???organic???

[auntpeep]

You hit the nail right on the head. My friend brought me a bag of what she was told was organic. However, it was 90% cracked corn and some powder stuff. I didn't like it. My chickens ate the corn and left all the powder. I really did not like it. Today I bought a bag of Purina chicken crumble. I don't think its organic but it is a name I trust, I only feed my dogs and cat Purina. As far as my yard goes, were good there. No one has lived in this house for about 3 years and we never use chemicals on our lawn. I think I'm going to have some really great eggs. Again thanks for all the info. I love back yard chickens if you have any thoughts about that Purina crumble, I would love to here them!!!

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
Was it labeled as a complete layer ration? Layer mash does tend to look like that as there can be a lot of fines and many times the only thing recognizable is the pieces of corn. For people who have only seen pellets or crumbles, the consistency of mash can be quite different, with a lot of powdery fines, but they still eat it. A lot of the powdery stuff is the mineral pre-mix that is added to the ration. If you are feeding mash it helps to let the birds clean out the feeder once a day to ensure they are eating the minerals that settle to the bottom.

The layer pellets and crumbles use the basic ingredients mixed together with a binder. It is then extruded into pellets under high pressure. Some pellets are bagged as pellets and others are broken up and bagged as crumbles.

 

[auntpeep]

Yeah, the bag didn't say anything. It was completely white. This store mixes their own feed. I seem to remember my friend saying it was organic and I'm pretty sure she said it was complete. I don't know why, but I feel better feeding them crumble. I'll have to check around for afordable organic crumble.

 

[7L Farm]

I grow veggies & sell them as organic. I use no chemicals on the farm what so ever. Is it truly organic probably not but its close. I haven't had any problems with customers saying hey your veggies aren't truly organic. The world is full of chemicals I just do the best I can to stay away from them. You figure your vehicles leak oil, tractor leaks oil etc. . I'm small potatoes but I still don't think anything is fully organic .Just my opinion.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
A lot of organic's detractors like to bring up that point. Producing things organically isn't necessarily only about food purity though, although organic producers like to use that as a selling point. It is about using sustainable, ecologically sound practices that improve the soil in addition to protecting resources such as ground and surface water sources, as well as using improved animal welfare standards. It's more than just being "chemical free", it's methods encompass the entire production system and the impact they have on the environment.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
There's more to it than just not using chemicals though. An organic certifying agency would have you fill out a farm plan and livestock questionnaires that detail your methods of organic production. Some questions that would be asked:

What are your seed and starter plant sources? Are they certified organic? If not, have you documented your search for organic seed inputs?

How do you plan to manage pests and rodents? (Allowing vermin populations to run amok is not necessarily environmentally friendly either).

How are you improving your soils? How do you prevent erosion? (Crop rotation, cover crops, adding organic matter, manure, etc.)

How do you manage livestock manure? If you spread manure what are the precautions you take to avoid runoff into nearby waterways?

Do you have buffer zones that separate your organic production from any neighbors' conventional production?

What are your animal welfare practices? How do you manage your pastures? How much pasture do you have per animal? When are they allowed outside?

How do you promote biological diversity? What conservation methods have you enacted?

etc, etc, etc...


As I said it is more encompassing than just not using chemicals.

 

[Organics North]

Indeed it is much more than being free of chemicals...
It is an entirely different mindset on raising livestock or crops..
When it hits you it is like a eureka. Then you can not even fathom the idea of using chemical fertilizers for example...

If you sell less than $5000 and follow all of the guidelines of organic certification, then in good conscious it is my opinion you should be proud to call your product organic with out being certified yourself.
ON