GLuten free feed??????

[potagergirl]

I, for one, am aware of the various levels of sensitivity to gluten. However, with Celiac Disease, I was told by my GI dr and other doctors to never use gluten in any foods, skin products (soaps,lotions, shampoos, conditioners, perfumes, etc.), or toothpaste, mouthwash etc. Even medicine,so I have to always check with the manufacturer to see if a medicine has gluten. Also oats have been a controversial grain, so I purchase only gluten free oats. Here's what I was told by my GI doctor. If you have Celiac Disease and put any gluten into your body, you may or may not have an outward reaction of any degree to it; however,it is still affecting your small intestine in a detrimental way. It still affects the villi in the intestine. Celiac can kill us. Gluten will basically "kill" the intestine, not to mention that it can affect a person in other ways too. My podiatrist's father-in-law went over 20 years undiagnosed with Celiac. It not only continually caused him internal pain, but he became extremely & permanently "hunched over" from it. My daughter has a sister-in-law, a young woman, whose Celiac is so bad that if she gets so much as a trace of gluten in her, she becomes very ill. I also make certain that my partner does not "gluten" me by things he eats or uses. If he eats gluten, then kisses me, I could be glutened. And even if he brushes with a toothpaste with gluten and kisses me, I'm glutened. I even feed my dogs grain free food, bc I want to be safe cuddling them, and I want them to be healthy too. So far,so good, as my oldest dog is almost 16 with a lifespan of her breed being 17-18 years.
The sacrifices are many with a person sensitive to gluten. I personally choose to avoid it at all costs when I can. There have been times that I have been glutened anyway, usually by cross contamination, & usually from restaurants. Lately I've shown symptoms and have been trying to figure out why (an often difficult problem to solve). I just called a feed store last week about a bale of straw my fiance purchased to see if it is oat straw or derived from another glutinous grain, bc should it be and I'm touching it daily, I'm having a reaction.I have researched online every single personal product I use to be certain it's free of gluten, sometimes having to contact the manufacturer directly. If they cannot give me a definitive answer then that product is put on my "no-no" list. Can we totally, 100% always avoid gluten? I doubt it. But the more we are aware of the hidden glutens or the ways we can be glutened besides putting food in our mouths, I feel then we have the ability to make better choices for our own health. And everyone has heard the old saying,"You are what you eat." So, I guess the question is,"Just how far back in the food chain do we need to go to make sure gluten isn't going to have an adverse effect on our bodies?", ie, what we touch, what we feed our animals that we plan to consume or what that animal produces that we eat like eggs, such as their feeds or treats like meal worms we are farming and what they are eating. This whole process is time consuming and sometimes answers are elusive, but for myself, I want to live as healthy a lifestyle as I can possibly achieve for many, many years to come.

I soooo totally agree!
In fact I have a rash on both arms I got after feeding hay to the goats yesterday. I should have looked at the hay that was delivered but I didn't and now I am paying for it. It was an honest mistake and the farmer will be bringing the alfalfa hay tomorrow to replace it. But I am stuck with this burning rash for about 2 weeks. The only thing that makes it comfortable is the high dose steroid cream which I don't like to use. I have to wear long sleeves because the sun will make it worse until I get it under control. This is all because of my gluten sensitivity. Like Glib asked why not use wheat sprouts in our feeds, this is the answer because not all of us can handle any kind of wheat around us without being affected.
I've learned to pick restaurants very carefully and we rarely go out to eat anymore. This is good with me though because we are a lot healthier =). Hubby has not complained at all and loves to eat whatever I put in front of him. He's happy to have a hot meal ready when he comes home for lunch and dinner. It's funny what we get used to in a short period of time. I've been gf since January 2013 and I actually do love the new diet because food shouldn't hurt and we eat foods that taste good without the pain =)
I've put my first order in to Azure Standard. It won't be delivered for another month but everything I have ordered is organic/gmo free and gluten free. It is another step we are taking to remove contamination of the grains we are feeding our animals. I have to say the hay thing really pushed the decision but I am glad it did.
I'm looking forward to meal worms and when I get the delivery from Azure I'm going to start fermenting my feed. I think these things will give me healthier animals as well =)

 

[Lynn Manes]

