Feed costs/money making...

[Whispering Winds]

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Will it stay fresh in the hot months with that large of quantity?

 

[frenchblackcopper]

Many co-op grain elevators also grind and mill feed. Many years ago most all farm grain elevators made feed for all kinds of livestock,as the farmer had his grain there from his harvest,so he would not need to buy corn to mix into the feed he needed. If you do a Yellow Pages search for feed companies in your area,many of them are located at a grain Elevator,,very good chance if they are,they also custom grind all sorts of feed rations there.

 

[frenchblackcopper]

In the summer months,I would not grind much more reed than I can use up in a week. the nutritional value in the feed itself starts to drop after the seed is crushed,just as ultraviolet light deteriorates feed value.

 

[FarmerChick]

Quote:
right off I can't remember but we have loads of them
I would have to ask hubby for that answer...I just can't remember
Tony works for a company that gives him for free metal 55 gallon drums.
Can't go wrong there. BUT it isn't as many as you would think to hold 3000 lbs of feed I just got a bit ago.

 

[Big Red Roo]

I guess I never thought about trying to earn anthing for my chicks. After a hard day at work watching them helps me relax. As for the eggs we eat all we can and give away the rest.

: yiipchick

 

[bibliophile birds]

Quote:
in most states, if you make less than a certain dollar amount each year off your product, you can sell as organic without being certified (you have to relay that info to your customers). you are still expected to meet the requirements, but you aren't being inspected.

our birds aren't vaccinated (even though they could be and still be organic), no medicated feed, definitely no hormones, no chemical dewormers (we use pumpkin and coconut oil), and we supply DE baths instead of chemicals. the feed i buy is certified organic and grown in Virginia, so it's grown pesticide/herbicide free, compost instead of chemical fertilizer, and the mineral supplements that are added are all natural. i get produce from a local organic grocery for free (or very low cost on some things) because it's stuff they are just going to throw out. it's all perfectly good, i would eat it, but produce can only sit in the store for a limited amount of time, and after that they have to throw it away. instead, i go and pick out what i can use and it usually doesn't cost me anything. that produce is certified organic as well.

everyone that i have lined up to buy from me knows that i'm not certified organic. but they are still willing to pay $4/dozen. in our area, there are no options for buying certified organic eggs, so they can either buy certified at the store (which are factory farmed certified organic and from California) for $3/dozen or they can buy from me and others who aren't certified, but the eggs are just as organic and they are fresher and actually raised on pasture.

 

[frenchblackcopper]

Aherp,went to the local grain elevator today and filled 4 of the 55 gallon poly barrels up with corn,,1340 pounds worth,,6 bushel per barrel,and they were not filled to running over as mine have the clamp on tops,,,

 

[Irish Ridge]

I'm surprised noone brought up free range meat birds. My chickens don't require hardly any extra feed in the summer while they are free ranging. Maybe I'm missing something...

Chicks in the spring
Free range in the summer
Butcher in the fall

Seemed simple to me. Let me know what I'm missing.

 

[Slywoody]

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I think you need to do some shopping around for a feed mill in your area, in fact i would call a lot of them to get your best price and have it ground. My local feed mill ( 4.5 miles away ) will grind my feed for 8.00/50# ( 400# minimum). Hope this helps.

 

[joebryant]

I perished the thought a long time ago of EVER making a nickel "profit" from chickens, their eggs or their chicks. I find it's easier and less stressful to just give eggs away and enjoy hatching eggs for friends who want to start with having their own chickens or need more chickens for whatever reasons.
Too, I've started my own line of bbs Orpingtons as a hobby, and I want to hatch as many as possible to see how they're turning out. It costs almost nothing to incubate them and give them away once they hatch; letting someone else raise the chicks is a lot easier and less expensive than...
BTW:
Wonderwood's eggs will hatch New Years day.
goobhen if you see this, you're next.