organic feed

[redstarbill]

I recently switched to organic feed, first 50# is done it seems my girls eat a lot less and also the egg production seems to have fallen off. would the feed have this affect? I have 3 bags left thought organic would be healthier for them and me. did I make a mistake? was feeding dumor 16% laying pellets, tried purina also for awhile.

 

[bukbugack]

I'm curious about what brand you're using. I just started a bag of Blue Seal organic lay pellets a few days ago. It's too early to tell much, but it does seem that they are eating a bit less now. I had been using a label-less organic mash from a local organic farm. The birds did well on it, but they definately picked out the grains and left the rest.

 

[redstarbill]

Blue seal is the brand I'm using.

 

[bibliophile birds]

i feed Countryside Naturals and my birds LOVE it. they aren't laying yet, but they are growing big and healthy and are very active little guys and gals. others here on BYC have noted that their chickens do great on this feed and have actually seen increases in eggs laid.

maybe they just need time to adjust to the new stuff. the formula could be vastly different, other than being organic, and it might take them a bit to get the hang of it. but if this one doesn't work for you, don't give up on organics. shop around and see what works best. organic is surely a step in the right direction!

 

[rainbowgardens]

Your fall in production probably doesn't have anything to do with the feed, but rather with the lower light levels at this time of year.

I wish I had access to an organic feed.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Read the ingredients list of both the new and old feeds. Ingredients are MUCH more improtant to the quality of the feed than whether it is organic or not. Also be sure to pay attention to nutrition percentages. Too little or too much protein, and also calcium (not to mention all the other ingredients) can affect laying and health. Just to throw in a wrench, even if the feed contains a good level of a particular type of nutrition, that does not ensure that it is readily bio-available to the animal.

Also, when an animal is always fed one food, changes can be disconcerting; that is why the general recomendation is to mix both old and new feed together, gradually over a week or two replacing the amount of old feed with new. So say start with 75% of the old brand, 25% of the new; a few days later make it 50/50 and then 25/75. If the animals have always had a varied diet, then they are not usually as sensitive to changes.

 

[bibliophile birds]

Quote:
Countryside Naturals is based in Virginia actually! they don't sell their feed at stores, but they have some sort of large delivery service in that area. i believe they have specific stops they make in their delivery truck and you just meet them at the closest one to get your feed. check out their website and there are details.

eta: here's the link to their Delivery page.

 

[rainbowgardens]

Thanks so much for the info on Countryside Naturals. I had no idea they delivered locally. There's a drop off point down the street from my husband's workplace. All this time and I didn't know.

Girls... Momma's getting you some organic feed. You're going all natural!

 

[bibliophile birds]

Quote:
YAY!

glad i could help! my chicks LOVE their feed.