Best cost-efficient organic/non-crumble/non-pellet chicken feed?

[SelfSufficientMe]

I’ve previously given my 11 month old hens crumbles from the local feed store. I prefer to support local, but their options are very limited. I’ve recently switched to Kalmbach Feeds All Natural Henhouse Reserve Premium Layer Chicken Feed. It comes in a 50lb bag around $40. Not too bad, but my hens are going through the first bag awfully fast and I’m not looking to spend a fortune on chicken feed each month. I’ve researched making my own feed from fresh ingredients (grains, corn, oats, all of the other good stuff) and it would cost much, much more. I’m in Florida and a bag of white or red wheat plus shipping is through the roof. Not to mention some of other ingredients recommended

Does anyone have a suggestion on feed? Ideally I’d love organic, but that proves to be even more expensive. I’d be paying more to feed my chickens than I pay to feed myself Although I am growing a garden at the moment, so some treats and greens will be readily available. Advice and suggestions are appreciated. I also have two week old chicks that are starting out on Kalmbach Feeds Organic 20% Starter Grower around $40 a bag.

 

[Chicken love to infinity]

I'm in GA and Walmart sells 40lbs feed bags for $15. It's super cheap, my hens love it, for the price, it's pretty healthy, and it supplements Alfalfa and Flax. The one I use is Vibrant life omega 3 mix and I use to use Family farm which is also really good.

 

[Weeg]

I didn't read your whole post, but I like Scratch and Peck. Its a whole grain feed, so needs to be fermented or soaked before feeding, but soaking isn't too hard. It also helps save feed, some say its cuts the feed bill in half. Scratch and Peck is also corn and soy free which I really like.
On Chewy, Scratch and Peck sells for 60$ a bag. I never would have considered feeding it, but at my local feed store I get it for 32! Quite an impressive price reduction.
Grubbly's feed is also Organic. I haven't looked into that too much, but it looks to be a pelleted and whole grain feed? I can't remember. That may need to be soaked too.

 

[Weeg]

I'm in GA and Walmart sells 40lbs feed bags for $15. It's super cheap, my hens love it, for the price, it's pretty healthy, and it supplements Alfalfa and Flax. The one I use is Vibrant life omega 3 mix and I use to use Family farm which is also really good.

What brand?

 

[Chicken love to infinity]

Vibrant life- my hens will do ANYTHING to get to it they love it so much.

 

[FishaRneKed]

grass clippings from anyone's yard that doesn't use fertilizer or poison.

most of my birds are on pasture 24/7 but any birds i have penned up get mostly yard clippings.

i don't mow the yard so it looks nice, i just run the mower with the bag on it until the bag gets full. i basicall mow 1/20 of my yard every day and toss it to the caged birds.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Re: Vibrant Life. A quick search of Walmart.com (with the limitations of that website) turns up a pair of Vibrant Life Layer-type feeds, and a bunch of treats. The claimed nutrition for the layer (per the website) is as follows:

Price is approx $16/40#, or $0.40/lb. That's the equivalent of paying $20 for a 50# bag.
Nutritionally, 16% is the US minimum recommend for a Layer composition. Lysine is OK. Methionine is LOW. Particularly if you have chicks (who should not be fed layer, anyways). Fat is within acceptable limits, fiber is at the upper edge of recommended limits. Calcium is in the range of most Layer-type feeds (and again, not good for chicks, or roosters, or non/rarely laying birds). Phosphorus is low - the addition of phytase, so chickens can make some use of phosphorus present in the plant ingredients is good, but uncertain. I'm going to flag that as probably ok, because the phosphorus isn't that low (0.5% - 0.7% is common).

Omega-3 is a buzz word with some minor nutritional value - but plenty of other feeds are moderately high in Omega-3 fatty acids, they simply don't disclose.
and here's the ingredients list. Nothing on this particularly unusual. Di- and Mono-Calcium Phosphate are arguably better calcium sources than calcium carbonate, but they appear so late on the list I wouldn't call that added value - particularly as Calcium Carbonate is the primary source in this feed.

I can also tell, based on the low total protein, the addition of dl-Methionine, and the low Methionine final, that this feed is massively proportioned towards corn. Soybean meal, bvrewers grains (potentially), Flax, and alfalfa should all funtion to raise Met levels, were they present in any significant quantity. The bottom of the list is your typical vitamin premix.

Hope that helps.

