Better stock up on Feed

[dewey]

Stocking up just won't work for most people due to reasons already mentioned. And growing enough feed for a large production, or even a small one, is usually not an option for most folks.

Family has a 2000 acre cattle/hay ranch and yet we buy locally because of costs, short of what hay is brought back in the spare space of the trucks and horse trailers when everyone comes home from the ranch. We alone have over 2 million dollars worth of hay sitting idle from over a year ago due to several factors, as do many others, yet hay prices continue to increase in the face of surplus. Such is farming.

For a fact there is no shortage of grains. Many other family and friends in just nearby farms alone are literally sitting on hundreds of thousands of pounds of grains that will rot in silos because they're restrained from even giving it away.

 

[annie3001]

i havent noticed that yet, where i get my feed. id love to stock up just in case. but someone once told me, buy it fresher when its needed. i do notice at the grocery store the prices are getting higher. at my house we eat all leftovers, we try and not let food go to waste. i am starting to become a better grocery shopper, only getting what i really truly need. just yesterday i went to the grocery store, didnt get a grocery cart because i only wanted spend a certain amount, and get what i truly needed. i was proud of myself.

i have also noticed at my grocery store that they have now dedicated 3 aisles for whole foods and another aisle for toys/garden etc.

what? if i wanted to buy toys and garden stuff i would go to walmart where it is a bit cheaper.

this is my grocery store i go to called stop n shop.

anyways, back to the feed, i sure hope it doesnt go up in price. ill be free ranging the animals more often then. lol

 

[the-bird-man]

that is scary

i pay $17 for 50# now and buy 2 bags a month. if the price doubles then i don't know what i will do

 

[speckledhen]

If you feed your chickens buggy feed, the nutrition is mostly depleted. It's absolutely not the same as bugs they find on the ground. Weevils grind the feed to powder and decimate the vitamin content in it, not to mention that it can mold over time if any moisture finds its way inside. If you look, most feed bags even say on the bag not to feed bug-infested feed. I take back every bag where I find bugs if I didn't catch it in the store.

TSC is higher priced than my local farmers co-op and for that, and other reasons, I don't give them my business anyway if I can help it. They would probably double their prices before anyone else would.

If I was having trouble buying feed for my birds, I'd have to let my numbers dwindle and allow them to free range all day, every day. That means I'd have to get rid of all except one rooster so they could all be out at the same time.

Being retired military, living on pension alone, and not being given any raise at all in the last three years, our $$ is fading fast.

 

[greenSearcher]

I think we already are seeing the price rise due to increased fuel costs. Any other price rises is all political posturing. Prices should head down after next winter so we can see more posturing as each party points fingers and puffs chests. I wish there was a real alternative, or even better folks with courage and integrity could be elected. Welcome to the Corporate States of America.

I get my feed from a supplier that ships to my area once a month, so far I am paying the same as I did at TSC each month, but the food lasts longer and the birds seem to be laying better. I have to small a number of hens to make a valid statistical statement. I raise what I can to supplement the feed, to supply the treats. Lots of squash gets planted this summer, along with Millet, sorghum and peanuts. Hope my body will hold up to the work.

No raises here either for those on disability. At least we have his AF retirement to complement the disability. Things can get tight when the only thing that goes up is food and fuel which are not included in the COLA calculations.

Got to love my chickens, keep me sane.

 

[chickened]

Corn is the favorite grain of alternative fuel folk and when half (?) of the corn produced goes there price will go up to. I guess it takes 2 hits from fuel effects.

 

[GiddyMoon]

I too am planting more to use as feed..most feeds here are between $16-$25 per 50lb..organic feed is almost $40. I already started my mealworm colony, I will be sprouting and doing all I can to make sure most of their food comes from nature and not the bag.

 

[pirtykitty]

fuel prices jumped last year and feed went up but they didn't double.. arent fuel prices close to what they were in the last year or so??? I don't understand why they'd have to double price.. things didn't come down when gas went down either.

 

[7L Farm]

Quote:
I do live where I can grow feed for the chickens. Theres only one problem no rain. I don't think we've had two inches the whole year. I'm scared to death about the land catching on fire. The winds been blowing 30 plus forever.

 

[GarlicEater]

I think the quote I keep seeing is, we're using half of our corn crop to provide 10% of our fuel.

I'm glad I just got a good bicycle. I can go a long way on a little corn.