Can’t afford rising feed prices

[TropicalBabies]

My flock size is 30 on average. Sometimes more sometimes less. My breeds are mostly Brahma and Brahma mix's. I go through maaaaaybe 3- 50lbs a month.
My biggest feed loss awhile back was my feeders. So I did a few home made jobbies for a few bucks and I saved a ton on feed. Great, quick easy lesson. Since then I have been gifted some fancy feeders (grandpa's & greatest) but my birds prefer my homemade and so do I. I have 5 feeding stations available so they all have access to food and water 24/7. I cut a dressing bottle in half for a funnel and top them off every other day.

My rsl's eat more than my Brahma's, deservedly so.
I also do compost, meal worms, kitchen scraps and free range.
I sell 2-6 dozen a week to offset costs@ $5 per but less than Costco. Feed is $34 per 50lb. on average here. I still have plenty eggs to eat and give away.
I'd give up another habit b4 I'd give up my girls but I still need to make this work.
You can also sell your compost, sew and sell your feed bags, breed and sell chicks. I do all of that. It really adds up.

Don't lose hope, you will make it work. Best of luck.

 

[Aunt Angus]

This thread is kinda bonkers, and you seem to have developed a good plan. But I'll offer my 2 cents. I have 18 chickens and 8 ducks. We go through approx 40 lbs/month in spring and 60 lbs/month in winter (keep in mind that ducks eat A LOT more than chickens). Here's what I've done to reduce feed costs:

1) Grazing boxes (but a garden plot would be even better, imo). This has helped more than anything, I think.
2) Pick up their feeders at night. This accomplished two things: stopping them from snacking at night, and denying rats a food source.
3) Change feeders to be able to pick up spillage.
4) Give them more forage time. I don't free range unless under strict supervision because of serious predator load.
5) Switch feed. They seem to eat less of the Nutrena all flock than of the Dumor all flock. Idk why, but I buy less feed when feeding the Nutrena.
6) Give them what my goats don't eat. My birds LOVE the alfalfa fines.
7) Feed back some of their eggs.
8) Sell their eggs for $5/dozen. I sell enough to cover most of their feed costs because eggs are $7/dozen in our stores, and I offer free delivery to the 55+ communities near town. I sometimes even manage a teeny profit in spring when they're all laying like mad.
9) Pick blackberries when they are in season. They grow wildly and out of control here, so that's an easy, free food source. My goats get the leaves. It's a win-win-win.
10) Give kitchen scraps occasionally: seeds from hollowed out squashes, carrot peels, bell pepper seeds, etc. Nothing processed.

Now, I also fermented when I fed whole seed feed. That helped them feel fuller, spill less, and helped them eat all the powdery vitamins that are added to whole seed feeds. It lessened the amount of that particular feed, but those feeds are quite expensive, so ditching it in lieu of pellets cut my feed costs nearly in half.

I free feed because I firmly believe that is what's best/most natural for them. For what it's worth, I'll also mention that I have a mixed flock of all kinds of chickens and ducks - bantam and standard sized, ornamental and high production.

 

[3KillerBs]

5) Switch feed. They seem to eat less of the Nutrena all flock than of the Dumor all flock. Idk why, but I buy less feed when feeding the Nutrena.

I have noticed that when I have to buy an emergency bag of cheap layer my birds go through it faster -- presumably eating more to make up for the lower level of protein.

 

[SueT]

I have noticed that when I have to buy an emergency bag of cheap layer my birds go through it faster -- presumably eating more to make up for the lower level of protein.

That’s a good point. I feed Purina Flock Raiser, which is 20% protein. I let them eat all they want, if they empty their bowls, I give them more. They like it and don’t waste it. (As I mentioned, my 11 chickens eat 50 lbs every 5-6 weeks.) I don’t leave any feed out at night.
I found that a 50 lb bag is $27.49 at TSC, but surprisingly, the same feed is $7 less at another local feed store.

 

[3KillerBs]

I found that a 50 lb bag is $27.49 at TSC, but surprisingly, the same feed is $7 less at another local feed store.

I'm not surprised.

Locally, TSC is the most expensive place.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

There are about five feed mills in Eastern North Carolina. Check them out and see what you can get for direct sale. This will cut cost and gain freshness which in turn cuts cost as the nutrients are all still available to the birds. They don't have to eat as much. Layer feeds are more expensive than using a grower or other low calcium feed. You can purchase higher protein and supplement the calcium with cheap oyster shell in a side dish. All this will add up to savings. I get a 20% protein turkey/gamebird finisher that's made from a local mill for $5 less than a name brand 18% all flock, and it's fresher. Keep in mind that what the bag label says the feed is for is usually for the uneducated consumer. My local mill uses the same ingredients for Turkey finisher, unmedicated chicken starter/grower, meat bird grower and probably more. The consumers seem to think they need something specific so the mill has different bags printed up.

Something is going on with your feeding arrangement if twenty birds eat a fifty pound bag a week. Likely rats eating you out of house and home. Bait boxes to kill the rats and put feed away at night. Buy feed direct from the mill and store it in metal trash cans. Your birds should only be eating 1/4 pound per day each without supplementing scraps. Other animals feeding and possible spillage then wasted feed is accounting for approximately 15 pounds per week in your current set up.

 

[Iluveggers]

I have noticed that when I have to buy an emergency bag of cheap layer my birds go through it faster -- presumably eating more to make up for the lower level of protein.

That is a good point. I feed a grower feed w oyster shell on the side.

 

[igorsMistress]

We do give them all the kitchen scraps, which is a pail-ful daily, and they free range half the day, but at about 20 hens they eat a large bag of feed every week. Are we overfeeding them? I wonder.

I wonder how much of that you’re feeding to wild birds? That seems excessive.

 

[RubelliteRose]

5) Switch feed. They seem to eat less of the Nutrena all flock than of the Dumor all flock. Idk why, but I buy less feed when feeding the Nutrena.

I have noticed that when I have to buy an emergency bag of cheap layer my birds go through it faster -- presumably eating more to make up for the lower level of protein.

Coming here to say this too. It may be cheaper in the long run to buy a more expensive brand that they eat less of. We have a flock of 18, recently downsized from 21, and go through a 50 lb bag of Purina Flock Raiser(oyster shell on the side) every 2 weeks in the winter. In the summer, a 50 lb bag lasts at least 3 weeks.
Qualifiers: We do live in an area where they can free range much of the day all year with a large compost pile for digging and kitchen scraps. We also have a flock of smaller birds - EE, OE, Dominique, Silver Leghorn, and one BCM. I believe our largest 2 are around 7 lbs and most are in the 5 lb range.

 

[Brooks_]

5) Switch feed. They seem to eat less of the Nutrena all flock than of the Dumor all flock. Idk why, but I buy less feed when feeding the Nutrena.

I have noticed that when I have to buy an emergency bag of cheap layer my birds go through it faster -- presumably eating more to make up for the lower level of protein.

Agreeing with 3KillerBs, I think it comes down to the protein. 20% in Nutrena vs 17% in Dumor.