Feeding organic... cost of commercial vs. homemade feed?

[Want Less]

We are very interested in feeding our chickens either a commercial organic feed or an organic whole grain mix we make ourselves once they are grown. We are in Eastern NC and I've only just started my search but so far I've found that 1) looks like none of our local feed stores have organic chicken feed and 2) the recipes I'm finding online to mix your own whole grain feed look like they may end up being quite pricey in the end (I havent done the math or checked on prices, just guessing).

I've found several recipes online but like I said, tons of ingredients in them look pricey. One article claims that making your own organic feed is cheaper than buying it.

If I could find a good basic recipe for layers I could start calling around to get ingredients pricing. We have a natural foods store that may be able to order in bulk (I've gotten flax in bulk from them for my horses).

So I'm here to bug you guys and gals... Any advice?? Any economically friendly whole grain recipe option that you guys use? Mind if I just come out and ask how much you end up spending on your homemade feeds?

I'd like to go the whole grain route if it's not going to mean taking up a part time job to afford it...

(Might be good to add that we have 3 RIR and 3 black sex links, they are still in a brooder right now but will be kept in a mobile chicken tractor and moved around our horse farm so they will have constant access to fresh grass, bugs, etc.)

Thanks everyone!

 

[mrbstephens]

Quote:
I'm very interested in this too. I buy a generic brand of organic layer pellets from my feed store that costs me $24 for a 50lb bag.

 

[crzychicken]

In NOFA news letter last (north east organic farmer association ) last month or the month before their where recipes in their for layer chick and meat birds they are online the feed store should be able to get you the 50lb bags of each grain that is organic find a big old non-working chest freezer and mix it in there works great it's mouse proofand weather proof too..

 

[Want Less]

Quote:
Thanks for the tip... I looked on their website and it only had the most recent issue of the publication which doesn't seem to mention anything about feeding chickens in any of the articles. Do you by any chance have a link to the online information??

 

[Organics North]

Hi,
I have not done the exact calculation, but am pretty sure I am around $14 or $15 per 50lbs. (80% organic, can not find the BOSS organic yet, and not willing to give it up. It is a cheap source of good protein and hard to get amino acids.)

(I am anti soy and corn, More so against soy, I do use 10% organic corn.)

I sprout, and feed a wet mash twice daily. I offer the same mix dry and free choice. I free range when the ground is not covered in snow.

I am trying to do the right thing and avoid fish meal for the oceans sake, Going to see if I can harvest and scrounge up enough venison so supplement protein and amino acids in winter. I am not concerned about feeding probiotics or vitamin supplements, I feel that is why I am feeding whole unprocessed grains with all the "goodness" still intact..

I do not have that much time under my belt with this recipe. My EE's started laying at 21 weeks on this feed and look great, if that is any indicator.

The main factor is finding a proper source, I travel 4 hours one way and can only buy many of the items once a year when it is planting time. (Otherwise I have to pay for shipping to the feed/seed store.) SO I have close to 3000lbs of grains I need to store to get 36 birds through a year.


Organics North Chicken Feed

6 part Black Oil Sunflower (17%P) ($12 per 50lbs)
6 part Oats (12%P) ($12 per 50 lbs)
6 parts Red Wheat (17%P) ($14 per 50lbs)
3 part Field Peas (24%P) ($25 per 50lbs)

3 part cracked Corn (9%P) ($14 per 50lbs)
3 part whole Flax (34%P) ($34 per 50lbs)
3 part Alfalfa (17%P) ($17 per 50lbs)

.5 part Kelp
.125 Oyster shell (assume the 7/8ths part of these four as 1 part for simplicity)
.125 DE
.125 Azomite


Notes:
For daily mash first 4 ingredients are mixed and sprouted. Last 7 ingredients are mixed and wetted for mash prior to mixing in with sprouts.

Proper ratio is as follows for daily serving..: 2+ parts sprouts to 1 part mash. (To be exact it is 9 7/8 parts mash to 21 parts sprouts..)


Above mix has ::: PROTIEN= 17% unsprouted

Sup. With meat or fish which is about 25% protein for amino acid boost in winter.

ON

 

[happymorrows]

I have been interested in doing this too. I was very unimpressed with the ingredients list on the chick starter I got from TSC. When they are done with this bag I plan on making my own Poultry feed. I am worried about the cost, and about finding all of the ingredients. Any suggestions on where to locate these types of things would be great. My brother found a good website with some recipes on it for various purposes.:

http://www.lionsgrip.com/recipes.html

 

[WestCoastCoop]

I would be into this too. But as seems to be the trend with everyone, concerned about the costs involved. Will do a little of my own research and see what I can find.

 

[humm-n-cluck ranch]

Cost is of course, a major concern here too, but I would like nothing better than to be able to make my own. I already make so many other household items myself I would prefer to dictate just exactly my beautiful birds are getting

 

[Organics North]

You got to be VERY interested in the subject, and it is a lot of work, and to keep costs down you need to be prepared to buy in bulk. I spent a hundred hours teaching my self about amino acids and proper chicken nutrition. (IMO you need to be passionate about it in order to make it work and to make it worth while.)

Yesterday I compared my eggs to some other small flock eggs, my dark yolks and great egg flavor blew away the other eggs, which are way way darker and richer than any store egg including the high end ones..

For me, mixing my own feed and sprouting is worth the work..

I am happy at $15 per 50lbs, matter of fact I would still be happy at $20 per 50lbs.

Know...I just have to find organic BOSS and Quinoa in 50 lbs sacks!

ON

 

[patman75]

I found a farmer that mixes his own orangic feed and sells it.

50 lbs bag from the local grain elevator is $11

50 lbs bag of organic feed from the farmer is $18. ($17 if I buy by the ton)

Ingredients - "Our typical blend is open pollinated corn, oats, spelt, roasted soybean, kelp, calcium and poultry mineral mix. it is blended in a hammer mill/mixer, coarse for larger birds, and finely ground for chicks. All whole grain, minimal processing."

Techically I'm pretty sure it is not 100% organic because the corn could be mixed with GMO corn pollen. However I'm sure it is much better quality than what I'm givening them now. I plan on trying a few bags to see how it goes.​