 

[Florida Flock and Farm]

Re: Vibrant Life. A quick search of Walmart.com (with the limitations of that website) turns up a pair of Vibrant Life Layer-type feeds, and a bunch of treats. The claimed nutrition for the layer (per the website) is as follows:
View attachment 3127073

Price is approx $16/40#, or $0.40/lb. That's the equivalent of paying $20 for a 50# bag.
Nutritionally, 16% is the US minimum recommend for a Layer composition. Lysine is OK. Methionine is LOW. Particularly if you have chicks (who should not be fed layer, anyways). Fat is within acceptable limits, fiber is at the upper edge of recommended limits. Calcium is in the range of most Layer-type feeds (and again, not good for chicks, or roosters, or non/rarely laying birds). Phosphorus is low - the addition of phytase, so chickens can make some use of phosphorus present in the plant ingredients is good, but uncertain. I'm going to flag that as probably ok, because the phosphorus isn't that low (0.5% - 0.7% is common).

Omega-3 is a buzz word with some minor nutritional value - but plenty of other feeds are moderately high in Omega-3 fatty acids, they simply don't disclose.
and here's the ingredients list. Nothing on this particularly unusual. Di- and Mono-Calcium Phosphate are arguably better calcium sources than calcium carbonate, but they appear so late on the list I wouldn't call that added value - particularly as Calcium Carbonate is the primary source in this feed.

I can also tell, based on the low total protein, the addition of dl-Methionine, and the low Methionine final, that this feed is massively proportioned towards corn. Soybean meal, bvrewers grains (potentially), Flax, and alfalfa should all funtion to raise Met levels, were they present in any significant quantity. The bottom of the list is your typical vitamin premix.
View attachment 3127077

Hope that helps.

I have read some of your reply’s on other posts and you seem to know your stuff when it comes to nutrition for the chickens at an affordable cost. What brand are you currently using? I’m having a hard time finding something good but also affordable. I don’t want to spend more then I would if I was purchasing local eggs from someone else. I currently have laying hens, roosters, growers and chicks. As well as some broilers that seemed to be growing at a very slow speed. (Brown cornish rock- which I do realize are a smaller meat bird). They all free range daily. Any help would be greatly appreciated! The cost of feed is getting way to high. Wondering if we could be doing something more cost effective.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I have read some of your reply’s on other posts and you seem to know your stuff when it comes to nutrition for the chickens at an affordable cost. What brand are you currently using? I’m having a hard time finding something good but also affordable. I don’t want to spend more then I would if I was purchasing local eggs from someone else. I currently have laying hens, roosters, growers and chicks. As well as some broilers that seemed to be growing at a very slow speed. (Brown cornish rock- which I do realize are a smaller meat bird). They all free range daily. Any help would be greatly appreciated! The cost of feed is getting way to high. Wondering if we could be doing something more cost effective.

I'm in the FL Panhandle, and use a locally milled feed from just across the AL border, maybe 45 min from my home. HMC Feeds - Harrell Milling Corp. Unfortunately, they aren't distributed far. I also use a local mom & pop feed store, one of their largest distributors in the area, where I can buy feed cheaper than directly at the mill, and I buy bags at least 10 at a time, for the bulk discount there. Because I feed over 500#/mo between the poultry, the goats, and the rabbits.

As to the rest? Thanks for the compliments, but I've just done a bit of reading and often remember where to find things when I need to link them for the community. What reputation I may have developed likely overstates my qualifications.

I've also used Turner Milling, who is aimed more for the non-GMO, no corn, no soy folks - a little more expensive, but still cheaper than Purina or Nutrena at TSC, Rural King, etc. I wasn't as pleased with them, but its still good feed, just not great feed.

 

[zoereef1221]

I didn't read your whole post, but I like Scratch and Peck. Its a whole grain feed, so needs to be fermented or soaked before feeding, but soaking isn't too hard. It also helps save feed, some say its cuts the feed bill in half. Scratch and Peck is also corn and soy free which I really like.
On Chewy, Scratch and Peck sells for 60$ a bag. I never would have considered feeding it, but at my local feed store I get it for 32! Quite an impressive price reduction.
Grubbly's feed is also Organic. I haven't looked into that too much, but it looks to be a pelleted and whole grain feed? I can't remember. That may need to be soaked too.

We use scratch and peck Layer too- I love their line of products. I have just been feeding it dry. From what I read you can do either with that feed unless I read something wrong! But my girls are happy and healthy on it- 6 years now!