Thoughts on organic chicken feed. What is your opinion?

[RememberTheWay]

Honestly,

How many chickens do you have that go through 150lbs of feed a week?!?

Once someone starts seriously breeding or farming it doesn't take long to get to numbers like that. I buy 8 50# bags for about 2 wks. Actually slightly less then that. My numbers usually run between 75-200 heads

 

[Altairsky]

But-I honestly can't get on board with the "soy and corn free" hype though especially when I consider the serious lack in essential amino acids that taking out the soy does to a balanced feed. There really isnt another grain out there suitable to replace what soy offers

Soy is perfectly replaceable. There are literally hundreds of legume species that are even better than soy. Soy is just the cheapest thing companies are willing to use in the feed.
My chickens get their proteins from peas, cowpeas and a little bit of meat.

 

[Debbie292d]

I wouldn't bother going with organic feed unless you live away from farmers. We're surrounded by farm fields out here so it's pointless to spend the extra money. Depending which way the wind is when they spray, I'll keep the chickens in the coop.

 

[RememberTheWay]

Soy is perfectly replaceable. There are literally hundreds of legume species that are even better than soy. Soy is just the cheapest thing companies are willing to use in the feed.
My chickens get their proteins from peas, cowpeas and a little bit of meat.

The amino acids and protein levels for the price point that soy offers is exactly what I'm talking about. It's not just about the protein level

 

[Altairsky]

And I'm telling you that no-soy feed is as good as soy feed, because soy is, nutritionally, perfectly replaceable. Money won't make a food neither more nor less nutritious. It's a human problem, not a chicken problem.
If a person wants to spend more money on chicken feed, it's their choice and shouldn't be criticized for that.

 

[RememberTheWay]

And I'm telling you that no-soy feed is as good as soy feed, because soy is, nutritionally, perfectly replaceable. Money won't make a food neither more nor less nutritious. It's a human problem, not a chicken problem.
If a person wants to spend more money on chicken feed, it's their choice and shouldn't be criticized for that.

I'm not sure how money got brought into this or how it would make any difference in the nutrition content of a feed?

 

[RememberTheWay]

And I'm telling you that no-soy feed is as good as soy feed, because soy is, nutritionally, perfectly replaceable. Money won't make a food neither more nor less nutritious. It's a human problem, not a chicken problem.
If a person wants to spend more money on chicken feed, it's their choice and shouldn't be criticized for that.

Not sure that these are in the right order. But the lower level lysine and methionine analysis is for the soy and corn free chick starter, the other analysis is for the other one. This is simply what I'm talking about. On the market, at least in my experience - the corn and soy free options not only are WAY more expensive then other formulas but they also offer worse nutrition. This isn't the only company I've seen this in. There have been several. The problem I'm talking about isnt necessarily that it can't be replaced its that it isnt being replaced by major feed companys and they are literally capitalizing on a label and unsuspecting customers.