Hi all,
I am going to the Norco meetup & actually live close to there. This is the first time I got an email with an update from your San Diego group as I am on the Inland Empire group. I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Trish & have been blessed to run a buyers club for organic Scratch & Peck feed. Lately I have been *advertising* on San Diego craigslist to meet up with people who want feed on my way to Legoland. I have another trip this Saturday, April 5th & meet people anywhere along the 15 as far south as Escondido in the morning on the way down & afternoon on way back home. I also travel the 78 west from the 15 & can meet off the 5 at Costco on Palomar Airport Road.
I started doing this as a way to pay for my own feed as it was expensive in the only store it was at and I had to travel 45 minutes (without traffic) to get there. So I opened a farm account & started ordering in bulk. I get 2 tons twice a month & split it up with people from all over and have friends who schedule us into their So Cal travel plans to get their feed at a better price.
For those unfamiliar with Scratch and Peck feed, they are an awesome company that started out only a few years ago (less than 5) with the founder mixing grains in a concrete mixer. She didn't like the commercial feeds available at the feed stores so she started one herself. The feed is fresh milled from mostly local farms in Washington State & is NOT pelleted like most commercial organic poultry feeds. This means it has not had the heat & pressure that destroys enzymes in the food. They use wild caught fish meal & camelina meal which is like flax, as well as flaxseed oil instead of canola oil which most organic feeds use. It is truly a natural, sustainable product.
I special order different things for people besides always having starter, layer, grower & scratch available. They have choices of protein content. No soy, no corn, or no soy with corn for those wanting organic corn. They also sell, turkey, goat & hog feed as well as organic grains & peas & other supplements like kelp or fish meal if you want to mix up your own grains & add protein. I have people buying it who have quail & a pigeon customer who is mixing up grains himself & says his pigeons are happier & healthier since he started. The feed is certified organic & certified GMO Free.
Many people don't realize that if they are feeding their birds commercial milled feed with GMO corn & soy & canola oil in their eggs are not *organic* no matter how long their chickens free range each day. You are what your animals eat, which is Scratch & Peck's "slogan".
I have only had chickens a year so I cannot compare their health in a before or after way as I have fed them this feed from the time I got them. I am NOT a feed store, I am a homeschooling mom who is used to buying organics in bulk because of our family size so thought I would do the feed this way, too, to save money. It has been a great experience to meet lots of other chicken people thru doing this & learn & glean from them. I make enough extra to pay my teen boys for moving feed bags & loading them into people's cars & pay for my own feed.
If anyone wants to get feed from me this Saturday or another trip to San Diego (possibly June 1 for next one) or at the Norco meetup or just to find out more about Scratch and Peck, be sure to message me or go to my website,
www.thehappyhealthychicken.com where I have lots of pictures of our chickens & more added each month as I have time. I'm also on facebook & we have a closed facebook group for chicken friends, too (Crazy Chicken Mommas) which has been fun as I meet new people & we all share pics & photos like we do on BYC.
Hope to meet some of you at the Norco meetup or on a trip to your neck of the woods
Blessings!
Trish
