For those of you that buy feed in bulk for your broilers/turkeys...

[phoenixmama]

So, now that I have a realistic idea of how much feed we use for our broiler and turkey flocks, we've decided that buying feed in bulk is how we will proceed...as it is becoming cost prohibitive to buy it by 50 lb. sacks.

What are the logistics of this? Is it worth it to have it shipped in if there isn't a local feed mill? When the feed is in such huge sacks, how do you best fill feeders and move it around? I'd appreciate any information or advice you can offer. Thanks!

 

[LarryPQ]

There is a feed mill in town, but you have to buy it in 300 pound increments. Basically, you back up your truck...

If you send me a PM, it will remind me to call the guy who told me this.

 

[phoenixmama]

PM'd you Laree!

 

[scubaforlife]

Most feed mills will sack up a 300 or 500 minimum into 80lbs sacks. I ask for "small sacks" and get 7 bags totaling 500lbs.

My bill for 500lbs is like $92.

50 lbs is 11, so I am saving a good amount of money over the season.

 

[Bossroo]

I buy chicken feed as well as horse feed in bulk. I took my used paper sacks back 3-7 times for a refill or untill they wore out from the restitching. Then the laws were changed so I couldn't reuse the sacks. My feed mill charges $0.25 per sack. Since they don't have to weigh the feed for each sack, they just fill them to capacity for up to 80 pounds untill the 500lbs of chicken feed or 1000lbs for horse feed is reached depending what I baught.

 

[Buster52]

Mine also sacks. 50# bags. I get about 1,000# for around $74 to $87 depending on the mix.

 

[helloroe]

Our feed mill will put it in anything I want to bring it home in. I usually reuse sacks. My feedmill is about 13 miles away so to have a savings after the fuel I try to use my small car (Prizm)and use the sacks. My backing up to the dock between all the big trucks is always cute. They love my urban farm vehicle. But they always remember me.

When we are going to buy a large bulk due to having a group of meaties and my layers around I take the Envoy and storage totes. Those $3 totes from walmart I buy after a holiday when they are cheap. Then I can store the feed in those and buy 600 lbs at a time.

 

[phoenixmama]

Well, I'm feeling a little discouraged...the only feed mill I know of in the Phoenix area only does bulk sales to dairies.

 

[helloroe]

Check with other local farmers and even your school FFA program. That is how I found ours because they are not well advertised. Word of mouth from a horse farmer turned me on to them.