Organic Chicken Food

[llhirsh]

Hi I am new!

I am about to be a first time chicken owner. I will be raising my chickens for eggs only. I would like to give them organic feed but don't know what my options are. Can I avoid commercial feeds? Can I avoid soy? Does anyone have any resources to recommend?

I am getting 8 day old chicks, so I need to know what to feed them when I first get them, and then later as they age.

Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thank You!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Organic feed will cost significantly more than non-organic. I am not aware of any feed that has no soy--maybe some of the cock feeds, which have a lot of fish.

At the moment I am paying $14-16 for regular (non-organic) feed, it can vary about a dollar or two depending of the type of feed (starter, grower, layer, gamebird) and the particular store. Organic runs $24. All of these are for 50 lb bags.

 

[junebug7334]

I have used organic feed and in a perfect world would still do it. I have issues with shipping.....and then some.....I end up with Purina Sun Fresh and that is a happy medium for me.

 

[BigSkyChickens]

Hey Organic-Seekers:

They have Modesto Milling organic chicken feed at the Biofuel Oasis in Berkeley. The Biofuel Oasis is located at 1441 Ashby (at Sacramento St.) in Berkeley, and they are terrific. They have layer crumbles, layer pellets, start & grow, and 25 # bags of organic scratch, as well as oystershell and grit by the scoop. They've got canning supplies too!

Modesto Milling has a website, so you can check them out:

www.modestomilling.com

Another organic alternative: they have "Organic Pride" at the Alamo feed store (which is shipped from MO and made by Land O' Lakes which is owned by.....Purina).

My bad - I forgot how much I forked over for the modesto mills layer crumbles. I think it was just over $30 for a 50# bag, which seems steep, but it's not about the $, it's about what's going into my chickens, and then into me in the form of eggs......

 

[fldiver97]

I had no luck at the farmers co=op here. Check feed stores, if they don't have it ask if they can stock it for you. I found my organic chickenfeed in a petfood warehouse (WI). I also know that one of the pet supply stores (independent in Madison, WI) sells organic chickenfeed. I initially thought I'd have to mailaorder and pay $$$$$ for feed and s&h but being able to get it locally for just a few dollars more than "regular" 50 lbs bags. Actually, I think I recently read that the ??brand they sell here locally is made by Purina??...It's called "Organic Pride"
Also, you can google: ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, put in chicken feed and then your area to find if there is a retail place near you for organic feed

 

[chickiedoodle]

I would search the ol' internet and see what you can find in your area. I found the Modesto Milling co-op that way and buy from them. Our feed store carries their feed now, but I can get it quite a bit cheaper by driving--I get 6 months of feed at a time, so gas money is not bad and I come out ahead of feed store prices.

 

[noitulover]

http://www.helfterfeeds.com/products.html

i just ordered from the link above. a great choice of non-soy and organice and all sorts of age ranged goodness!

also try "countryside natural"... my last bag of feed was from them... (although the only downside is they only sell 50lb bags) they chickens loved it!

or Shopthecoop.com (they're a little slow to deliver, but it gets there eventually... just don't count on it showing up on time).. their food is not pelleted or mashed... it's more of scratch. you can see every piece of oat groat or corn or sunflower seed...

when i finally get organized, i plan on mixing a bag of either helfter's feed or countryside natural with a bag of shopthecoop.com to get a good balance of pellets and whole, untampered-with foods.

 

[vsavor]

I am an organic grain farmer in Northern BC with layer chickens year round and Broilers in the summer. I've been using my own grain excusively now for two years with very good results. The only purchases I make for my mash is Nutri-Balancer by Fertrell which provides a vitamin/mineral boost and Calcium Grit. If any of you have access to organic grains there are lots of variations to what you can give your chickens with a little research, you just have to watch your protein level. Here is my 18% mix which I feed to all my day olds (more finely ground than for the older birds).

kilogram weights 18% protein starter
Wheat 17.0 26%
Oats or Barley 0 25%
Peas 15.00 45%
Limestone (Calcium) 0.33 1%
Nutri-balancer 1.00 3%

For the older birds, 3 weeks or more I split the Wheat in half and make up the balance in oats or barley. The little ones have trouble dealing with the chafe from the oats. I picked up a small cement mixer and mix a batch at a time.

To make up this feed I found information on the internet listing basic values of protein in grain as well as used the information in Salatin's book about raising broilers. He recommends the Nutri-balancer. The first time I used it for day-old chicks it was scarey, but they did very well and don't get poopy bums either.
Good luck!
Verna

 

[llhirsh]

Thanks so much!

Thank you Verna! and Noitulover!