How much feed do you buy at a time?

[Ratchnick]

The duck book says .3 lbs/day for a runner up to .6 lbs/day for heavy weight duck. If they free range it will be less but you can use these numbers to estimate.

Metal trashcan is a good plan. I bought about 2 years worth of feed at once. (It was dirt cheap at the time)

 

[Stoney Meadow Maple]

I used to buy just 100 lbs at a time, but the closest retailer of the Kalmbach feed I use used to run out for a week or so at a time, forcing me to have to switch back to Purina until they restocked, which isn’t good for the birds. So now, I will buy between 200-250 lbs and keep a check on the availability of the feed at the store so I can buy more before I run out, usually at about 100 lbs. I’m just paranoid now of running out.

I keep the bags of feed, unopened, inside my house and fill two TSC buckets with one bag (each holds 25 lbs) and keep those buckets up at my coops. I have 38 chickens and 5 ducks.

I feel your pain, i had been getting it no problem, then suddenly they were always sold out and would only get a couple bags every couple weeks. I have switched to a much more reliable, feed store but it is inconveniently far away. It is a bad feeling when we cant get the feed for them we need.

 

[D0PEY]

I feel the same way about freshness I keep my kids food in my 30ft closet and seal it after every use. I keep their brewer's yeast and addition probiotic supplement powder all together in one area. I also breed mealworms and have a large colony of beetles that I store in a storage container on the opposite side of the closet. Luckily I live about 5 mins away from TSC so I just get one 50 lb baggie at a time, and it last for quite awhile. I spoil the kids with fresh cut veggies like kale, spring mix, also grow foraging rye grass, brassica, lettuce, and clovers throughout my kids enclosure. My babies also have access to unlimited feed. Happy kids equal happy me

 

[21hens-incharge]

The duck book says .3 lbs/day for a runner up to .6 lbs/day for heavy weight duck. If they free range it will be less but you can use these numbers to estimate.

Metal trashcan is a good plan. I bought about 2 years worth of feed at once. (It was dirt cheap at the time)

Nutrients degrade over time. Feed should be used within 6 months of the mill date to avoid malnutrition.

That said, I have 7 ducks and 19 chickens all eating the same feed. I go through around 3-4 of the 50# bags a month.
My ducks DEFINITELY eat a lot more than my laying hens.

 

[MissE]

I buy 200 lbs at a time. I have three metal garbage cans that hold 100 each. When I crack into the last can, I fill the other two. Gives me just over two months of feed when all are full.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I have metal cans as well, big enough to hold 3 bags without opening them if you're careful about putting them in. I have little reusable silica packets in them in case of rapid temperature changes. We buy enough for 2-3 months at a time because our TSC is so far away. That usually looks like 8 bags between the chickens and rabbits.

 

[Ratchnick]

Nutrients degrade over time. Feed should be used within 6 months of the mill date to avoid malnutrition.

That said, I have 7 ducks and 19 chickens all eating the same feed. I go through around 3-4 of the 50# bags a month.
My ducks DEFINITELY eat a lot more than my laying hens.

The date on the bag says your wrong. Dont know what to say.

 

[21hens-incharge]

The date on the bag says your wrong. Dont know what to say.

The only dates I see on feed is the mill date. Does your bag have more than one date?

 

[21hens-incharge]

A few links about shelf life of chicken feed.

https://www.nutrenaworld.com/poultry-feed-faqs

https://backyardpoultry.iamcountryside.com/feed-health/how-to-avoid-chicken-feed-storage-mistakes/

This thread has a Purina representative responding and contains important information about HOW feed is stored and the shelf life.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/what-is-the-shelf-life-of-purina-products.936605/

 

[Ratchnick]

The only dates I see on feed is the mill date. Does your bag have more than one date?

It literally says "best before" and gives a date. I wouldn't throw out a bag of flour or cornmeal because its a year old. I dont see why properly stored feed is different. I store my feed in my house. Most people seem to store it outside unheated, in the humidity ect. In that case maybe it will spoil in 6 months but i have never had an issue.