Feed!

[samanthaoverton]

I thought 20 was bad. 25 to 29 is Really bad. I pay 20 for a co-op brand and that's not even a name brand.

Most of the feed here is priced between $25-$29, sometimes over $30. Dumor was $14 a bag and now is $19... plus tax....

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I envy those prices

Yes, well, economically depressed area - can only sell eggs $3/doz around here, can't compete on selling chicken flesh at all. Not when mechanically seperated Cx are available at $0.99/lb on special and $1.19/lb otherwise.

I'm surrounded by commercial scale family chicken farms (you know, with the big metal quonset hut looking buildings with the fans on one end) which have all folded - the losses were too great - but the local mill still produces and I benefit from their scale. Wayne Farms, Tyson Food, ConAgra all have big operations within an hour's drive or so.

 

[samanthaoverton]

I have unfortunately seen those chicken house's. I feel sorry for the chickens. The farmers are also constantly forced to update their barns (which costs thousands) Chickens die every day. I've seen footage. Farmers taking armfuls of dead chickens out. Only three bucks a dozen for farm fresh? I have mixed prices here. 3, 4,5 bucks. However the closest grocery store around here sells there crappy eggs for around 4. I do not grocery shop there..their meat looks iffy and the prices are through the roof. I drive an hour to shop. Do you sell your eggs or do you just do chickens for you?

Yes, well, economically depressed area - can only sell eggs $3/doz around here, can't compete on selling chicken flesh at all. Not when mechanically seperated Cx are available at $0.99/lb on special and $1.19/lb otherwise.

I'm surrounded by commercial scale family chicken farms (you know, with the big metal quonset hut looking buildings with the fans on one end) which have all folded - the losses were too great - but the local mill still produces and I benefit from their scale. Wayne Farms, Tyson Food, ConAgra all have big operations within an hour's drive or so.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

$47 for 20% gamebird crumble here which I buy and feed 50/50 with 15% grower at $38.
The pain is real. I offset with apples, kitchen scraps, a good forage lawn with plenty of clover in it, and yes sometimes just plain corn as a top up.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I've been looking at feed prices (don't yet have chickens). I'm seeing 50lb bags from around $22-$30 by me. Can someone versed in nutrition compare these 2 labels for me? I'm planning on having just 2 or 3 buff orpington hens for egg layers. Was thinking of buying 50lb bags for economy.

These 2 labels are from Cal-Ranch which seems to be cheaper than what our Tractor Supply carries.

So, the first is your run of the mill Purina Layena Pellet. It "meets the minimums" based on studies out of the 70s, and has nothing to particularly recommend it, nor anything to really ding it for. If you are keeping hatchery quality commercial layer breeds under commercial conditions, losses attributed to poor nutrition will, in theory, cost less than a better (and more expensive) feed. A couple of small things would make it a better feed at the margins.

The second is a cheap feed that isn't certain what its designed to be. Protein overall is better, but the amino acids didn't really follow - and its the AAs that most matter. Lysine at 0.8% will contribute to better muscle development, particularly in the breast, than the 0.7% in the Purina. Methionine at 0.31 instead of 0.30 is too small to make any noteable difference, but Met is THE most important AA in developing birds (whose needs drop as they age). Its responsible for connective tissues, development of the gutt, which contributes to lifelong feed efficiency, fewer joint problems, better immune system (the mechanisms of which aren't well understood). I'd rather see 0.35% or higher, particularly if feeding hatchlings. Its higher fiber, which isn't a plus in poultry feeds, and also in a strange place for calcium - a level above what you want for developing birds of either gender, Roosters all their life, but below the levels needed by any bird that produces more than a medium egg every couple days....

Both are, somewhat surprisingly (well, not the Purina, I'm used to it by now) low on fat - 3.5% is the normal target number, +.-. 2.5% is within the accepted range, and might be a good choice if you plan to "treat" your birds periodically with seeds, bsfl, etc or if you have a pasture with a significant quantity of either seed or "near" grains (Flax, Amaranth, Rape, White Millet, Sesame, BOSS, etc), which tend to be higher fat offerings. The real reason it surprises, however, is because the second feed claims its good for waterfowl, and the general recommend for waterfowl is fat levels about 1% higher +/- than for chickens - the normal range (depending on source, of course) is more like 3% - 5%.

A couple/few Buff Orps are anticipated to eat less than 1# of feed (total) daily - that 50# bag should last you most, if not all, of two months. Learn how to read mill dates, or you could buy an old bag in store which is considerably older still (and losing nutrition to oxidation) before you reach the bottom.

My thoughts only, not an expert, just read some things. Perhaps "more qualified than most"? (An admittedly low bar).

 

[Happy Novogens]

Yeah. Hubby complains because he can't get his shower cool enough all summer long.
We have hot springs nearby too but I assume that isn't as deep as our well.

 

[Sally PB]

Those the pretty green ones? Do you have so many? How does your garden compete with them? I know a lot of questions

The really pretty green ones are Emerald Ash Borer, and are a TERRIBLE pest that have killed a lot of ash trees. They fly away when you approach, so they aren't very catchable. Or, believe me, I would!

These are Japanese Beetles. I hate them just as much for killing my hazelnut trees. So it makes me very happy to see the chickens eat them.

I find them on grape vines, my asparagus plants, and sometimes other plants. The grape vines are where I catch most of them.

 

[Sally PB]

I just looked up Emerald Ash Borer for a picture. They aren't as pretty as I thought! There is a MUCH prettier blue-green bug called a tiger beetle, and they are beneficial!

Emerald Ash Borer

Tiger Beetle

And that is today's lesson in entomology.

 

[chickenwisper16]

The same feed I've been feeding for years. The price hasn't gone up enough for me to worry about it. Now the grocery store prices are worrying me.

How many chickens do you have and what do you keep chickens for?

15 hens 1 rooster. As pets and eggs, which I give away

 

[Rangergord]

15 hens 1 rooster. As pets and eggs, which I give away

Your generosity is admirable, but perhaps you can’t afford to give the eggs away. Feed has never been cheep where I live even though it is a grain producing area, and while people will give eggs away, no one expects them to be free. They don’t mind paying a reasonable price for quality eggs! One thing is for sure, given the circumstances, feed prices are unlikely to stop rising.