Trying to reduce chicken feed costs

[farmmanjim]

Do you think if I raised the feeder, it would help with rodents?

My feeders are in the hen house and hang a foot off the floor under the nest boxes. They eat very little actually because they forage all day.

 

[I hate plucking]

When feeding we try to feed more in the morning so they have more time to clean up. We feed less at night if any.
If I scatter grain outside it's far from the building so rats have to go into the open to get it and risk owl or cat attacks.
In grass cutting season, as soon as I'm done cutting I take the wet clippings to the girls. They'll eat a lot in a hurry. Only as much as they can eat before it dries.
All compost (Except meat) goes into the run. Flower garden weeds, food waste, deadheading etc. If they don't eat it they'll eat the bugs that do. Look up Vermont Compost on youtube. It's amazing what they do with compost and no feed.
IHP

 

[ChirpnBern]

View attachment 1199220
It's a New Zealand invention that stops rats, mice and other pests getting into you chook feed. The chickens stand on the plate to open the lid.

OMG I LOVE this! I want one!

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

When feeding we try to feed more in the morning so they have more time to clean up. We feed less at night if any.
If I scatter grain outside it's far from the building so rats have to go into the open to get it and risk owl or cat attacks.
In grass cutting season, as soon as I'm done cutting I take the wet clippings to the girls. They'll eat a lot in a hurry. Only as much as they can eat before it dries.
All compost (Except meat) goes into the run. Flower garden weeds, food waste, deadheading etc. If they don't eat it they'll eat the bugs that do. Look up Vermont Compost on youtube. It's amazing what they do with compost and no feed.
IHP

My hens free range, so they get a lot of this.
But it's an awesome idea!

 

[gocgo]

If you want to cut down on feed cost, find a local beer brewer and ask what they do with their discarded grain. It will be wet, but can be easily dried to stop from getting moldy and makes great scratch/treats.

 

[Seaecho]

Remember that mice are like cockroaches. For every one you see, there are hundreds or thousands more. They reproduce like crazy--every 3 weeks a mouse gives birth to up to 12 babies! And the babies themselves start reproducing at about 8 weeks of age. So you can see how fast they can take over. So pick the food up at night NOW or you'll be seriously overrun.

 

[Ms Biddy]

We feed in hanging metal feeders and have started suspending them up high during the day as soon as we let the flock out to forage. It prevents daytime snacking.

 

[dunnmom]

I give one feeding in the morning. Then a snack in the afternoon on most days. I reduced feed cost the most by soaking their pellets so they wouldn't kick and scratch pellets everywhere. Did that for about 6 mo. and it radically improved their table manners. I gave up on free choice food because they were wasting so much, and when it rained, the uneaten food on the run's dirt floor would spoil and stink to high heaven!

 

[EggMan207]

Have you tried fermented feed? Also, I let the girls pasture and/or free range... It cuts feeding costs significantly.

 

[alexa009]

I don't really have problems with mice since the dogs and cat really reduced the amount down but I have two separate pens, one with 4 chickens and another with 10. The 4 chickens usually get 1 quart of feed per day and never seem hungry after that, they also have a big penned area that still have a lot of grass that they haven't managed to destroy yet and has been in there quite a while. They sometimes eat in the afternoon when I have extra fruit or bread on hand. The 10 chickens get 2.5 to 3 quarts per day and never seem hungry either.