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This question is asked a lot of us and the simple answer is COST.
Right now we pay $9 per 50lb bag of chicken feed - that's when we buy 2 tons at a time. We over winter our chickens - and so we need to cover the cost of feeding them in January & February when some days we get only 2 eggs. So by our calculations we can pay for their feed and such by charging the $4 per dozen. The feed we get is non-GMO and made in MD and we can live with that (though we do try to keep as much in VA as possible)...
Now - the current price for a 50 lb bag of organic feed is $23.50.
See the price difference?
We did try really hard to be organic when we first started with chickens and we had only 50 birds. We spent over $450 in one month and egg production dropped like a rock. They wouldn't eat it!
Goat feed is the same - we use a locally grown and processed feed and pay $18 per 80 lbs. Organic feed - $24.00. Ok not as big a difference (except for the 30 pounds) - but now I need to pay shipping on top of that.
We don't give our animals anything that we don't recognize. I have been known to stop a certain feed or never give it if they put something in it. There is a sheep feed out there that has something in it which helps the rumen which is great.... but they don't call it medicated and that's a medicine in my opinion.
I wasn't able to find ANY de-wormer that I would ever want in my dairy goats.... so I'm using an herbal de-wormer - safe and natural!
Hope this explains a little bit :)
Monday, May 24, 2010
That gives your kids 30+ pro-biotic cultures and THEY LIKE IT!?
With so many problems today with kids drinking sodas and pretty much "crap" - this summer I have the solution... my kids will be drinking the water kefir or kombucha only (or homemade lemonade - but I can do THAT with kefir!)
I'm up to making 1 gallon every couple of days of each (I like it to ferment 48 hours at least).
I just made it with Dole's 100% (or as close as possible) Mango, Pineapple juice and it is really good! I use 2 cups in just under a gallon of water kefir. It makes 8 bottles which is ok - but I seriously need to be able to make more as my kids will go through this in a heart beat on a hot day!
I have started using some raw agave sweetener in it which works well. I picked that up at Costco for $7.99 for 2 larger bottles. I also skimp and use just plain regular sugar if I'm in a bind and that works. I also add in a piece of Kombu when I am making it to help get the minerals out of that as well.
My current recipe for a 1/2 gallon jar:
3/4 cup - 1 cup of sugar (I use less when using the agave)
1/8 tsp aluminum free baking soda
water
piece of an egg shell (calcium) - washed
about a 2 inch piece of kombu (seaweed)
water
& of course the grains
Let sit for 24-36 hours!
Perfect every time so far!!
I'm not talking about their attitudes at all (though - I know why they call the baby goats "kids" - they are no different than humans!).... but with their milk production.