Feeding chickens for cheap

[GardenWeasel]

Lots of great suggestions. I buy 50 lbs of oats and 50 lbs 0f wheat and always have some sprouting in a bucket. This year I got tired of hauling the buckwheat and oats I grew for them so fenced off plots in their run and let it mature. When it was ready to harvest just took down the fence and let them do the work. Next year I will use the sunny part of the run they rarely use and plant heirloom corn. As soon as it is big enough I will take the fence down. It may provide enough cover to increase use and help control the earworms. We will see how that goes.

 

[serenityNH]

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That is cheap!! What kind of chickens do you have?

We have LF Brahma's, Cochins, Wyandotte's, Barred Rocks, Buff Orpingtons - they are only 19 weeks old tho

 

[PaleMelanesian]

The OP is free-ranging, but lives in Texas. With the drought we're having, there's not a lot of anything out there. I haven't mowed my yard in 5 months - it's just dry and brown and dusty! Nearly all their food is from the bagged feed, with only a little extra from the free-ranging.

I have 19 hens, and they go through about 75 lb a month. That's 4 lb / bird / month, compared to your 6 lb / bird / mo. Your usage does seem high.

 

[wanttobefarmer]

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I also might be a little high on my estimate. I think the cost is do obvious because 12 haven't started laying yet.

 

[cassidy22]

I haven't tried this, but read a post about a way to get "worms" to your chickens.

I haven't tried it because it sounds smelly, and like it might attract predators, but...

Put a bucket up high on a post. High enough where the birds can't purch. Drill some small holes around the bottom. Put some sort of meat in the bucket (I'd be happy to use a dead hen, or some innards after processing)
Flies will come lay eggs. When the maggots hatch, they will start to burrow, and end up falling out the holes in the bottom. Yummy chicken snack, interesting use for throw away meat or by products.

I haven't done this, but I have found maggots under waterers in brooders and such that are slighly leaky. Occasionally in the summer my kitchen composter will get maggots - I take that out to the birds, too. They love them. And I love that they dont' get a chance to turn into flies!!

 

[VelvettFog]

I reduced my feed consumption by putting the feeders in the coops. That seemed to totally top the 100 or so LBJ's (little brown jobs - sparrows and such) from eating all the chicken food!

 

[Beekissed]

I have to keep my feeder and waterer in the coop as well or the free ranging dog eats and drinks everything.

 

[chickens? not yet]

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WOW !! you are good!! wish you could come live with me for a couple of months!! Really great set up!!

 

[oldrooster]

I realize this is an old thread but if you can't get free stuff from stores and eateries for your girls if you have access to a truck/van/station wagon or trailer most bread thrift stores (you know the good day old bread store) sells outdate/damaged bread usually by the truck load. some may be by the large trash bag (I mean like a 55 gallon bag) for cheap like 25 bucks a truck load.

 

[Headgear]

We have a small local Abattoir (slaughterhouse) where we take our beef cows. I got to know the folks and they started asking me if I wanted hearts and tongues that people don't take, for our dogs (Great Pyrenees = eat a lot). Then they asked if we wanted to go through the awful barrels for bones, meat scraps and suet. Boy do the chickens love that! I laugh when I read all of the posts about meal worms for protein because it seems like so much work. But then I have roughly 100 girls. That would take a lot of meal worms. It's a lot easier if you can find a source like this that is just going to go to waist anyway. I can stop in and get 50 to 100 pounds of goodies and put them in the freezer and use it as needed. In the winter we don't even freeze it, just through it out in the chicken yard and let the girls work on it for a month or so. It's amazing what is available for free.