Feed your livestock and critters like grandpa used to with GMO free seeds and grains, formulated to give your animals their protein needs. Supplement with mineral blends, browse, hay, and alfalfa for a fully rounded diet.
Misconceptions about livestock feed
There is a huge misunderstanding among small farmers and homesteaders about animal feed. Some think that because a feed is 100% vegetarian it is organic. Some think that if an animal has access to pasture it is grass fed, no matter what else is on its menu. Others think that certified organic means that no genetically modified ingredients were ever fed to it.
A few years ago I bought locally raised chicken, frozen and ready for my freezer, from a local farmer. She claimed they were certified organic. And because of this I payed a premium per lb. at $5 per lb or around $30 per bird. When she delivered the birds I questioned her about her feeding practices and was surprised to say the least. This well meaning farmer was completely confused. She had her meat chickens in a barn, so they weren’t pasture raised. She did not have certified organic status for her farm. Nor was she feeding her chickens with certified organic feed. This farmer thought that the term “vegetarian” meant the same thing as certified organic. She didn’t mean to mislead me. She just didn’t understand or even care to become informed about the issue.
Another local farmer is raising pork. While we had a discussion about GMO-free feed, he decided that his pigs were doing well on conventional pork rations and declined to switch to GMO-free. This farmer has his pigs on pasture and supplements with conventional feed. His pork is selling at the Kootenay Co-op, as “local organic pork”. He isn’t certified organic. Nor are his animals exclusively fed from pasture. When I talked to the Co-op and mentioned that this farmer was raising his pork using conventional rations, they declined to discuss it. What they don’t know they can’t be held accountable for. I have a problem with this. It is false advertising. The people buying this pork believe it to be free of GMO ingredients. This is a breach of trust, for the sake of profits.
Going GMO free
The main issue with certified organic, besides the use of pesticides and herbicides which leave residue in the feed is that nonorganic feeds have genetically modified ingredients. While the FDA, guided by the owners of genetically modified patented seed, spread propaganda that gmo seed is equivalent to conventional seed. It isn’t so. Genetically modified seed has proteins that are different than conventional seed. These proteins are not assimilated in the human or animal gut in the same way as conventional food.
If you contact a feed company, to inquire about the ingredients used in the feed that you are using on your livestock you will be told, as I was, that there is no such thing as GMO-free feed. This is not true.
When we first started researching about changing our livestock feed to nonGMO we came up with a lot of road blocks. Our inquiries with the feed company came to a dead end. The feed company nutritionists refused to return our calls. We couldn’t get ingredient lists from the feed company for the livestock feed that we were using. It wasn’t until we formulated our own feed mix and ordered it in bulk that the feed company actually called us back, to tell us we couldn’t do that.
Certified Organic and GMO-free
First they told us that feed was scientifically formulated and you couldn’t feed the same feed to all your livestock, no matter what the species. This isn’t so. Then they told us that the feed stocks were contaminated with GMO ingredients and it would be impossible, even with Certified Organic Feed to guarantee that it was GMO-free. What? This was a new angle. This is what we learned:
While Certified Organic farmers do not knowingly plant GMO crops, there can be cross-contamination through pollination in the field, through residue at the storage facility and through residue in the trucks that transport seed to the mills or to the farm. But if a farmer is certified organic, this contamination will never be tested for. The cost of finding out the truth can be very great indeed. So no tests are ever done. Certified organic crops are not guaranteed to be GMO-free.
So what is the alternative? Feeding your livestock and pets with food ingredients that have never been genetically modified. The list of available ingredients is getting smaller every year. Genetically modified crops include:
- Soy Beans
- Corn
- Cotton
- Canola
- Alfalfa
There are other crops that have been genetically modified but these are the ones that are generally used in livestock feed. Many other crops are on the list for approval for GMO distribution but for now these are the big ones. If you can avoid these in your feed, you will be ahead of the fight against GM ingredients.
Whatever an animal eats, that is what it uses to build its milk, eggs, and meat. So if an animal is predominantly fed GM corn, than its protein tissue will be built out of corn (see the movie King Corn for more information on this).
