For the MINIMALISTS - those who think less is more in chicken keeping - Please help

[3KillerBs]

FEED
Does anyone make their own feed and is it more cost effective than just buying the already prepared food? I'm having a hard time locating food and bedding sources that aren't 30 minutes or farther away. Is TS a lot more expensive than purchasing through a farm?

It is nearly impossible to make a nutritionally adequate feed at home and if you can achieve it you'll find that it costs much more than the feed companies' offerings because they have the economies of scale going for them. You can find some heated arguments on the feed section of the forums but they can be pretty confusing to people who are new.

Even if you decide that you want to try it, get a year or so of chicken experience with conventional feed first so that you aren't overwhelmed.

Costs vary wildly between different sources. I find TSC more expensive than the local feed store, but since I'm in an agricultural area I actually HAVE a local feed store.

If you have to make a drive to a farm store you can get enough to last a month or 6 weeks and store it so that you make the most from your trip.

As for bedding, free bedding is the best bedding. Cheap bedding is the next best.

 

[Folly's place]

We live in a rural area, and everything is 15+ miles away! What feeds are available 'locally' that are fresh matters a lot, so check mill dates on each bag before buying. We try to use feed within two months of it's mill date if at all possible.
Here TSC is actually our best source because it just is. You might find some place cheaper/ better, or not, ESPECIALLY if you look at mill dates for freshness.
Home made is not a best choice, not this first year. i had livestock nutrition and poultry science classes in college, and it convinced me that home made is HARD, and it will be more expensive too.
Mary

 

[Ridgerunner]

Helpful info, thanks. They can be quite acrobatic. At 8 weeks old, how high can they fly if their wings are clipped?

No idea. I have never clipped wings.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If you have to make a drive to a farm store you can get enough to last a month or 6 weeks and store it so that you make the most from your trip.

Agree. But you also want it reasonably fresh. It can be a balancing act. You especially do not want to store it too hot, it loses nutritional value. Some people put the feed in a freezer to keep it fresh. I keep it in a metal garbage can with a decent fitting lid in a shady well-ventilated shed. The metal garbage cans stops mice from chewing through and raccoons, possums, skunks, and such from getting in it.

You'll need to do your own price comparison, we are all different. Some places I've seen chicken feed are feed stores like Tractor Supply, a hardware store offered a very limited selection, sometimes you can find a farmer's cooperative. You might ask your local county extension office if they know of any close by. Sometimes they can be helpful.

As for bedding, free bedding is the best bedding. Cheap bedding is the next best.

Totally agree here.

 

[GetFitWithKrista]

I am in North Jersey.
Almost all my bedding I get for free by raking up leaves and pine straw from the back yard.
Remember I do deep litter and have a very tall hen house with lots of ventilation. So although I usually have a lawn bag or two drying in my garage, I don’t worry too much about introducing damp so mainly I just take it from a leaf pile outside.
In the nest boxes I do shredded packing paper and pine shavings. I get the pine shavings from Tractor Supply.
Now and then I empty a nest box to clean it (eg when I had a hen that laid eggs without shells) and then the coop floor benefits from some pine shavings and shredded paper.
For baby chicks I use coarse pine shavings from Tractor Supply.

Right, I forgot that you mostly use what you have on hand. Love that.

 

[GetFitWithKrista]

It is nearly impossible to make a nutritionally adequate feed at home and if you can achieve it you'll find that it costs much more than the feed companies' offerings because they have the economies of scale going for them. You can find some heated arguments on the feed section of the forums but they can be pretty confusing to people who are new.

I suspected this was the case. I'd prefer to buy it rather than make it but I wasn't sure if it was a lot less expensive and a straightforward process. Doesn't really sound so.

If you have to make a drive to a farm store you can get enough to last a month or 6 weeks and store it so that you make the most from your trip.

I contacted a local-ish company and they said they have a conventional and NON gmo grower and layer is 50 pound bags. 18% conventional grower is $18.42 & 16% layer is $16.41. NON gmo 18% grower is $22.04 & 16% layer is $18.99 & 18% layer is $22.04. The 18% layer has field peas alfalfa and marigold.

I asked if I could purchase a few bags at a time but they suggested only buying a month at a time because it oxidizes once it's grounded.

What do you think?

As for bedding, free bedding is the best bedding. Cheap bedding is the next best.

I AGREE! We don't have anything good around our property. Hmm, where can we look for free bedding...

 

[GetFitWithKrista]

We live in a rural area, and everything is 15+ miles away! What feeds are available 'locally' that are fresh matters a lot, so check mill dates on each bag before buying. We try to use feed within two months of it's mill date if at all possible.
Here TSC is actually our best source because it just is. You might find some place cheaper/ better, or not, ESPECIALLY if you look at mill dates for freshness.
Home made is not a best choice, not this first year. i had livestock nutrition and poultry science classes in college, and it convinced me that home made is HARD, and it will be more expensive too.
Mary

I don't know if you saw my response to 3KillerBees but the farm I found looks like their food is very fresh. They make it themselves. They suggested only purchasing one bag at a time. Do you think it would be better to get a traditional feed?

I don't need top of the line. I also don't want to feed them complete junk. I think I need to gravitate toward what is available close to me at an affordable price.

 

[3KillerBs]

You'll need to do your own price comparison, we are all different. Some places I've seen chicken feed are feed stores like Tractor Supply, a hardware store offered a very limited selection, sometimes you can find a farmer's cooperative. You might ask your local county extension office if they know of any close by. Sometimes they can be helpful.

Where I am, even Wal-Mart carries some small bags of chick feed and some cheap layer. I've bought the cheap layer a couple time in an emergency. It's not great feed, but it was fresh enough and available when I needed it right then.

18% conventional grower is $18.42

Good price!

I'm paying $19.50 for the 22% gamebird grower and putting up with the bacitracin because I can't budget the ~$24 for the 18% all-flock in the name brand.

I asked if I could purchase a few bags at a time but they suggested only buying a month at a time because it oxidizes once it's grounded.

That's great that they said this -- excellent ethics in retailing.

 

[GetFitWithKrista]

Agree. But you also want it reasonably fresh. It can be a balancing act. You especially do not want to store it too hot, it loses nutritional value. Some people put the feed in a freezer to keep it fresh. I keep it in a metal garbage can with a decent fitting lid in a shady well-ventilated shed. The metal garbage cans stops mice from chewing through and raccoons, possums, skunks, and such from getting in it.

You'll need to do your own price comparison, we are all different. Some places I've seen chicken feed are feed stores like Tractor Supply, a hardware store offered a very limited selection, sometimes you can find a farmer's cooperative. You might ask your local county extension office if they know of any close by. Sometimes they can be helpful.


Totally agree here.

Thanks for your thoughts on the matter. I'll have to do some research.

 

[3KillerBs]

If this is a feed with the components identifiable then it will be best fed either fermented or, at least, as a wet mash do that the chickens can't pick out their favorite treat portions and leave the other stuff (and the vitamin mix powder), in the bottom of the feeder.

Many people find benefits in fermenting feed. I don't consider it worthwhile *personally* while feeding crumble or pellets, but I'd do it if I were using a whole-grain type feed.