Organic & non-gmo feed without questionable ingredients....in the Mid-Atlantic? :-(

[ChickenHawk12]

I've been feeding my chickens Scratch & Peck since day 1, and the only supplier here is no longer going to be carrying their feed :-( The next-closest supplier is 230 miles away - NJ to MA! :-( :-( :-(

I can buy it direct from the company, but I was paying $35 for a 40-lb bag from my supplier and from the company it is $34 for a 25-pound bag. That's almost double the price. There might be some kind of farm co-op/mill somewhere in my state, but I have no idea where. Most of the rural/farm areas in NJ grow corn for feed or have horses. Or Christmas Tree farms LOL. What do I do, drive an hour to the nearest farm and just randomly knock on the door and ask where they get their feed?

I thought maybe Blue Seal, but I read some stuff about wheat middlings that make me not crazy about feeding it to my hens. Plus, they have been eating milled food since hatch....would there be problems going from that to pellets?

I've even thought twice about driving the 230 miles to MA once every few months, but that's just crazy. Anybody know of any other East-Coast options besides TSC/Purina conglomerate?

 

[Chris09]

I thought maybe Blue Seal, but I read some stuff about wheat middlings that make me not crazy about feeding it to my hens. Plus, they have been eating milled food since hatch....would there be problems going from that to pellets?

I've even thought twice about driving the 230 miles to MA once every few months, but that's just crazy. Anybody know of any other East-Coast options besides TSC/Purina conglomerate?

What have you read about Wheat Middlings?
Since Scratch and Peck uses Wheat in there feed your birds are eating everything that is in Wheat Midds.

Quote:

Wheat middlings (also known as wheat midds) are a by-product of wheat milling. During milling, 70 to 75 percent of the wheat grain becomes flour, and the remaining 25 to 30 percent results in by-products. Wheat middlings consist of fine particles of wheat bran, wheat shorts, wheat germ, wheat flour, and some of the by-product from the tail of the mill. Wheat middlings cannot contain more than 9.5 percent crude fiber and must have minimums of 14 percent protein and 3 percent fat.

.

 

[ChickenHawk12]

I read in an agri extension report (I forget which Univ.) that too much can cause egg production to stop, and that it was basically a filler with little nutrition. Made it sound like it wasn't much more than sawdust :-o

 

[centrarchid]

To much of any ingredient can cause egg production to stop. Diet needs to be nutritionally balanced. I use wheat midds first as an energy source. then as bulk to help disperse other ingredients uniformly in the diet. It does have some limited protein value.

 

[Chris09]

I read in an agri extension report (I forget which Univ.) that too much can cause egg production to stop, and that it was basically a filler with little nutrition. Made it sound like it wasn't much more than sawdust :-o

If it was the same report I read it was the Univ. was Kentucky and they stated that feeding Midds more than 89% of there diet would stop production. That is way more than Blue Seal is using in there feed..

Quote:

Wheat middlings are a bulky, low-nutrient-density feedstuff. Feeding more than 89 percent wheat middlings has been shown to put a flock of laying hens out of egg production

Nutrient Density is a measure of the nutrients provided per calorie of food, or the ratio of nutrients to calories (energy). Now this tells me not that there is no nutrients in Wheat Midds but Midds is higher in calories than other nutrients which if feed correctly can me a good.
A simple feedstuff composition table will show how much nutrition Wheat Midds have, we already know that it has 14% protein, 3% fat and no more than 9.5% crude fiber.

 

[Cindy in PA]

I don't know where you are in NJ, but there are several options in SE PA. One is Panorama Organics in Oley, PA. This is mash feed in either regular or soy free. It is owned by a Mennonite fellow. You may even find someone who carries it in NJ. His number is 610-987-3898. For organic soy or non soy pellets try organicfeedmill.com for Organic Unlimited in Atglen, Chester County PA. There is also McGeary Organics in Avondale, PA. Finally there is Nature's Best Organic out of Kreamer, PA. They are distributed to many states & are now carried at Tractor Supply. I pay $24.99 for 40 lbs. at TSC or $25.99 at my local feed store. You should be able to find someone carrying this near you, just check their website. Hope this helps.

 

[ChickenHawk12]

I don't know where you are in NJ, but there are several options in SE PA. One is Panorama Organics in Oley, PA. This is mash feed in either regular or soy free. It is owned by a Mennonite fellow. You may even find someone who carries it in NJ. His number is 610-987-3898. For organic soy or non soy pellets try organicfeedmill.com for Organic Unlimited in Atglen, Chester County PA. There is also McGeary Organics in Avondale, PA. Finally there is Nature's Best Organic out of Kreamer, PA. They are distributed to many states & are now carried at Tractor Supply. I pay $24.99 for 40 lbs. at TSC or $25.99 at my local feed store. You should be able to find someone carrying this near you, just check their website. Hope this helps.

Thank you so much! I am in Coastal South Jersey, about 40 minutes north of Atlantic City. I will Google Map those towns and see how far they are. I was driving an hour and 45 minutes north to my supplier in NJ anyway. I believe Chester County isn't much farther.