While conventional wisdom will tell you that grass fed is best. Ruminants were meant to be fed grass. With the US alfalfa crop already contaminated substantially with GM alfalfa, grass fed may not guarantee a healthy, GMO free feed. If you are growing your own hay, use grass that is rated for your climate zone. Clover can be added to increase protein levels instead of alfalfa. There are some issues with clover so it should be less than 50% of the hay.
GMO-free rations for your homestead
The feed formula that we use at Joybilee Farm, gives all our animals 15 to 16 % usable protein, and while we have had a slow down in egg production over conventional battery egg layers, we have seen improvement in the health of our livestock since switching feeds.
The last of our livestock to switch feed was our angora bunnies. Our rabbit feed was 18% protein and according to the feed company contained canola meal, cotton seed meal, alfalfa meal, and soy bean meal as the predominant ingredients. While we were feeding our GMO-free whole grains to the bunnies on weekends, we were afraid to switch them off their higher protein feed because of wool production and the well being of our babies. Then we started having re-production problems. Our bunnies stopped reproducing. We would breed 5 rabbits and only 2 would give birth. We started finding cancers in young rabbits, some less than two years old. This really set off alarm bells.
We talked to the local livestock vet and asked if the rabbit feed could have something to do with it. She said to take them off commercial feed. GMO feeds, especially soy, have been implicated in scientific studies to cause reproductive problems in livestock.
So a year ago we took our rabbits off of their commercial rabbit feed completely. The incidence of cancer deaths stopped immediately. Older rabbits that we check out after butchering had cancerous tumours that were shrivelled, showing us that while they did have cancer, the change in feed reversed the condition and their immune systems were taking care of the cancers. While we are a small farm and are not making any scientific claims, it is something that needs to be investigated.
I have several friends fighting the battle with cancer right now. Some have already died. None have been told to remove genetically modified food out of their lives. The only diet advice these friends have received is to stop eating food that are rich in antioxidants, like blue berries, because it will stop the cancer treatments from working. Huh?
The basis for all livestock feed should be grass hay or grass/pasture. Grass hay and pasture was never a monoculture on traditional farms. Fields were divided by hedge rows that were rich in herbs, trees, and shrubs that gave the animals what they needed at various stages of growth. Don’t plow under the weeds and plant a monoculture of grass. Instead encourage the wild grasses to grow by pasture rotation. The pH of animal manure will change the pH of the soil gradually, encouraging the growth of grasses and discouraging weeds.
Feed Mix recipe:
When supplements are needed, in winter, during gestation or early lactation, for instance, this is the feed that we use:
1 part whole wheat
1 part whole oats
1 part whole barley
1/2 part whole flax seed
1 part whole or split peas, garbanzo beans or other pulse (not soy)
Keeping the grains whole ensures that the oils in the grain don’t go rancid. Ruminants will digest the whole grains in their rumens. Chickens need grit to digest these grains. For young chicks and growing pullets we feed ground grains and increase the protein by soaking in milk or yogourt overnight before feeding it.
If you are concerned about pesticide and herbicide use you can go with certified organic ingredients. If expense is a concern conventional ingredients will still give you GMO-free (not really as there can be contamination in the feed trucks and at the storage facility). You can’t advertise this as GMO-free, but you can explain what you are doing to your customers. Our customers appreciate knowing the rational behind our feeding decisions.
Using this as a basic guide, you can switch out ingredients to take advantage of price drops — sunflower seeds can be added to increase protein and vitamin E during early lactation. The pulses can be switched out to home grown — If you don’t have a combine, most of us don’t, harvest while the seed is still immature, by taking the whole above ground plant and drying it as hay. There may be some shattering of seed, but there is protein in the plants and the seed can be cleaned up by your chickens.
Field peas and desi garbanzo bean can be grown even if you get some summer frost. These plants can withstand light frost. If you have a warmer climate you can pick a bean that can withstand warmer temperatures during the growing season.
Vegetable supplementation for winter use
Don’t overlook vegetable supplementation for winter use. Kale, beets, turnips, squash, and potatoes have all been used traditionally to feed cattle over the winter. Potatoes should be cooked before feeding. What did the farmer’s do 100 years ago, before factory farming took hold. When you find that out you’ll know what you can do to feed your livestock without GMO food.
