Feed bill - need to reduce drastically

[Keri78]

We have about 50 chickens and are running into the same issues on feed...not to mention 1/2 of the flock are my older hens and they are going into their second fall/winter season so they all molted and I'm getting about one egg a day! The other half are young pullets...should be laying by Thanksgiving...HOPEFULLY! Anyway, we normally feed BOSS and Layena Pellets. I just switched them over to 75% mixed grain scratch, 25% cheap cat food(great source of protein), and sprinkle some oyster shell on top once in a while. They seem happy, full, and content. I got this suggestion from BYC and my friends that are TRUE BELIVERS in the power of CHEAP CATFOOD!!!

Anyway, the guy on here also recommended to only put out enough feed for the day and to take it in at night as it will most likely just attract rodents ...which I know for a fact that I was feeding a family of squirels last winter! Mine birds also free range everyday so they have lots of opportunity to hunt for bugs and food in the woods. Take care of you & your family and remember in the BIG picture their CHICKENS!(LOL)

May God bless you & your family during this difficult time.

We've been in the exact same boat and many many of our friends are also going through tough financial times right now. Trust me the longer my older hens go without laying to more tasty their looking!!!

 

[Autumnchicken]

My girls are 11 weeks old and have been free ranging for 5 weeks now. I put their crumbles directly on the grass and let them scratch for it. I only put out just enough feed for them to finish in 30 mins in the morning. the rest is ranging. I only feed outside, but they have water inside and out.

 

[purr]

Quote:
this is exactly what I do , only I find that less is wasted with the pellets. And with whatever kitchen scraps there are for the day
And about the Quaker Oats, My flock loves their oatmeal for breakfast on a chilly morning, of course who doesn't love a bowl of warm oatmeal!

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Oh, also forgot to say, If I do feed them I only feed them once a day, in the evening most of the time, so in the morning they're hunger and that'll make'em go LOOK for their own food.
In the Summer time when there are sooooo many grass hoppers I don't hardly feed them anything.

 

[Sissy]

Arent we all in the same coop

feed cost is going up up and away
I feed my flock at about 4 in the afternoon and only enough to have them
eat whats there.
I added scratch, dry bread an dry cat food with a bit of
purina pellets and the babys are getting a
little ground dry bread and chopped hard boiled eggs.
to make it stretch.for these cooler months.
the bread and scratch keep them a little warmer.

 

[IonaFarm]

Thank you for your replies.

Some of you suggested Cheap Cat food? I didn't know they could have cat food. Any brands to stay away from? Any brands better than others?

We have a bread outlet store near here. they have 10 - 12 loaves for a dollar marked for animal feed. When they are out of those bags I'll ask and they will pull loaves off the shelf for the same price.

I'm in Indiana. We've had little to no rain for two months. Grass is brown, flowers are gone. We had a garden that they loved to forage in but it's all dryed up too. Couldn't keep watering it do to water level in the well.

Yes I let them free range in the afternoon. I give them scratch and boss to help supplement for the lack of greens and bugs. I got the boss at $12 for 50 lbs. I store everything in metal trash cans with tight lids.

The little ones are just starting to roam. I keep an eye on them when their out. Have lost some chickens this year to hawks.

We mainly have the chickens for fun and the grandkids love them. But we send most of the eggs to church. There are a couple of families that have 4-6 kids. Stay at home moms that actually bake and cook at home.

The younger chicks will hopefully replace the oldest in the egg laying department.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Anykind of Catfood, oh, we also give our chickens left overs, scraps we call'em. They get a bucket full of scraps everyday or so.

 

[HeritageHens]

I'm a big believer in the ole' computer principle of garbage in, garbage out.

I would limit the bread and the cat food to small amounts and always consider that what you are feeding the chickens will become eggs. If the cat food is full of preservatives that go into an animal that isn't used for food, well, maybe that's not something you want to ultimately eat. I would lean more towards the vegetable/fruit trimmings and other whole foods to supplement their diet. Perhaps you can set up something reciprocal with the folks who get the eggs so that you get the eggs shells back (grind them up for the calcium for your layers) and they save any vegetable/fruit scraps for you? That would probably make them feel good in that they are doing something in return for you.

For others who are or may be facing the same thing, I HIGHLY recommend the book "The Resilient Gardener: Food Production and Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times." I've just started reading it and love it! Perhaps a local library has a copy you can read. The cost of feeding poultry and livestock is only going to get more expensive in the upcoming year. Futures of wheat and corn are trading at super high levels and supplies are shorter than normal = higher prices.

Carol Deppe focuses on the basic foods to keep us going through rough times - potatoes, beans, corn, squash, and eggs. In the egg section, she recommends ducks but in each chapter, she talks about what to do now and what to do during rough times (like how to supplement food for ducks). One of the reviewers on Amazon says this - which is a good summary:

"...Its first focus, Deppe says, is on achieving greater control over our food supply, rather than relying on fossil-fueled industrial agriculture to supply our staple foods. Its second focus: on surviving the natural and personal disasters (droughts, family emergencies) that can wreak havoc in the garden. Its third: on gardening not just in the good times, or even in the hard times, but "gardening in mega-hard times." And not just gardening for ourselves, either, but for others: "A gardener who knows how to garden in both good times and bad can be a reservoir of knowledge and a source of resilience for the entire community." The bottom line, for Deppe, is the awareness that a time may come when our gardening pastime turns into a basic survival skill. Natural disasters, widespread resource depletions (fossil fuel, water, soil), or a catastrophic economic downturn may require us to grow our food, she says, so it's a very good idea to learn how to do this before we have no other alternative...."

 

[Beekissed]

I use mash in an old trough-style feeder wrapped in welded wire to prevent scratching and flicking. The mash works better for me...my girls waste pellets/crumbles and it all turns to dust anywho...so mash is the best price for me.

I only feed in the evening also and the birds free range all day.

In the winter, when egg laying is on slow down, I cut the mash with some cheaper feeds such as cracked corn, oats, wheat, etc. The whole grains seem to hold their appetite better but for less expenditure.

Also...cull your older flock if they do not lay daily or every other day. You may want to keep them as pets, but you can't keep expenses down with sentiment. You might also consider selling the eggs from your new layers when they start, just to defray the cost of feed.

 

[HorizonSon]

Our "adult" birds free range and do not get any official chicken feed at all! A tiny bit of scratch when coming and going via the coop; some scraps from the kitchen and that is it. They are quite happy and health and our eggs are basically free as a result