How to save money on chicken feed?

[WinklerFarms]

Does anyone buy their feed at Fleet Farm?  That's where I get my "good" pellets from but was wondering what you think of the Fleet Farm brand Sprout, layer crumbles.

I used to buy feed there when it was cheaper. Their prices went up a lot this last year. I thought it was just fine. I will still buy a few bags of the meat maker when it comes on sale. Then I will mix it in with the hog mash I normally use to bring the protein %up a little. It hasn't been on sale for a while. Last year it was on at 10.50 a bag

 

[HOBBIE]

i buy at our local coop when I can make it at 12 dollars for the 50lb bags.

 

[LarissaSlates98]

You can mix fancy scratch in with there reg. feed. And let them out on grass. I have the same prob. Mine go through alot of feed and I try to get them most out of my money.

 

[srd5757]

So, Webwopper. Where do you get duckweed? I've never heard of it...

 

[donrae]

So, Webwopper. Where do you get duckweed? I've never heard of it...

If you are us, you just build a pretty ornamental pond. The water is nice and clear for years, then some wild mallards use it for a day or so and voila---duckweed!

Seriously, it's just in the still ponds around here. I saw this thread and have been harvesting it for my chickens and ducks to eat and it's cut my feed bill down a bit. Someone posted it was for sale on ebay. You might post on your local craigslist, etc to see if anyone local to you has it.

 

[Smokin Silkies]

Wow! I really need to get some duckweed! I'm sure I could find it in the local ponds but does anybody on here sell it?

 

[WinklerFarms]

Once you get it started you can keep it going in a barrel. It is supposed to be really easy and very high protein.

 

[yyz0yyz0]

If you have a fishtank you can over winter your duckweed in the fish tank. But be careful, if you don't have plant eaters in your tank it will take over the whole top. The real problem comes when you have to work on that tank, everything you stick in the water comes out covered with duckweed! Trust me on this one, learned from experience.

I wonder if you could keep it alive through the winter in a glass jar on a south facing window, any one ever tried this?

 

[MsDrake]

Im a little bummed. I thought by buying chickens, building my coop and so forth, down the line we would save on it, or at least be even. I have 3 hens, and 1 rooster. should I be in the hole by owning chickens? I keep getting told, its a hobby, not a money saving, or money earning thing. That we will always be in the hole regarding money, because feed costs more than the eggs we will ever get, and so on.
I got a buzz kill. Is this true?
How can I save on having them. We are already a low income family, Im a mom with 3 sons....not married, and cant afford a hobby really. I thought this would work out.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Im a little bummed. I thought by buying chickens, building my coop and so forth, down the line we would save on it, or at least be even. I have 3 hens, and 1 rooster. should I be in the hole by owning chickens? I keep getting told, its a hobby, not a money saving, or money earning thing. That we will always be in the hole regarding money, because feed costs more than the eggs we will ever get, and so on.
I got a buzz kill. Is this true?
How can I save on having them. We are already a low income family, Im a mom with 3 sons....not married, and cant afford a hobby really. I thought this would work out.

If you have a lot of kitchen scraps it can be a money saver- or if you grow some of your own grains, etc.
However, make sure you don't cut their protein too much- they need the 16% protein feed to make eggs. It takes a LOT of protein to make eggs and feathers.

But if they are dependent on feed that you buy, really it is cheaper to go buy the cheapest of the cheap dozen eggs they sell at the grocery store. But they don't taste the same.

In the summer if they are able to graze grass and hunt for bugs on your land, the feed bill will be less. In winter there isn't much for them - even here where we have green grass in winter, the bugs aren't there and the grass really stops growing.

Three hens and a rooster should only be eating maybe 40 lbs a month (a lighter weight hen supposedly eats about 4 oz. a day). I am guessing but your feed bill should be not too bad (under $20 a month).

The key here is that hens don't give consistent egglaying all through their lives. So they stop laying when they go broody, molt, or become stressed (or if they get too hot, for example). So eggs are not a guarantee, especially with a very small flock.

It is best to replace your layers every couple of years for optimal egg production. Older hens continue to lay, but at a slower rate.

There is a benefit to having hens and a cock, as you can hatch out your own replacements. So it would be best for you to always have a hen or two growing up to be the replacement (otherwise you may end up with all of your chickens being too young to give you eggs). The chick growing up will be a natural part of the flock, and should not be bullied like a new hen would introduced as an adult.

Will it be difficult to get the feed, when they take a break in laying (they always do at some point, like when they molt)? Don't answer me, but ask yourself and you will know if you should keep them.

It needs to be eggs on the table for you and your children, and if you can't buy the eggs and the chicken feed both, then I'd not have the chickens. Many chicken owners end up buying eggs too sometimes!

I hope this helps.