Feed cost / co-op bulk feed questions.

[Rcl700]

I'm thinking of raising some meat birds for the first time say 20-25 birds. I was wondering if there is a place to get low cost bulk chicken feed in bulk. Like a local co-op. I currently have a small flock of egg birds the i feed with TSC layer pellet feed.
I live on the south side in Mcdonough. Are there good quality feeds that can be purchased in book 4 a better cost then the bags purchased at Tractor Supply?

 

[sylviethecochin]

TSC is one of the more expensive places to get feed. Search your area for local feed mills--they probably won't have a website, but they'll be listed in the phonebook, sometimes. J and J in Brookville sells layer feed for six dollars cheaper a hundred than TSC does in the exact same area.

Also, if you do that, there'll be the option of feeding scratch grains. Not a balanced diet, but a good, cheap supplement, and meat birds don't constantly lay eggs so they don't need quite as carefully watched.

And yes, I'm aware that TSC sells whole grains. The problem is, especially with oats, that they sell them for fourteen dollars more a hundred than the local feed mills (again, in my area) do because they're marketing to the horse people.

https://www.yellowpages.com/mcdonough-ga/feed-store is a good place to start. Don't be afraid to call and ask for pricing and protein and crude fat percentage. Also, you may want to look up a good feed calculator.

 

[rjohns39]

How close are you to these guys? http://www.resacasun.com/ Also look at these folks... http://www.hillsborofeedco.com/ Last I checked for 1 Ton, Non-GMO broiler (18%) Resacasun was $710 bagged or $508 not bagged. Hillsboro is $340 not bagged or $440 bagged. Both have truck routes they use. And I think, don't hold me to it, that they will bag in bulk (one bag with 2000 pounds of feed) on a 4X4 pallet. Some charge $15 for the bag and $7.50 for the pallet. As an alternative, put your zip into the fertrell dealer locator site and see if there's a dealer closer to you. Call them and see who they sell to that makes feed. I'm in middle Tennessee and buying my feed from Hillsboro, but their salesman live less than five miles from me. I'm tired of paying $2.5 for bagging and trying to figure out how to get a 2000 pound bag off his truck and into my barn without a tractor.

 

[RememberTheWay]

TSC is one of the more expensive places to get feed. Search your area for local feed mills--they probably won't have a website, but they'll be listed in the phonebook, sometimes. J and J in Brookville sells layer feed for six dollars cheaper a hundred than TSC does in the exact same area.

Also, if you do that, there'll be the option of feeding scratch grains. Not a balanced diet, but a good, cheap supplement, and meat birds don't constantly lay eggs so they don't need quite as carefully watched.

And yes, I'm aware that TSC sells whole grains. The problem is, especially with oats, that they sell them for fourteen dollars more a hundred than the local feed mills (again, in my area) do because they're marketing to the horse people.

https://www.yellowpages.com/mcdonough-ga/feed-store is a good place to start. Don't be afraid to call and ask for pricing and protein and crude fat percentage. Also, you may want to look up a good feed calculator.

Not true- layers actually require less protein then meat birds. Meat birds nutritional requirements are actually much higher all around. I realize this is from a few yrs ago, but I just didn't want people to read this and think they could grow meat on scratch grains. They will be severely disappointed in how they grow and fill out of they do.