Does anyone have any experience buying bulk food

[affacat]

We were looking into buying bulk feed from tractor supply. It would be 2,000 lb of feed. We have 50 or so chickens and some turkeys but aren't sure how manageable a ton of feed would be. Are issues are regarding storage, and basic ease of use, we don't want it all to go bad before we even use it.

 

[Folly's place]

I think it would age out before being used up, and will be difficult to store safely too.
Forty bags of feed? I see twenty metal garbage cans, or a metal lined vault, or how many old chest freezers?
Using feed up within three months of it's mill date would be best. We try to use it within two months and think it's best that way.
Have you figured out how much feed you use per week, or in a month? Then you will know how practical this is.
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

If you have nearby friends who would want to share in this, great!

 

[Brooks_]

In my head math, be kind.

I thought it was discount on 20 bags, so 1,000#.

50 some birds figure a bag every 5 days. 20 bags would be about 100 days. With a great mill date, the tail end would be a little old but not unreasonable.

Storage though would be the hardest. Is 5% off worth trying to do that?
For me it would be less than a buck fifty a bag

 

[affacat]

In my head math, be kind.

I thought it was discount on 20 bags, so 1,000#.

50 some birds figure a bag every 5 days. 20 bags would be about 100 days. With a great mill date, the tail end would be a little old but not unreasonable.

Storage though would be the hardest. Is 5% off worth trying to do that?
For me it would be less than a buck fifty a bag

We go through about a bag a week, as our chickens also free range.

We pay around about $20 per bag, the bulk would be around $11 per bag.

Significant savings but at the cost of significant headache.

 

[Folly's place]

So forty weeks of feed, too long to hold it, IMO. Find someone who wants to share in this great discount!
Mary

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

We go through about a bag a week, as our chickens also free range.

We pay around about $20 per bag, the bulk would be around $11 per bag.

Significant savings but at the cost of significant headache.

You better redo your math and double check the price for the "bulk" feed from TSC becaue I thin the price you were given is way to cheap.
BTW, in the feed industry BULK is feed delivered without bags.

 

[Folly's place]

One bag used per week works out to eight to ten bags at once, if it's dated very recently.
Mary

 

[affacat]

You better redo your math and double check the price for the "bulk" feed from TSC becaue I thin the price you were given is way to cheap.
BTW, in the feed industry BULK is feed delivered without bags.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/natures-best-organic-kreamer-feed-egg-layer-pellet-tote

439.99

At 50 lbs a bag, that's 40 bags.


440/40 = 11 a 'bag', correct?

We'd need to figure out a way to store it in a safe and usable manner, of course, but the price does seem quite stellar unless I'm missing something.

Regarding finding someone to go in with, maybe? Nobody immediately comes to mind

 

[Percheron chick]

It is a tote. Not bagged feed. You must be able be able to handle a ton tote (tractor) and have bins to store. Works out around 8 55 gallon drums. The beauty of totes is the lack of feed bag trash you would normally generate.
There are shipping charges! Can't even imagine what those would be.
If you have a small local mill nearby, they should sell bulk feed at a discount in a tote. Some will make a custom blend or offer an inhouse product. Typically minimums are more like 1000# which is a more realistic amount for you.