Minerals, both salt blocks and lose minerals, need to be added to this ration to allow the animals to get the correct minerals for their needs. We have a three compartment mineral feeder in the goat/sheep barn that has baking soda, kelp meal, and lose mineral appropriate to the animals’ needs. In the rabbit barn, each rabbit has a mineral wheel that they chew on. The laying chickens receive oyster shell, grit and kelp meal.
We’ve been feeding this ration for 4 years now and have had no issues, except that our chickens lay fewer eggs in winter. So if optimal egg production is important to you consider a higher protein feed. Traditionally chicken feed was supplemented in winter with road kill, or varmint kills. Chickens are omnivores not vegetarians.
What about feeding dogs and cats on the homestead? More about that in the next article.
Back to You:
What issues are you facing with your livestock feed? What is your highest priority in formulating your own livestock feed? What works for you. Please leave a comment so that we can all learn from each other.
Im reaching a crossroads here at Shining Light Farm. My feed cost have doubled since Biden took office. Ive been getting GMO-free feed from Sunrise Farms in Stuarts Draft VA since we started oir little mountain farm in 2017. I mix my feed and ferment it and sprout some from whole seeds, barley roasted soybeans, oats and corn. My additives are Thorvin kelp, and Redmond salt from Utah. I use ratios recommended in the classic back to the land book, and the book that started my quest for this lifestyle, The Self Sufficient Life and How to Live It, by John Seymour. My feed cost has now reached $750 every 5 weeks. Ive got to do something as this is not sustainable. Ooosh, what to do? Grow your own?
Yes, that’s incredibly high. Pasturing is much more sustainable if you can manage that.
organic does not mean non gmo, gmo crops can be grown organically and be advertised as organic. A common misconception. I feed organic non gmo flax seed oil and crumbles to my horse, took a lot of research and it’s very expensive. Also, a bag of sunflower seed is now $30. Plan to make my own chicken feed in addition to free ranging, fodder and mealy worms. Thanks for all the info.
Thank you so much for this information! I’ve been searching online and locally for weeks on a how to feed our animals organic and GMO-free. There is no one local to us selling any high quality organic and/or non-gmo feed. And having it shipped costs a lot! But we could order all of these grains through Azure Standard and I think it would be affordable.
We feed our layer hens & broilers certified organic & non GMO Scratch & peck brand feed and they do great on it (but its pricey). Our 2 wether Nigerian Dwarfs only get grass hay from a local goat farmer and our kunekune pigs sadly get regular pellets in a very small portion because we couldn’t find any soy-free non-go feed by the time we got them.
So I have a questions I hope you can help with…
1. KuneKune pigs are a heritage breed that is mainly fed on grass but most of what I’ve read/heard says its ideal to supplement with some feed. I’m thinking I can try your recipe, but since pigs are omnivores I think I’d have to either soak or grind their feed right?
2. With our goats they are 6 months old and since they are only getting hay they are growing pretty slow. With wethers you have to be careful with UC and feeding them grain can contribute to them getting UC. Would you say wethers are okay to have zero grain?
Hi, not sure if my last comment went through – but I have two questions –
How would you alter this for ducks and also for ducklings (because I know they need higher protein and niacin) – and also for quail (egg layers).
I am in the process of making this for my goats with the three additional mineral bins (baking soda, kelp, goat mineral blend) Would you change it in any way for them other than that?
Thank you, Nancy
would this basic recipe do for laying ducks as well? Would I need to add brewers yeast for the additional niacin and Vit. B to meet their needs? ALSO with your three bin feeder for your goats do you leave baking soda, kelp and minerals available at all times? Thank you, Nancy
With my ducks, when they were laying and I wanted to hatch the eggs, I added organic dry cat food to their food for increased protein. Brewers yeast can add the niacin that ducks need.
I am also interested about duck feed? Is this formulated for ducks and ducklings? Thank you
No. You will need higher protein levels for ducks.
I am a consumer and was trying to find out what goats and sheep are fed? My functional medicine doctor does not want me to eat dairy from cows because of the hormones and feed they are given. I thought goats and sheep were raised differently, when it comes to feed. I haven’t heard anything about hormones given to them to hasten growth. I do not want to eat dairy that contains GMOs (especially glyphosate) or hormones from the animals. Your article concerns me. How can I be assured the cheese is not contaminated by GMOs and hormones? Do I have to give up all dairy? Such toxic substances are outlawed now in parts of Europe. Agribusinesses in this country obviously place money above our health. Shame on them!!
