Poll included - Feed ration

I've managed to find a 'dealer' for organic grains of all sort at prices that seem, somewhat anyway, reasonable and I'm considering mixing my own feed to help avoid the massive amounts of soy and GMO that's mixed into our feeds today.

I'm curious, is this important to you, and, if you had the option would you buy purely non-gmo, whole feed? What would you consider a fair price as opposed to conventional pelleted/cumbled food. 3% higher? 15% higher?

Let me know!

Sweetened if you go this route, please make sure you pay attention to the protein. Chickens don't do as well on just plant protein, some animal protein gives them a more well rounded diet.

coopslave wrote:Sweetened if you go this route, please make sure you pay attention to the protein. Chickens don't do as well on just plant protein, some animal protein gives them a more well rounded diet.

Yeah,I've been looking into this very closely and I'm reading up on options and whatnot. considering meal worms, as they're easy enough to farm, and they get lots of scraps.

Thanks Coop!

Geez Sweetened, you quoted my spelling/typing errors and now they will be there for all eternity!

coopslave wrote:Geez Sweetened, you quoted my spelling/typing errors and now they will be there for all eternity!

Fixed

I am willing to pay 10-15% more for organic or non GMO. I'm considering doing the same. I have started feeding sprouted grains to my chickens, and the last two week before freezer camp the boys will be getting lots of sprouted grains.

I have little control over the food I buy, eat in restaurants, enjoy at the homes of friends. I cannot control if they cook at too high a heat, use teflon or aluminum pans, store food in plastic, sneeze in my food or allow animals lick at it. I am forced to breathe the air around me, drink the water from the ground and when at a friend's enjoy the chlorinated water in their ice cubes. If I travel to a foreign country I am exposed to completely different food, water and air as well as different additives and ingredients.

For me, ensuring my chickens eat organic, non GMO foods is the least of my concerns.

islandgal99 wrote:I am willing to pay 10-15% more for organic or non GMO. I'm considering doing the same. I have started feeding sprouted grains to my chickens, and the last two week before freezer camp the boys will be getting lots of sprouted grains.

That's excellent information, thank you. I'm surprised at how even the split currently is at the time of this reply (6-5 in favor of 'yes').

One thing that concerns me is the amount of soy, and soy is the main source of protein in the commercial feeds. As worried as I am about getting the protein levels right with a grain diet, I don't think it's too much of a threat if I can add, say, meal worms, dried/powdered meat parts and green supplements.

Not to mention, from my source, I know everything provided is from the recent year or twos harvest. Stored whole and in dry conditions, grains can last a very long time, if not indefinitely. It's got to be better than the stuff we get at the stores. Variety is key, methinks.

We'll see!

Schipperkesue wrote:I have little control over the food I buy, eat in restaurants, enjoy at the homes of friends. I cannot control if they cook at too high a heat, use teflon or aluminum pans, store food in plastic, sneeze in my food or allow animals lick at it. I am forced to breathe the air around me, drink the water from the ground and when at a friend's enjoy the chlorinated water in their ice cubes. If I travel to a foreign country I am exposed to completely different food, water and air as well as different additives and ingredients.

For me, ensuring my chickens eat organic, non GMO foods is the least of my concerns.

I can appreciate that. But I also think that the mentality that we have little control is what got us here *nodnod*

I second Sue's feelings here. Not that I am in favour of GMO foods, but what I feed my chickens is not on the top of the list of my concerns. They seem to be doing well on whatever they are getting. Now if I was aiming towards organic certification, obviously this would be a bigger concern. But, for now, I am content with my chicken's food.

Sweetened, I don't think it's that people think they can't control their food sources that has brought us to this point. I think it's that people want CHEAP, FAST food and for the most part, don't care where it comes from or how they get it. Very few people put one monents thought into their food. ALl they know is if they live in the frozrn norht, they want their mangoes in Januray and that's that! There are a handful of people who care and do want to make a difference, but the vast majority of the eating public are idiot drones without a thought in their heads concerning the life of the animals or the life of the people who did the farming. It just doesn't matter. It just has to be cheap.

Sorry, just my opinion, not my mentality. I don't share my mentality so easily.

Schipperkesue wrote:Sorry, just my opinion, not my mentality. I don't share my mentality so easily.

Fair enough. No offense meant.

Sweetened, I have been working on sourcing non GMO foods for all the animals here, including the chickens and pure grass hay for the goats, horses, and sheep, not grain. I am willing to pay more for the non GMO products and I attempt to eliminate them from my own diet as well. In addition, I have been researching old time recipes for animal feeds. Chickens and pigs do very well when milk and cheese or whey is a source of protein from what I have read, but finding that here is impossible. Next year I plan to milk some goats and give the milk to the animals except for a bit I use for cheese and soap. Hopefully next year I will have a huge garden as well, plus deliberately planted areas for the chickens, ducks, geese. turkeys and pigs. This year I did an experimental "patch" seeding it with grains, grass, peas, etc. When it was in full bloom, I removed the electric fence and it became the favourite forage area for the animals. For the pigs, I plan to plant root crops and pumpkins next year, all organically grown of course. For my life, for the lives of my critters, eating and growing organic foods is the only source I wish for and wish for it exclusively.