Economical feed for large flock.

[free range by day]

Is there an alternative to bags of chicken feed from the store that’s more economical for a 40+ chicken flock? Right now I’m spending $16 for a 50lb bag of pellets or crumble. Is it cheaper to custom mix things together or something? I will have 15 chicks coming in a few weeks so I know I have to do chick crumble for them for a while.

 

[Logar]

Is there an alternative to bags of chicken feed from the store that’s more economical

Free ranging. My chickens eat 25-50% less feed when I free range them.

What are the prices of your chick starter? If it is cheaper then you can offer that instead of layer pellets and then just offer oyster shells on the side.

Have you thought about bulk ordering from a feed mill? You can get feed for a decent bit cheaper if you get larger quantities at a time.

Is it cheaper to custom mix things together or something?

No. Not at all.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

If you have enough space, I've found large compost piles in the run make a big difference in their commercial feed intake. I'd bring in food waste from a local food pantry and make big compost piles. The chickens would eat their fill of the food waste, and whatever they didn't eat turned into nice compost that was full of worms and bugs that the chickens also enjoyed eating.

When this was really working, my commercial food use was about 70% less than what you'd expect...and I had about 80 chickens.

Now, it was cheaper, and I had a lot of healthy, happy chickens...but it was a LOT of work!

 

[Al Gerhart]

Rats with all that food waste? Sounds great if you can keep the rodents out of it.

Feed cost, in engineering, you trade speed for torque, more time to accomplish the task means more power available to do the work without increasing the total power to accomplish the job.

Sometimes economics works the same. If you have more time than money, grow your own feed to supplement, source food waste as the poster above suggested, or check your local fish and game laws for fish without limit or animals without limit, carp and feral hogs might be the answer in your state.

But first, before you try to fix anything, figure out if you are efficient as is possible. Is your feed use 1/4 pound of feed per hen per day? More than that means you are feeding more than your hens.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Rats with all that food waste? Sounds great if you can keep the rodents out of it.

When I had enough chickens...no. 80 chickens kept the system running really well. When I lost a lot of chickens, the ones left couldn't keep up and I did start to get some rats.

 

[free range by day]

Free ranging. My chickens eat 25-50% less feed when I free range them.

What are the prices of your chick starter? If it is cheaper then you can offer that instead of layer pellets and then just offer oyster shells on the side.

Have you thought about bulk ordering from a feed mill? You can get feed for a decent bit cheaper if you get larger quantities at a time.


No. Not at all.

Oh, I need to see if there is a bulk co op around my area! Thanks!

They do free range, sun up to sun down .

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Sometimes economics works the same. If you have more time than money, grow your own feed to supplement, source food waste as the poster above suggested, or check your local fish and game laws for fish without limit or animals without limit, carp and feral hogs might be the answer in your state.

I've always been fascinated by the idea of using invasive species to feed chickens. Carp and wild hog are two good suggestions. It's crazy watching those videos of the jumping carp - they're huge...lots of protein and calories there!

Most of the invasives near me are insects or things like tiny clams...a bit harder to harvest in large quantities.

 

[Perris]

They do free range, sun up to sun down

Is there an alternative to bags of chicken feed from the store that’s more economical for a 40+ chicken flock?

Good, and in those circumstances, Yes.

Is it cheaper to custom mix things together or something?

Yes. My eggs and chicken-hobby are essentially free, as the sale of surplus eggs covers my running costs (labour not priced in, but that's because I like doing it; it's not my job).

This is how I do it. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/wholesome-homemade-feed-2.79307/

I know I have to do chick crumble for them for a while.

I used to think that too, but my flock's health has been much better since I stopped buying and using it.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I bend my feed curve via free ranging a big pasture I've planted w/ varied things. Seasonally dependent, it reduces my feed costs between 10% and maybe 35% peak pasture.

Most of my savings comes from buying from a local feed mill, via a family farms store who sells the mill's feed at near 0 markup as a leader. I can buy from there cheaper than if I went to the mill directly, as I'm benefiting from the store's volume.

...and while I'm there, I almost inevitably pick up a new garden hose, or a yard tool, or a feed bowl, or some misc. plumbing parts, or stuff for electric fence maintenance, or...

Your local Ag Extension office should have some leads on where to get bulk feed at reasonable price, and your local Co-op may offer it as well.

 

[Penpal]

You can save money by mixing your own feed. If you are close enough to an elevator you can buy whole grain. There are two that are close enough to me. Whole corn, whole oats, whole wheat, sunflower seeds. I have to go to a grocery store to get ground corn, pearled barley, chia seeds and quinoa. I also buy ground meat (hamburger, pork) when on a really good sale and freeze it. There's also various worms and insects in your own yard. If you can do the math and create a feed formula go for it.

And possibly your local elevator will create the formula you want and sell it to you already bagged.