If you are buying conventional dairy products then they are likely contaminated with glyphosate. It is used to dry down the grain that is fed to animals in confinement operations. If you can find grassfed organic milk you can avoid it but maybe not 100%. There are cheeses that are imported from Europe that might meet your needs. Kerry Gold is from grass fed cows from Ireland.
Hi, we are about to get Mangalista piglets and I’m wondering what you would feed them. We are trying to do organic or at least GMO free. How do you modify your basic animal feed to accomodate baby pigs and growing pigs? Thanks!
http://www.ecowatch.com/why-is-glyphosate-sprayed-on-crops-right-before-harvest-1882187755.html
More bad news. See article above. They are using Round Up on Non-Gmo crops now also. To use your recipe, you would have to find organic ingredients.
Or grow it yourself. It would still be GMO-free though. Since these grains have never been GMOd. The best bet by far is organic grass fed — alfalfa–grass hay and weeds
Is you recipe parts based on weight or volume?
Weight but you can do volume if it’s easier.
What are your thoughts on Chicory. I found that hunters seed an area for deer and other animals like rabbits and such with Chicory and Clover. They say it high protein. We are going to raise meat rabbits, meat chicken, goats and pigs and are trying to figure out what to seed the ground with so they have some good eats and then supplement with other things like your recipe. Also would you be willing to give your source from where you get your GMO free food from? Thank you so much for your time and research on NON-GMOs and great food for farm animals.
Good question. I haven’t researched Chicory as a feed. So I’m not sure what the protein value would be. It should certainly be a safe food. Clover is higher in clover, because it is a legume, and also a perennial whereas chicory is a biennial and will need to be reseeded. I get my feed delivered in 1/2 ton bags from the local mill in Armstrong, BC. Sure Crop.
Hi Chris, can you clear up something for me? I was wondering if the oats are the “oat groats”? Thanks so much.
You certainly could use oat groats without any problems for this recipe, but I used whole oats. Some it of still had it’s chaff on. My animals were all right with it.
Hi there! Thank you so much for the info on feed! I just started my meat rabbits on your mix, and they seem to really like it. My biggest problem is, they dont like the split peas or barley…. is there an alternative to either (thats reasonably priced) that they may enjoy better? I hate to have so much waste, cuz they just dig it out. Thank you!
Replace the barley with oats. With the split peas you could go with another bean (not kidney beans as they are toxic) like mung bean or adzuki. Whole peas. The beans have a good hit of protein — like 30% to 35% so if you leave them out you’ll need to find another protein substitute.
Hello. I saw the recipe for your feed, and I do like this idea of a single feed I can give to all my animals and supplement individually. I have been trying to find a GMO free feed for my animals for a while now, and let me tell you, the prices are rather prohibitive. My little farm is just in it’s beginning stages and barely pays for itself right now.
I was hoping that you might be able to send me an e-mail or something with more details for the feed and more information on what you were talking about growing peas and beans and drying them vine and all for Hay. I am very much a person who likes to do everything myself, and while I don’t have a lot of space, a have 1 1/2 acres to work with, a good portion of which gets enough light to grow food on. I am not opposed to doing the hard work, most of the time I rather enjoy it.
I have dairy goats, laying hens, and meat rabbits. I would love to be able to give them a healthier, more productive diet, and if I loose out on some eggs over the winter, well… so be it for healthy strong birds.
It has been hard putting my little farm together since my husband left, but I want my children to have the life I did as a child. the warmth, satisfaction, and and sense of accomplishment that only a farm can give you.
Thanks in advance.
-Kasey
There’s a huge number of variables when it comes to farming. Basically look for a legume that you can easily grow in your area with your climate to increase the protein of your feed. Plus an oil seed like sunflower or flax. Add them to your basic grain mix aiming at a 15 to 18% protein. The average grain in like oats or wheat comes out to about 12 to 14% protein and the average legume is about 22 to 25% protein. Growing conditions are what makes the difference in protein as much as what is grown. You don’t need to test but watch your animals and see how they respond. For chickens you can up their protein by adding bugs like meal worms or earth worms. If they free range, they’ll add the protein themselves. Your dairy goats and meat rabbits will need the legumes to up their intake or alfalfa hay. You’ll have to test you own animals and go very easy on any change in feed so that you don’t upset their microbiome by changing feed too quickly.