I soooo totally agree!
In fact I have a rash on both arms I got after feeding hay to the goats yesterday. I should have looked at the hay that was delivered but I didn't and now I am paying for it. It was an honest mistake and the farmer will be bringing the alfalfa hay tomorrow to replace it. But I am stuck with this burning rash for about 2 weeks. The only thing that makes it comfortable is the high dose steroid cream which I don't like to use. I have to wear long sleeves because the sun will make it worse until I get it under control. This is all because of my gluten sensitivity. Like Glib asked why not use wheat sprouts in our feeds, this is the answer because not all of us can handle any kind of wheat around us without being affected.
I've learned to pick restaurants very carefully and we rarely go out to eat anymore. This is good with me though because we are a lot healthier =). Hubby has not complained at all and loves to eat whatever I put in front of him. He's happy to have a hot meal ready when he comes home for lunch and dinner. It's funny what we get used to in a short period of time. I've been gf since January 2013 and I actually do love the new diet because food shouldn't hurt and we eat foods that taste good without the pain =)
I've put my first order in to Azure Standard. It won't be delivered for another month but everything I have ordered is organic/gmo free and gluten free. It is another step we are taking to remove contamination of the grains we are feeding our animals. I have to say the hay thing really pushed the decision but I am glad it did.
I'm looking forward to meal worms and when I get the delivery from Azure I'm going to start fermenting my feed. I think these things will give me healthier animals as well =)   

 

[Lynn Manes]

Hello again potagergirl.What is Azure Standard? Where can I find it, bc I've never heard of it? I'm in South Central California. Also, how do you ferment the grains, and what is the benefit of doing that?
I'm sorry about your rash. I usually break out on my chest, but in the last few months I've had a horrible problem with both upper arms. My new dr suggested I buy original Head & Shoulders Shampoo and bathe in it. I thought it odd but was willing to try. OMW! I couldn't believe it! My itching stopped immediately that first night after I used it. And my skin was so soft and my hair was so shiny. So this dr knew what he was talking about. Maybe it might be worth it for you to try that,too. It won't cure the rash, but hopefully it'll take some of the sting away from it for you.I think it helps if you have a dry skin problem too, which I have and after using this only a couple of times my skin isn't dry now. I had just bought Neutrogena Rainbath shower gel & I liked it, but I really like the Head & Shoulders so much more. I was diagnosed for Celiac in 2009.

 

[potagergirl]

Hello again potagergirl.What is Azure Standard? Where can I find it, bc I've never heard of it? I'm in South Central California. Also, how do you ferment the grains, and what is the benefit of doing that?
I'm sorry about your rash. I usually break out on my chest, but in the last few months I've had a horrible problem with both upper arms. My new dr suggested I buy original Head & Shoulders Shampoo and bathe in it. I thought it odd but was willing to try. OMW! I couldn't believe it! My itching stopped immediately that first night after I used it. And my skin was so soft and my hair was so shiny. So this dr knew what he was talking about. Maybe it might be worth it for you to try that,too. It won't cure the rash, but hopefully it'll take some of the sting away from it for you.I think it helps if you have a dry skin problem too, which I have and after using this only a couple of times my skin isn't dry now. I had just bought Neutrogena Rainbath shower gel & I liked it, but I really like the Head & Shoulders so much more. I was diagnosed for Celiac in 2009.

Hi,
Azure standard is where a lot of people order bulk seed for feeding animals. They have organic non-gmo grains you can purchase in 25 to 50 lb. bags depending on the grain. It is a little more expensive. Use their site to find a drop station as close to you as possible that way you do not pay for shipping. You can read all the information on their website https://www.azurestandard.com/
Fermenting is a way of getting the most nutrition out of the grains you feed your animals. This website http://www.gardenbetty.com/2013/05/why-and-how-to-ferment-your-chicken-feed/ has explained it very well.
What I am looking in to now is fermenting using goats milk instead of water. Only because I have two milk goats that give me more milk then I can possibly make into something else before it goes bad. I'm looking in to it because of the yogurt aspect and the lactobacilli active culture I use when making yogurt with my goat milk.

Ah yes the rash which never stays on my arms is currently taking over my skin on different areas it is par for the course. I will try the head and shoulders trick thanks for the tip. My skin isn't very dry I've been making my own goat milk soap with coconut oil which is great for the skin. You are a pro at the celiac disease compared to me I've only been at it about 3 years.
I hope the information helps you.

 

[Lynn Manes]

Hi,
Azure standard is where a lot of people order bulk seed for feeding animals. They have organic non-gmo grains you can purchase in 25 to 50 lb. bags depending on the grain. It is a little more expensive. Use their site to find a drop station as close to you as possible that way you do not pay for shipping. You can read all the information on their website https://www.azurestandard.com/
Fermenting is a way of getting the most nutrition out of the grains you feed your animals. This website http://www.gardenbetty.com/2013/05/why-and-how-to-ferment-your-chicken-feed/ has explained it very well. 
What I am looking in to now is fermenting using goats milk instead of water. Only because I have two milk goats that give me more milk then I can possibly make into something else before it goes bad. I'm looking in to it because of the yogurt aspect and the lactobacilli active culture I use when making yogurt with my goat milk. 

