organic food causing problems?

[durangohens]

I have been feeding Ranchway organic layer granules for about 4 months now and I have had 4 chickens die since then. I also feed sunflower seeds and they get all of our leftovers. 1 bird had the typical sick symptoms for a few days, that seemed like a normal death. .. But the other 3 I found in the morning in their coop, it seemed like they died on their roosting pole and dropped dead to the floor.
Any thoughts? Thx from Durango

 

[TwoCrows]

Welcome to BYC!

I am so sorry for your losses. And while the only true way to know what your birds died of is a necropsy from the vet, I have heard negative things about Ranchway Feeds. I am down here in south central New Mexico and I can't get this feed here. But others in Albuquerque can and people have complained. I don't think the feed has killed any birds that I know of, but if they are selling poorly processed or cheap feed with toxins, it can kill your birds.

I would first start with your coop and environment and make sure you are extremely clean, you have healthy birds and then suspect the feed.

Take a good look at the feed. Sometimes smelling it can tell a lot, however you can not smell toxins in the grain itself. If you are in doubt, I would get them off this feed and onto something else. If you are still seeing deaths, than it is something else.

You might want to chat with others in your state thread to see if anyone is talking about this feed as well...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/68894/colorado

I hope you can get this figured out soon.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! Sorry about your losses. I am not familiar with that food. TwoCrows gave you some good advice. X2, give all your birds a really good exam and see how their body condition etc is, chickens tend to be pretty stoic and often don't look sick until they are near the end and with their feathers chickens can sometimes drop quite a bit of weight and still look fine. Did you take a really good look at the bodies of birds you lost, I would also consider if you have a predator of some sort getting into the coop. What was the ages and breeds etc of the birds you lost, any similarities?

 

[gander007]

Alright first

If you are trying to stay organic you still need to make up the protein by providing hard boiled egg's or meal worms .....

 

[drumstick diva]

What a loss. Until you know for sure, I would immediately stop using that feed. Even if you have to use non-organic for awhile do so. Bring one of the dead birds to the vet for necropsy. Did you get all the birds from the same seller? Did they seem healthy when you first got them? Post in "emergencies, diseases, injuries, cures," thread just to get more opinions of this. Post in as much detail as possible.

Did the feed have dates on the package, maybe it is old and not selling well. Report your problems to the feed store and manufacturer of the feed. Let them know you belong toBYC and we have over 260,000
members.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Also check your birds for mites/lice/worms, which can kill chickens.

I am sorry for your losses.

 

[durangohens]

Thanks everyone, for your sweet words and recommendations!
I have examined our 7 remaining birds and their weight seems healthy. They are not eating much of their feed, though, so I will definitely let Ranchway know I'm not buying it anymore.
I have been interested in making my own organic protein source. I tried feeding them a pound of organic hamburger throughout the week, or course, they loved that! I will still do that once in a while, but am looking at getting bulk bags of organic protein sources like peas and wheat and flax seeds (they might be too expensive) at our local natural food co-op.
We are really focused on eating non-GMO, and want our eggs to be free of the weird genetic stuff!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Thanks everyone, for your sweet words and recommendations!
I have examined our 7 remaining birds and their weight seems healthy. They are not eating much of their feed, though, so I will definitely let Ranchway know I'm not buying it anymore.
I have been interested in making my own organic protein source. I tried feeding them a pound of organic hamburger throughout the week, or course, they loved that! I will still do that once in a while, but am looking at getting bulk bags of organic protein sources like peas and wheat and flax seeds (they might be too expensive) at our local natural food co-op.
We are really focused on eating non-GMO, and want our eggs to be free of the weird genetic stuff!

http://www.lionsgrip.com/protein.html

http://www2.ca.uky.edu/smallflocks/Nutrition-Grains.html

http://www2.ca.uky.edu/smallflocks/Nutrition-Protein_sources.html

http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/1-4/harvey_ussery/

If you use fish meal make sure it isn't the garden kind - only use feed-grade everything.

I like the book "Feeding Poultry" by GF Heuser Norton Creek Press.

Ingredients I like:
organic chick starter as a base since I have found they gain weight and lay better with some org. soy
split peas
wheat
millet
org. whole or cracked corn
rolled oats
rolled barley
black oil sun. seeds
organic layer pellets mixed in too

oyster shell
Fertrell Redmond Mineral conditioner free choice for salt/minerals
grit

Unsalted peanuts, pumpkin seeds, and flaxseeds I used to feed. They won't eat these in enormous quantity. Fish meal and flaxseeds can make the eggs taste funny if you give too much.

If you can buy organic soymeal (must be roasted or is toxic) that is a good source of protein. They need some kind of protein other than peas/seeds. So meat scraps, clabbered raw milk (not pasteurized), roasted soy, etc. are good to add. Also fish meal but make sure it isn't rancid. Flax goes rancid quickly too.

Cooked beans are fine too. Split peas and lentils can be fed raw but lentils have more tannins just be aware.

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC. Organic is fine as long as it is a balanced ration configured to provide for all life stages. If any more die, a necropsy is definitely in order.

 

[Mellisa]

So sorry for your loss! It's never easy and so frustrating when they don't even TELL us they are sick.

Definitely check immediately for lice and mites. Look at their skin and if it is pale, they are losing blood and it's probably from blood sucking mites. They could be losing fluid from feather lice and suffer from dehydration. Both are potentially fatal if not caught in time. You may actually see the creepy little jerks but you might not.
Hens who die in the night are probably being attacked by mites that hide in the wood of the coop during the day then cruise on over to your hens once it's dark and suck their blood all night long. This will go on until the hens literally fall off the roost, dead. I've lost newly hatched chicks to mites and it's just horrible.
To my knowledge you can't kill mites in an 'organic' way. You have to use a pesticide. You won't be able to eat the eggs your girls lay while you're treating the coop.
From what I've read, people who try to discourage mites with garlic sprays and such really don't ever get rid of them and their flocks must suffer terribly. If you meet someone who has truly done it with organic methods, please share it here because it would be a first for me.
I'd get my hens out of the coop for now and spray the crap out of the inside. Put in all fresh shavings. I use Seven garden dust on my girls when there is a parasite infestation but some poultry people scream NOOOOOOOOO! when they hear I do it. I've been doing it for 40 years so I'll continue. Again, no eating the eggs during the process.

Good luck.