Co-op feed vs. pellet feed: Pros/cons?

[ceyoung77]

I can get feed through my local co-op, and have in the past. I'm starting over this year and am curious if the pellet feed from TSC, FFH or that type of place would be a better option. The co-op feed looks sort of like cornmeal, I've asked before and have been told that it's all natural and fresher than what an individual will find in the store. They mix it there at the co-op. The price varies at the co-op based on the market price of the ingredients used but is usually slight less expensive, but is a bit farther away than TSC and such. On occasion in the past I've run out of the co-op feed and purchased the cheap stuff from TSC. I'll have a flock of dual purpose layers with a few roosters to sustain the flock.

Thanks!

 

[SoJoChickens]

I have always preferred co-op feed due to the cost difference. I can buy co-op feed in bulk at a substantial discount (I don't have to drive further to the co-op though). Earlier this year I bought some feed from TSC and offered it side-by-side with with the coop feed just out of curiosity. The chickens never touched the TSC feed. It was not a scientific experiment but apparently the chickens could tell the difference and preferred the co-op feed.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I understand your question but no one can tell you without knowing what is in the feed.
That would require powers of clairvoyance beyond my skills.
It may very well be fresher if made to order and that is a very good thing.
The pelleted feed is assayed for a guaranteed analysis and lists ingredients according to quantity in the feed.
Does the co-op assay the feed after it is milled? I doubt it.
Most local mills have quit making feed because they can't make enough feed before their vitamin and amino acid supplements go bad. They also usually just wing it. Just mix some grains, legumes and a premix of nutrients and hope it is OK.
You need to ask these questions at the co-op, not here.
Get an ingredient list. What is the percentage of lysine, methionine, cystine, phosphorus and calcium? What is the parts per million (ppm) of manganese and selenium? What is the content of vitamins A, D and E per pound of feed in IU (international units)?
Ask them how old the vitamin and amino acid supplements are?
If they are as old as 3 months, I wouldn't buy it. You are back to the age of feed at TSC.
If they can't answer those questions, buy the pelleted feed.
After they tell you what the levels of those nutrients are, then come back here and we can then tell you which to buy.

 

[Folly's place]

x2! I wasn't happy with the feed milled at our local feed store, but every mill will be different, so you have to evaluate it there. One of the issues that I had here, was that it only came in mash, because they couldn't afford the machinery to make pellets and therefore crumble.
Freshness can be an issue anywhere, always check mill dates on each bag, and do ask about their vitamin/mineral mix, and their assay procedures. This all plays into the cost, and sometimes things are cheap for a reason.
Mary