Just found your website. Enjoying immensely. Going cross-eyed from all the reading lately. I am trying to get all the gluten out of my diet to see if it will help get rid of the RA in my body. This has led me to also consider what I feed my ducks and rabbits as we eat their eggs and meat. I’ve been reading up on all this GMO stuff and thankful for prayer as we all have been poisoned for so many years. You said you purchase the grains and then mix it to give your animals. How do you know they are not covered with GMOs and pesticides? I used to feed an all stock pellet to all my animals with no problems but then they poured molasses over all the feed which caused a lot of waste as the pellets soaked in molasses crumbles to powder that rabbits and ducks don’t eat well. So now I’m looking for a healthier way to feed them so my meat and eggs will be healthier for consumption. I am not able to grow the grain so when I go to the feed store what do I ask for to get the right grains? I think I read you give your rabbits the whole grain, but I’m wondering about the ducks if they can digest them alright. I’ve rattled on. Thank you for all you do on here. Looking forward to reading more of your info.
You want to ask for grains that have never been GMOd. In Canada that includes wheat but in the US there has been some GMO contamination of the wheat crop. Barley, oats, and rye have not been GMOd. Increase the protein by adding a dried peas, flax, and sunflower seeds — all GMO free so far. Of course, you will have to buy certified organic and certified GMO free whole grains if you must be 100% sure that you aren’t feeding GMO seeds to your livestock. But for right now, this feed mix meets the needs of my farm. You’ll need to weigh the pros and cons and the expense yourself for your situation. It’s very important to ensure that your animals are getting adequate protein and adequate minerals if you are removing commercial pellets from their diets. Ducks need more protein than chickens. You may want to consider adding meal worms, crickets, or other meat to their diet to get their protein levels up.
Thank you so much from taking out of your busy day to reply. I called the local feed store and they have several different non-GMO feeds to choose from. Three times as much as I am paying now for feed though but that is to be expected I guess. Thanks again
Am I following correctly that you just use this blend for all of your livestock including your rabbits?
Yes. We add more sunflower seeds, flax seed, and peas to the animals that need a higher protein content and make sure that they all have access to the appropriate mineral mix for each species.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for this post. I’ve had it saved for the day that I’d finally get chickens and that day is arriving soon since our coop is almost finished. It’s super important to me that that they eat organic and GMO free because the rest of what we eat is and I don’t want any secondary GMO’s. I have a few questions that you may or may not have answers to. What do you think about chia seeds, hemp seeds, coconut flakes, and lentils? They were all ideas I had to add before I found your amazing recipe! Do you think any of these things would be useful in their diet? Also, on the kelp meal, how much do you give them? Do you not add it to their feed and give it separately? Thanks in advance for any help. You’ve already helped me a ton! 🙂
Hi, April
Hemp, chia, coconut,and lentils are all awesome additions to the feed. Lentil can replace the peas in equal portions. Hemp and Chia will add oil, so if you add them cut down on the flax seed. Coconut is just awesome but unless you have a source of locally grown and cheap it might be over the top for cost. I feed kelp meal as a supplement free choice. So that means I put it in its own dish and let the animals help themselves. There is less waste. If you haven’t been feeding it, you will find that at first they devour it and you think they are overdoing it. It contains trace minerals and so if they are devouring it, they need those trace minerals in their diet. After a few days or weeks, the kelp meal consumption goes down and they balance out their need for it.
I hope this helps.
Chris
Hi – I just found out from our local feed supplier that she is unable to get a shipment of organic alfalfa pellets this year due to lack of interest from buyers. A few years back we switched our livestock from grain supplementation to alfalfa pellet supplementation due to health problems in our animals. I was told at this time that sheep and goats cannot digest grains very well. However we do not want to feed them non-organic alfalfa, even though it is claimed to be GMO-free. What is your opinion/position about ruminants being able to digest grain? We’d like to grow as much of our own animal feed as possible. Your thoughts? We also feed sunflower seeds and trace minerals. Maybe this is enough, in addition to mixed grass/legume pasture and dry hay? Thanks for your time and thoughts.
