True dat!
Can’t afford rising feed prices
- Thread starter Sissyhen
- Start date
Commercial feed is the most economical option.
Input quality leads directly to output. If you feed too many scraps and treats, their nutrition becomes unbalanced, and the egg production suffers. If you put less in, you get much less out.
That's why big business actually cares about getting the nutrition right.
If they could get the same number of eggs by turning a bunch of hens loose on a property, that's what egg production would look like in America.
If you want to save money on feed, you need production hens. Young ones. They are bred to make the most out of every drop. 3-4 Leghorns would feed a big family all the eggs they could eat.
We recently had 8 Leghorns, now 4, and we are drowning in eggs. Been selling the hens to nice homes and plan on only keeping 2.
Input quality leads directly to output. If you feed too many scraps and treats, their nutrition becomes unbalanced, and the egg production suffers. If you put less in, you get much less out.
That's why big business actually cares about getting the nutrition right.
If they could get the same number of eggs by turning a bunch of hens loose on a property, that's what egg production would look like in America.
If you want to save money on feed, you need production hens. Young ones. They are bred to make the most out of every drop. 3-4 Leghorns would feed a big family all the eggs they could eat.
We recently had 8 Leghorns, now 4, and we are drowning in eggs. Been selling the hens to nice homes and plan on only keeping 2.
Hey poster, give them a good worming (can't hurt) and scoop out 20 tuna cans worth of feed so you can get a visual of the amount. Feed them that per day. No more eventhough they're probably gonna act like they're starving since they've been fed double. Or weigh it out. Somehow get a visual on the correct amount to feed. If it's still too much you can get rid of some till you're good. You can do a quarter of the feed by reducing your flock by half
I have 6 hens and a rooster. They eat about 50 pounds of feed in a month. (Kalmbach 20% flock maker.) Their main "snack" is their food wetted into a mash. I make that out of the powdery fines that fall to the bottom of their bowls, as they like the crumble bits. I have very little feed waste.
Other snacks include fruit/veggie scraps, weeds and bugs from the garden (now under a foot of snow, so those are seasonal). Occasionally other purchased treats, but rarely. Even more rare is the heel from a loaf of bread, as that has little, if any, nutritional value.
You can try to find things to stretch your feed, but do some studying first. Do you go fishing/hunting? The "icky bits" can be given to the chickens. (Double check me on that! Some organs might not be good!) Or maybe you have friends or neighbors who do. That's some good, complete protein, right there.
When we have a turkey, I save the carcass to make bone broth. Most bones can be used twice (some more), and then they are soft enough to mash with your fingers. I take all the "stuff" left over from making broth and give it to the chickens. Not all at once, but you have a lot more birds than I do.
In the early part of the last century, chickens were often fed what was left over from the other animals, including the human ones. However, they didn't lay NEARLY as many eggs as chickens do today.
Other snacks include fruit/veggie scraps, weeds and bugs from the garden (now under a foot of snow, so those are seasonal). Occasionally other purchased treats, but rarely. Even more rare is the heel from a loaf of bread, as that has little, if any, nutritional value.
You can try to find things to stretch your feed, but do some studying first. Do you go fishing/hunting? The "icky bits" can be given to the chickens. (Double check me on that! Some organs might not be good!) Or maybe you have friends or neighbors who do. That's some good, complete protein, right there.
When we have a turkey, I save the carcass to make bone broth. Most bones can be used twice (some more), and then they are soft enough to mash with your fingers. I take all the "stuff" left over from making broth and give it to the chickens. Not all at once, but you have a lot more birds than I do.
In the early part of the last century, chickens were often fed what was left over from the other animals, including the human ones. However, they didn't lay NEARLY as many eggs as chickens do today.
OneMoreChicken
Chirping
- Dec 29, 2022
- 21
- 143
- 69
Wow. That's cheap! Eggs are $6.99 a dozen where I live and yours are free range.
That's not how it works.
With free feed, chickens eat until their nutritional needs are satiated.
Some breeds are less efficient with utilizing feed. There's a table out there somewhere with the conversion ratio of some different breeds.
you may find this helpful
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/top-10-ways-to-save-on-feed-costs.76854/
- Thread starter
- #48
It sounds absurd right? There’s literally folks one street over selling them that price, so can’t manage higher and get sales. Grocery stores cost more, but have consistent stock.
Have you tried sprouting grains? It's not meant to replace their feed totally, but it's super cheap and the greens that grow are great for them.
I also used the term "average" yes it is how it works. Overfeeding underfeeding do as you wish
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