How to cut the cost of feeding chickens?

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

That is true. I may have misinterpreted the comment by thinking it was saying only feeding kitchen scraps

No worries...and to your point, if you were intending to feed 100% kitchen scraps, it'd be tough.

"Let's see, I need to have 16% protein at dinner, and leave equal amounts of everything on my plate..."

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

I have 58 adult birds free ranging. My farm is 40 acres but the chickens only utilize a couple of acres most of the time. I am in North Florida which means I can get freezes in the teens but generally the winters are mild and insect and plant life is never totally snuffed out.

My feed bill per month for the 58 is $32 from Tractor Supply, which I make back selling an order and a half of hatching eggs.

3.8lbs of food a day in the winter. 1/3 layer crumbles, 1/3 cracked corn, 1/3 all purpose sweet feed pellets.

 

[cpagego]

I have over thirty chickens and have been feeding them organic their entire lives. Organic is a little more expensive than regular, but for health, it is so much better for you. I used to buy organic pellets for my chickens at Tractor Supply, but then I found out that it was significantly cheaper and healthier to mix up your own feed and ferment it. Ever since then I have been making this recipe: https://thefewellhomestead.com/make-homemade-chicken-feed/ Our chickens love it! I hope this helps

This is great and thanks!

 

[ChookieG]

imo there needs to be a reason for having 60 chickens lol .. if you dont have a good reason, its just like owning 50 dogs .. you got to feed them and at some point 'cute' isnt a good enough justification .. thats said yeah a good free range system will cut costs depending on time of year, and thats assuming you have probably 5 acres to support that many foraging .. winter if your froze over nothing you can do, theres nothing to forage .. other than that you can promote growth of grass and tender shoots maybe spread out something cheap and easy to grow like alphalpha in a partial shaded corner and water it daily, again 60 chickens is alot and will require a larger operation than 6 .. instead of a 5lb bag and casting some seed by hand over a 30 ft area you need a spreader and a couple 50lb bags and tow it and instead of a single sprinkler your gonna need a system with several .. like that .. you want lots of chickens then figure it out lol ..

Totally agree! I bought 4 hens from a local hobby breeder. This was my first time so was inexperienced but should have noticed the warning signs. She was keeping 200 chickens and holding a full-time job! She said they were 1- 3 months to laying. The pullets were already 20 weeks old but only started laying when they were 25 - 26.. ..far far longer than usual. She said she fed them scratch grains. I'm not sure whether this was the only stuff she fed her young pullets. She also sold me a sick bird (sneezing & coughing) which infected the rest and now one is chronically sick. Right now at least one of them is sick at any given time. My point is if you have so many chickens and am already extremely committed or not have enough manpower to care for them you may not be providing the best for them.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I'm with others suggesting local mills, and pointing out that ever if you feed all organic, you can't advertise and sell them that way. I went from paying $16.50/40# at TSC for All Flock to paying $24/100# from the local mill, and I get more recent mill dates as well. If I bought 10 bags at a time, I could get it cheaper still, but my little flock (currently) can't eat it that fast, so I'm paying a small premium for freshness.

A BSF Composter to pump out protein treats is a great idea, but I found FL too hot for it to work. You may experience similar difficulties in AZ - be aware. The benefit of one is so great that I'm going to try again this spring, now that I've moved it to a cooler, more shaded spot.

and re "organic" and hormones - your local mill maybe adds stuff for medicated feeds - which will be all over the label - but I assure you, they aren't investing in extra equipment to add hormones, vitamins, or anything else to the feed. What they are doing is taking (largely) local grains by the truckload, mixing them together in some ratio, then dumping them into a big machine to grind them to powder.

For an extra fee, they put that powder in another machine and press it into pellets before bagging. Or you can mix your "crumble" with water to make an oatmeal like consistency, and get loss down like you were using pellets. Let it ferment a bit, with time and a bit more water, you can adjust the natural vitamin content slightly, and maybe have a bit less pasty butt in your hatchlings. Wet food will also help them with heat related stresses, or so I've found.

