Eggsorcism
In the Brooder
I'm looking to find a feed mill within a 2 hour drive of Fort Gordon, GA that can provide a non-GMO unmedicated feed (doesn't have to be organic, but that'd be fine as well) and possibly soy/corn free. I would like to purchase in 100 pound increments. I will be feeding a laying flock of about a dozen so about 3 pounds of feed per day (I'll be fermenting so it might stretch a tad further, but I'm estimating close to 92 pounds monthly or 1100 pounds per year to maintain). Based on the breeds I'm interested in I can expect an average of about a dozen eggs every two days (anywhere from 183 to 212 dozen per year). My husband is supportive of my want for chicken entertainment and fresh eggs, but would like to ensure the feed cost to egg production does not exceed the price of store bought eggs of the same caliber. Obviously home-grown fresh eggs are going to beat out store bought any day, but I understand what he's saying. Knowing we can get organic cage-free (yes, we know "cage-free" is just marketing as they are crammed in a dark barn their entire sad lives, but it's the closest I can find for store comparison) for $4 per dozen I'd like to keep the cost around $3 per dozen in feed (or about $550 per year in feed for a dozen birds). The feed would need to be less than .50 per pound or less than $50 per 100 pounds INCLUDING shipping or gas cost. I also wouldn't mind blending my own if you know of a place I can order the ingredients from for a good recipe.