Ah yes the rash which never stays on my arms is currently taking over my skin on different areas it is par for the course. I will try the head and shoulders trick thanks for the tip. My skin isn't very dry I've been making my own goat milk soap with coconut oil which is great for the skin. You are a pro at the celiac disease compared to me I've only been at it about 3 years. 
I hope the information helps you. 

Thanks so much for the links. I requested a catalog from Azure but WOW are their feeds expensive! Don't think we could afford them. However I like the sound and prices of their heirloom garden seeds. Have you tried them? How's your rash today? I'm sitting in Urgent Care right now waiting to be seen. Haven't been feeling well all week and now my blood sugar levels are all over the place. Grrr. I hardly ever am sick so this is really throwing me for a loop. So this is my Saturday. Sure hope yours is a much better one.

 

[Lynn Manes]

In Virginia you can get wheat free/soy free organic feed as well as corn free organic feed from this company.  Our chicks are still on grower but when we switch them to layer this is what they will be eating.  Really good looking stuff!  They can ship or if your lucky like me I can meet and pick it up from their monthly drop off route.

http://www.newcountryorganics.com/s...oultry/layer-feed-wheat-free-soy-free-50.html

I have lots of friends with gluten issues so thought we might try them on the wheat free feed to see how they do as we plan on sharing eggs.

Thanks for being such a great group.  I have learned so much in my few weeks as a chick momma.  I have spent many weeks and months researching prior though and this site really helped us gain the knowledge and confidence to get some chicks!!
Michele



Mom to two black labs, two busy bee hives, 6 pond fish, 2 australorps and 1 americauna chicken all residing in an urban city location.

 

[Lynn Manes]

Updating regarding questions about gluten free feeds. We recently just lost a favorite Delaware chicken and we had a necropsy done through UC Davis, California. While we were there I spoke to a vet/Scientist about feeding my flock and mealworms gluten free grains. He told me this: Whatever a chicken eats, it metabolizes that food into a totally different chemical composition. Therefore gluten will not be in the eggs or meat of the birds. So it is safe for all of us to give our birds and mealworms feed that may contain gluten.
I am simply passing along this information, but I leave it totally up to each individual to decide what you want to do. I did ask this Vet just how he knows this and that is when he told me he is also a biologist. I must tell you that I may have done serious harm to my mealworm colony by switching to gf grains bc something triggered a sudden over moisturization in the bin and everything got very very wet. I think it killed all my beetles and we are still going to try to salvage whatever, if any, live worms we might have. I am still unsure of what route I'm going to go, but Michael, my fiance,found a grocery that sells the wheat germ in bulk so we don't have to buy 50 lb bags as the first bag became infested with weevils which no doubt were there when we bought it. If I go back to the wheat meal and see anything in myself change detrimentally, I certainly will let you all know. At this point though, we haven't fed the birds our own mealworms yet. As far as the chicken feed goes I changed them to my own concoction of gf grains. They seemed to like it, but I have no idea just how healthy or if they were receiving enough protein and other nutrients from it. We still have quite a bit of regular store feed left so after talking to this Vet, I started giving it to the chickens again, but only until we run out of it. I then will continue with my own gluten free feed combination, along with feeding gf table scraps when I have them, which I've also just begun doing. If I see that the chickens are remaining healthy and not losing body mass or weight then I'm going to presume I've made up a winning combination for them. Until I do this longer, I do not wish to share this gf combo until I know no chickens will be harmed by it. BTW, my Delaware passed from pneumonia. The Vet told me not to beat myself up over this bc she could have contracted it in so many ways none which might have been m6 fault.

 

[RVAFanfarmer]

I looked at the New Organics feed and it looks great. I don't think I will go gluten free but put the chicks on the regular organic layer feed and may ferment it as well. It is nice to know it is available if someone wanted it.

 

[Lynn Manes]

I looked at the New Organics feed and it looks great. I don't think I will go gluten free but put the chicks on the regular organic layer feed and may ferment it as well. It is nice to know it is available if someone wanted it.

I have Celiac Disease so it's not my choice if I want to stay healthy to be gluten free. I just didn't know how far we need to take this to stay safe and healthy . However now after speaking with the UC Davis Vet/Biologist I am thinking it all over in a new light Thank you for your information on this brand of organic feed. I will see if I can find it locally.

 

[Deja224]

I am so happy to see that I am not the only one concerned about what to feed my chickens so
I stay healthy!
I can't have corn grain or milk........
Is there a corn free feed out there ?
My chicks are on starter feed now, but when they start on layer food, I would prefer a non corn based product ....