/edit and yes, mine free range too. They are free choice as hatchlings, and then in the grow out pen, but at 8-12 weeks when the layers join the flock? By that point, they free range all day, then come into the pen for the one and only meal I feed them each evening, so they are guaranteed to go to bed with full crops - and motivated like hell to forage all day. My birds eat about 4# dry weight of feed each day, and I buy 150# at a time, make my own 21% protein mix. Two bags of 24% game bird, plus one bag of 16% layer.

I'd forgotten about this old post. (someone "Like"d it, and brought it back to my attnetion earlier this evening)

Brief update. I no longer mix to 21 percent, as described above. A decision driven partly by price, and partly by observing my flock. 21% protein provded no discernable benefit for my adult layers. There may have been a measurable benefit, but I don't keep the sort of records I'd need to detect it - so we'll stick with what I noted. Nothing discernable.

I continue to free choice my hatchlings to 8-9 weeks before they join the adult flock and once daily feedings. But now the hatchlings are on straight 24% feed, no mix, to put on weight early and keep total calcium intake down to more reasonable numbers over their lifespan for the males.

The adult flock gets a blend of 24% feed and 16% layer 1:1, 2:3, 1:2 (based on pricing and pandemic availability) - ending up with a final protein number between 20 and 18%, respectively, with a final calcium average between 2.3 and 2.8%, plus free choice oyster shell, for those who want it. This was giving me the best mix of price, condition, and weight for the males that I was culling between 12 and 20 weeks.

I've had to change recently to a straight 18% protein, non-GMO, 1% calcium +/- feed plus free choice oyster (and am displeased with the results), but my main buyer wants my birds eating non-GMO, and is willing to pay the price differential. He's buying eggs, doesn't care that my males are smaller when culled for my table.

 

[biscuit7]

Even though this is an old thread I've enjoyed reading everyone's tips.

I'm very much interested in mixing my own feed and had never heard of the black fly composting. I just started soaking some beans tonight to see if I can sprout them. And earlier tonight I was picking bugs out of the grills of our cars (I've seen the chickens do it themselves but they can't reach everything). Im getting desperate over here!

I have a flock of about 40 chickens, mixed ages (from 4 weeks to 4 years) and at least a handful of cockerels/roosters. My egg supply has been terrible the last few months. I dont remember it ever being this bad in summer months so I upped the feed. But man that gets expensive! Especially with nothing to show for it. Mine free range most of the day and have a variety of options (field, forest, yard, scraps). My husband will have to take care of our rooster overpopulation but I have never culled my flock due to age. I'd rather let the grandma hens die on their own. It's been almost 7 years and my initial flock of 6 chickens has 'chicken math-ed' into quite the community. Hatching chicks is fun but then they grow up and want to eat all the time!

Thanks for all the great ideas! If you have any others please send them my way so I don't have to pick up a part time job to pay for chicken food!

 

[NatJ]

My husband will have to take care of our rooster overpopulation... If you have any others please send them my way so I don't have to pick up a part time job to pay for chicken food!

Removing the roosters (and any other birds you are willing to part with) will be the fastest and most effective way to cut feed costs. And of course removing roosters will not reduce how many eggs you get

 

[MysteryChicken]

I have 74 birds total, if I'm including the youngsters.

I spend about $45 - $55 on feed for my birds, I sell eggs to make back some money to go back to feeding the birds with.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I have 74 birds total, if I'm including the youngsters.

I spend about $45 - $55 on feed for my birds, I sell eggs to make back some money to go back to feeding the birds with.

have to include the youngsters, they eat too! That's what's blowing up my feed budget ATM.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

It's been almost 7 years and my initial flock of 6 chickens has 'chicken math-ed' into quite the community. Hatching chicks is fun but then they grow up and want to eat all the time!

Glad to hear I’m not the only (happy) victim of chicken math! We started with 6 chickens about 8 years ago…and now have about 65 laying hens.

Well, 65 plus the momma hen and dozen chicks someone delivered yesterday. They were looking for a good home for them and heard through the grapevine about this crazy chicken guy…