have to watch for this. So far, no problems with pellets I've purchased locally.

 

[TaylorGlade]

I know Cantonment, have driven thru once or twice - and no, i don't mean the stretch of I10 that's one of Cantonment's borders. You should have Little Eden Farm nearby (Pace) - elderly lady raises bunnies, pigs, various fowl. Her rabbits are really exceptional, I can definitely recommend (though pricy). Beyond that, I don't know the area well - I'm a good bit east of you.

I've never shopped these people, but Barnes Feed Store, and Barnes Feed Store Too both carry Tucker Milling.

https://www.facebook.com/Barnesfeedstore/
https://barnesfeedstore.wordpress.com/

Ain't the Internet great?

I just wanted to thank you for this tip! We went by there today. It's actually very close to our house but I've never noticed the store. They had the feed and will become our new shopping center.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I just wanted to thank you for this tip! We went by there today. It's actually very close to our house but I've never noticed the store. They had the feed and will become our new shopping center.

That's what BYC is for. Happy to have been able to provide a little help.

 

[Stravager]

You could still provide organic feed. Try a fence to contain your birds.

I understand all that. The post confused me by not considering organic feed because of what is grown nearby.

Minimum buffer zone is usually considered 50ft, plus or minus wind drift, water/air contamination. Feeding organic if you can't maintain a buffer zone would then only be for their peace of mind and would not be a selling feature of the meat or egg products. Fencing can also be quite expensive to put up and make chicken proof so depending on how much land they'd have to fence that might not be feasible. Organic chicken feed is also usually twice as expensive - at least in my region - so why would you spend way more money for something that doesn't make a difference to profits? If that was the case, I would not consider feeding organic either.

 

[Sally PB]

I looked into getting certified organic. To do so, it would be a cost and mean allowing someone to come here and do the certifying. Nope. I don't sell my garden produce, so there's no upside. I give excess away to my neighbors.

I looked into what it would take to label my eggs organic. The chickens would have to have eaten organic feed their entire lives, and the coop/run could not contain any treated wood. Nope, right out, right there.

I am "down wash" from a farmer who grows corn, wheat, alfalfa, and soy, alternately. He uses glyphosate, so I imagine that that is in my water, along with whatever other things he uses. Nothing I can do about that, except put a filter on my tap water.

I do the best I can, with what I have, where I am.

 

[Brooks_]

Fencing can also be quite expensive to put up and make chicken proof so depending on how much land they'd have to fence that might not be feasible

Thanks. I'll start using this quote in all the laws and ordinance threads where the birds trespass.

 

[Stravager]

Thanks. I'll start using this quote in all the laws and ordinance threads where the birds trespass.

5 acres vs 150 acres. Is it treed, is it fields/swamp/marsh/gravel pits/ravines/ditches, what other animals/machines/people need to be kept in/out? Do they know their exact boundaries or would they have to get a surveyor out? Perhaps the only way they can feed the chickens is by letting them free range in order to keep costs low and they need the chickens to provide food on the table. Do they have an agreement with the neighbors that the chickens can wander? Definitely a time and a place for chicken fencing, and there are certainly laws and ordinances to deal with, but perhaps this case is not that place. Not saying it applies to every instance of wandering chickens.