Hi, Alison
The alfalfa crop in the USA was randomly tested before they released GM alfalfa (deregulated), in 2011. It was found to already be 80% contaminated with GM genes. There was a few month period several years ago when it was deregulated and Monsanto took that opportunity to seed fields of it throughout the US. So even certified organic alfalfa can be contaminated with GM genes. Alfalfa is a perennial. They won’t test for it because of the financial repercussions to organic farmers.
We feed only whole grains. The ruminants can digest it and we have only had problems when we’ve increased the ration too quickly. Then we find whole grains in the droppings. But by going slowly, the ruminant bacteria has time to build up to digest it. Clover is another option to increase the protein in their diet. Sheep on pasture don’t need much protein supplementation, but I find that our goats do. The exception is during early lactation as the milk is coming in for sheep. So we supplement during the winter, when they don’t have access to pasture, and in early lactation. Once they are a month past lambing and on pasture for at least 12 hours a day, we don’t give hay or grain to the sheep, but still give grain to our dairy goats, when they are on pasture. (We have 140 acres of mixed pasture and woodland for browsing and grazing.)
This is just our experience. We aren’t livestock nutritionists, nor veterinarians.
I hope this helps,
Chris
Well I have been trying to figure this one out for while!! Thanks! Yeah, the feed stores around don’t even want to hear about it! I have saved the recipe, and will try to find a place that will make it for me. I try to just use a s little grain as passible, but, lol, you have to feed them something. I have bunnies, chickens, turkeys and a milk cow and beef calf. It kills me that I know I’m feeding them GM, then I eat the product! I’ve switched my bunnies to pretty natutral diet, but I still need some pellets. So you feed this to bunnies, cows, and birds? I certainly dont see why you couldnt, plus pasture /hay of course, but just reassure me please. I will be working towards this now. Thank you so much!! I was meeting all the obstacles here too!!!!
Hi, Jennifer, we feed it to all our livestock. What we do now is buy the whole wheat, oats, and barley from the mill by the ton, and then mix in bagged black oil sunflower seeds, peas, and whole flax in the proportions that I mentioned. With bunnies that are feeding young or growing, we increase the amount of peas and sunflower seeds slightly until we get the weight gain we are looking for in the kits. They will grow a little slower on this feed than on the pellets. We feed free choice hay to bunnies, goats, sheep, and llamas. The poultry get the alfalfa crumbs from the hay sweepings only. We don’t actually feed them their own hay ration. Its really important to make sure that you don’t skimp on the mineral ration with this feed, because there is no mineral added to the feed, and add grit to the poultry diets, if they aren’t free ranging. We use baking soda with the ruminants, kelp meal with everyone, plus fresh fruits and garden veggies with the rabbits. Make any change in diet slowly over at least a 2 to 4 week period, and you won’t have any trouble. Don’t switch feed suddenly their bodies need time to adjust.
Chris
I find your blog very informative. What would you recommend for feed for horses? Thanks!
Hi, Debbie
Most people here with horses only feed grass hay — no grain at all. You can add treats to their diet but I think unless you have working horses that grass hay will do them well. If you want to add some grain because of their heavy work load, I think the usual feed is cleaned oats/ called horse oats around here. But hobby horses that aren’t being harnessed probably would get by just fine on grass hay.
Thank you so much Sure crop is a feed store? And What would you recomend for bunnies as extras, since mopsy past away ive given no extras to my bunnies but i was wondering how to start how much and whats best. Thanks again:)
I was wondering where you get your feed from. I am looking for the ingredients to make my bunnies feed but not sure where to go. And do you currently grow any of your feed ingredients we were looking at doing this when we buy porperty. Thanks Katrina
We buy it in bulk from Sure Crop. We don’t try to grow it, but do try to supplement with garden produce when we can. You do have to “fight” to get what you want. They want you to go with the conventional feed and try to tell you that your animals will get sick if you don’t feed them with GM premixed feeds. But for centuries people didn’t have feed stores and had to grow their animal feed themselves, or eat their animals.