Should I switch from organic? whole grains being wasted vs. pellets

[jstlitlome]

My chickens are about 30 weeks old and have been laying for a couple months. I started them on commercial medicated chick starter crumbles, then moved them to Nutrena.

I found a good source of organic layer feed not far from me. I was so excited, and the feed is whole grain, and looks nice. It is locally grown and is a Fertrell product. http://www.fertrell.com/poultryration.htm Such a great change from the pellets. They have been on it for about a month. Its $28 for a 50 lb bag.

My problem is that because this feed is whole grain, and not pelleted, the chickens seem to go through and choose what they want to eat and throw the rest on the coop floor. I used to go through a feeder full full of pelleted food in about 3 days. Now it is only lasting a little over 1 day. this could get really expensive. I also wonder since they are throwing part of it on the floor whether they are getting the full nutrition.

Thinking of going back to Nutrena just for that purpose. Nutrena says "all natural" but what does that mean, and what is the difference between that and "organic"? Is it GMOs?

I really like the idea of saying that my eggs are "organic". Not sure if it really matters that much, I don't really eat organic all the time, but I prefer organic when I can, and it makes them special when I give them to friends.

Anyone have a solution to this?

 

[jstlitlome]

No one?

Anyone else have problems with whole grains being picked through and ending up on the coop floor?

 

[Den in Penn]

You might try a feeder that has higher sides that makes it difficult to toss feed out, or one that restricts their head move movement. If it isn't elevated you might try that as well. I am not surprised that they pick and choose. Like us they have their favorites. I'm sure they will eat it all if that is all they have in the feeder, if you can keep it in the feeder and not add any till it is gone.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

STOP filling the feeder until they eat all that's on the floor

 

[marktoo]

Organic is or should be non GMO, no pesticides or chemical fertilizers. "All natural" is misleading and could mean anything they want it to & they're trying to be clever about it. Don't want to get into a big song & dance about the evils of GMOs but it's best to do all you can to avoid them. Do a little research on the biotech industry, find out who's involved & who stands to gain from their continued growth.

Supposedly one of the advantages of the pellets is that they can't pick & choose their favorite bits thereby shorting themselves on nutrition. You might check out the threads on Fermented Feed as they wouldn't be able to bill that out onto the ground.

 

[jstlitlome]

STOP filling the feeder until they eat all that's on the floor

Haha.. seems so simple right? lol I have a sand floor though, so that might not happen. But I may look into a different kind of feeder. Maybe some PVC feeders? My DH is a plumber, so should be easy.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote:
It doesn't matter what's on the floor since they wll scratch around to find the seeds. You may also need to raise you feeder higher so they can't shovel it out

 

[jstlitlome]

Quote:
I can only raise it so high, as I only have one bantam Silkie and she's pretty tiny.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

You could also try setting it in a slightly larger pan to help catch what spills

 

[jstlitlome]

You could also try setting it in a slightly larger pan to help catch what spills

ahhhhh. Theres an idea!