Cutting the feed cost of chickens

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I am curious to know what all you have planted there for the chickens? I’m interested in growing for mine, but don’t know what to grow. Mine do free range all day and get plenty of greens, but if I could “plant” what is best for them, it’s a win win!
Sort of hard to describe so here are four pictures. One is a large area I have growing, another is a close-up, I have three small growing areas in my chicken area and the last is an area that I opened up and I am getting ready to move. I also have a couple more areas out back. I sprout for myself but as you can see most of the plants have gotten huge. I rarely buy any sort of greens. I am just really into sprouting which I do on my kitchen counter, but these plants I decided to take it advantage of the rain and just threw the seeds out before the winter rains.This will most likely last through the summer and fall. Then I will start all over again next winter! I buy all my organic seeds from True Leaf Market, they are super cheap there. I never buy those little packets from the store where you just get a few seeds, also I’m pretty sure their treated with chemicals. I must have about 50 different types of seeds at least! I grow kale, cabbage, collards, endive, chard, radish, turnip, lettuce, wheatgrass, etc. etc.. they basically get a variety! Hope this gives you a little inspiration!
 

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I'm searching the lowest prices rooster feathers have successfully sold for.
This guy sells 50 loose saddle feathers for only $5.
He has sold 45 lots and has one listing left.
That's 2300 feathers.
$230 in sales, minus about $40 eBay fees & $15 to Paypal = $175.
That requires processing a lot of transactions but it's money.
It also requires a lot of roosters.
I wonder how long they take to grow back if you pluck them?
It eliminates the need for skinning and curing the hides.
The roosters will probably get a little pissed off.

Here are some brighter feathers that sell for a little more.
I'd like to get to that level.
Yes, but if you are going to raise chickens, you are probably going to have a lot of roosters that will need to be processed, so it seems easier to skin them then to pull the feathers.
 
I'm hatching a lot of birds now so I'm eventually going to be faced with more roosters than I can find homes for. I've tried to resolve myself to a plan of eating them when they begin crowing. Making more use of them by selling their feathers would make me feel better about having to slaughter them.
I hope the fishermen like them.
I don't need big money. $20 or $30 for a skin would be great.
Well, if you are hatching a lot of birds right now, can’t you sell the chicks for a good price? Especially if you concentrate on the rare breeds that are in demand. The hatcheries sell them for between 8-22 dollars. My Lavender Orpington day old cost me $22! If you sell them at a day old you don’t even really have to worry about the feed. I want a purebred Ameraucana next and they go for around the same price at a day old.
 
Well, if you are hatching a lot of birds right now, can’t you sell the chicks for a good price?

Not yet.
I'm experimenting with developing variations of a crossbreed, so they are by definition, unknown.
I do think though that they will catch on once a few people get some of these birds.
This year I have sold six roosters but not a single pullet.
Seems very strange but by the time I had any pullets, TSC had a bin full of chicks for 50 cents apiece.
 
:)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!​

Fermenting their feed should also help reduce the cost because they absorb more of the nutrients. We fermented for awhile last year and they loved it (we only have a flock of 20), but when the temps reached triple digits, it was spoiling too fast and we had to stop. There are many threads on this site on fermenting and lots of good video's on YouTube. Good luck!
 

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