Cutting the feed cost of chickens

[Awtdaniel05]

I would absolutely look into raising mealworms for a flock that large.

I would also practice with fermenting feed now while they are eating less. I don’t know, but I feel like I have wasted much much more food trying to get a handle on fermenting, getting them to eat it, finding the right feeders, etc than I may have saved by fermenting the feed.

The end result is great, but I wouldn’t want to be learning how to get my flock into fermented feed with 90 adult birds.

I soke their feed with water or milk from the dairy I work at

 

[perchie.girl]

Meal worms are easy to raise.
Check into Black soldier Flies... The larva are very good... they grow in compost bins that have "objectionable" ingredients. Fat, Meat, and others. The beauty of them is they only live as flies long enough to reproduce... and tend to push out other flies in the area. The lava are self feeding if you set the bin up right. they climb out and drop down into the chickens waiting beaks.

Cock roaches are also easy to grow and feed but some cant get past the Ikk factor.

You can supplement the feed also with Table scraps as long as certain criteria are observed. No spoiled, Certian veggies like fresh Onions, ETC... There is a list here on BYC.... Somewhere.

But chickens can and will eat meat... Watchem clean off a thanks giving turkey Carcass... and play keep away with the nastier bits. Same goes for chicken. Though some people find it unethical... But in the wild Food is food. Sardiens and tuna are also a good treat. Same goes for fresh fish.

I live in the desert so youd think free ranging is a no go. But there are lots of things out there they can eat. Unfortunately Once you bring in Chickens you also bring in predators. So I keep the Chikens close at hat so there arent many bugs to supplement...

I supplement the feed with Catfish chow. about ten percent. Only on adult birds. There are a couple of Zoo Keepers and or people who supply Zoos with exotics here on BYC... I had a chat with one and the Catfish chow was a recommendation by him.

Welcome To BYC Have fun with 4H...

deb

 

[Awtdaniel05]

Meal worms are easy to raise.
Check into Black soldier Flies... The larva are very good... they grow in compost bins that have "objectionable" ingredients. Fat, Meat, and others. The beauty of them is they only live as flies long enough to reproduce... and tend to push out other flies in the area. The lava are self feeding if you set the bin up right. they climb out and drop down into the chickens waiting beaks.

Cock roaches are also easy to grow and feed but some cant get past the Ikk factor.

You can supplement the feed also with Table scraps as long as certain criteria are observed. No spoiled, Certian veggies like fresh Onions, ETC... There is a list here on BYC.... Somewhere.

But chickens can and will eat meat... Watchem clean off a thanks giving turkey Carcass... and play keep away with the nastier bits. Same goes for chicken. Though some people find it unethical... But in the wild Food is food. Sardiens and tuna are also a good treat. Same goes for fresh fish.

I live in the desert so youd think free ranging is a no go. But there are lots of things out there they can eat. Unfortunately Once you bring in Chickens you also bring in predators. So I keep the Chikens close at hat so there arent many bugs to supplement...

I supplement the feed with Catfish chow. about ten percent. Only on adult birds. There are a couple of Zoo Keepers and or people who supply Zoos with exotics here on BYC... I had a chat with one and the Catfish chow was a recommendation by him.

Welcome To BYC Have fun with 4H...

deb

Thanks for all the advice I raised mealworms last year and want to start it again. I give them cat food but my local feed store carries bulk fish food. I want to do maggot bucket for them so they have access to maggots all the time.

 

[MagpieDucks]

What about the eggs? When they’re adults, you can sell eggs and make quite a bit of money, to help pay for feed. If you have an incubator, you could also hatch chicks and sell them.

 

[Awtdaniel05]

What about the eggs? When they’re adults, you can sell eggs and make quite a bit of money, to help pay for feed. If you have an incubator, you could also hatch chicks and sell them.

I am planning on selling eggs and hatching and selling eggs

 

[Ra_]

you can sell eggs and make quite a bit of money.

Can you? If I sell eating eggs for $3 a dozen and sell two dozen a week, I'm only getting $24 a month and after subtracting feed costs, I'm going through a lot of hassle for almost nothing.

 

[Awtdaniel05]

Can you? If I sell eating eggs for $3 a dozen and sell two dozen a week, I'm only getting $24 a month and after subtracting feed costs, I'm going through a lot of hassle for almost nothing.

I sold mine last year for 4 and duck eggs for 6 and they sold like hot cakes

 

[MagpieDucks]

Can you? If I sell eating eggs for $3 a dozen and sell two dozen a week, I'm only getting $24 a month and after subtracting feed costs, I'm going through a lot of hassle for almost nothing.

You cut off the last part of my sentence. I said “to help pay for feed.” I didn’t say you could make an income off of it, I said you can get an extra couple bucks to go towards feed costs.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

Hello, I have 90 baby chicks and I was wondering how much I will have to feed them a week. Also how could I cut the feed cost of feeding the 90 birds. If you have any advice please let me know. Thanks!​

My 8 chickens are grown and they are large breeds. It cost me $32 for a bag of 50 pound organic layer and it last me five weeks. I sell about two dozen eggs a week and I get five or six dollars for each dozen, so that pays for their food. I suppose you would be going through about that much in one week once your chickens are grown. They get other things as well, they get a few treats and they get to free range in my yard for a couple hours a day. I also grow sprouts and micro greens for them and for myself. Super easy to grow pounds and pounds of greens and really cheap!

 

[Awtdaniel05]

My 8 chickens are grown and they are large breeds. It cost me $32 for a bag of 50 pound organic layer and it last me five weeks. I suppose you would be going through about that much in one week once your chickens are grown. They get other things as well, they get a few treats and they get two free range in my yard for a couple hours a day. I also grow sprouts and micro greens for them and for myself. Super easy to grow pounds and pounds of greens and really cheap!

I let mine free range all day and feed them in the morning I also dig up dirt so they can eat grubs and worms. They also eat a lot of grass,