Feed Cost

enggass

Crowing
13 Years
Mar 8, 2010
1,687
69
311
Mid-Coast Maine
I am new to this - but excited. Will be getting my first 6 hens this spring. Will be building my own coop etc.
But, can someone tell me what I should expect to pay for feed? What kind to stay away from? Organic Cost vs. Standard? How much I will go through if I have 6 hens? Any info appreciated.
Thanks,
Steve
 
We go to a local feed mill. Starter, Grower and Layer are all around $10 / 50 lb bag.

As long as it will last. Well, in the winter when there is less to forage they eat more, summer not so much. Also, if you give them treats, greens, etc that will cut down on your feed bill too.

Good luck!
 
Depending on where you live you can find organic feed at most feed stores. For Purina (pretty muc one of the standard brands anywhere in the US) I pay $12 for 50#. I believe the same store sells the Purina organic feed bag for $17-18 for a 50# bag.
 
We get organic feed for about $26 for fifty pounds. (But here in California, stuff often costs more than elsewhere.)
Scratch is close to that price, too.

I have a funny feeling about GMO corn, so that is part of the reason I decided to go organic. (Although it is next to impossible to get away from it. I bet 85% of the stuff you get in the grocery store now has corn in it.)
 
6 chickens should eat a total of 2 lbs per day if they are dual purpose hens and 1.5 per day if they are leghorns etc. I go through 100 lbs or less a month for 12 birds depending on the season and the type of feed, so you would go through 50 lbs./month give or take. I buy locally ground layer mash for $17/80 lbs. (10.66 equivalent for 50lbs.) Purina is about $12-13 for 50 lbs. & Nature's Best Organic is $25/50 lbs. around here.
 

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