How to feed my chickens on a budget? Issues with roosters?

[Folly's place]

Discounted gift cards would be wonderful. I watch the ads, and sometimes Flock Raiser is on sale around here, and sometimes it's even fresh!
Mary

 

[Shezadandy]

Just don't buy feed that will sit around and get old! It needs to be fresh, used within two months or so of the mill date, and stored safely.
Old and nasty won't save money!
Mary

Very true. Always check the mill date before they load and don't be afraid to refuse old bags. The best case scenario is finding the store with high turnover in your preferred feed.

 

[shawes]

Have you considered fermenting? It almost doubles in size (so you are doubling your feed) and the protein is more easily accessed by their bodies. My girls love fermented feed.

And I agree. Lose some roos.

 

[Luciahrose]

Do any of you feed organic? My feed costs are very high because I need to use organic feed and my starter/ growth feed is about $40 for 50 lbs. layer is actually cheaper because I can get it from Costco but my flock is currently mixed ages and not separated. I have 12 babies and youngsters and 14 pullets. Long to bring down my costs

 

[Folly's place]

Organic feeds will be more expensive. Have you shopped around for the best prices and mill dates? Sales or coupons?
I don't feed them organic because of the extra expense. We don't only eat organic ourselves, so having our birds fed that way doesn't make sense to me.
Mary

 

[Double Yolked]

When I first started with my flock I used one of the standard plastic 2 gal feeders you can buy at any feed store. I was going through feed like a house a fire. Took a while before I realized I wasn't feeding the hens, I was feeding the hens, plus the wild doves, plus the rats, plus the possum, plus the raccoons. Since then I've experimented with many styles of DIY feeders and finally settled on one made from a 5 gal bucket and several pvc elbows. I use a simple heavy plastic cup in each elbow to block it at night so pests can't get in. My feed bill dropped by half.
Mines a round bucket but I don't have a good photo of it handy, this square one is build pretty much like mine. Your feed bill problems should at least to some extent be helped and it's actually very easy to make these. You can find any number of designs with instructions on the net. Look for them on Youtube under no waste chicken feeders

 

[Lori J]

First of all I would skip the corn. If you’re feeding them feed from the store of then Corn really serves no other purpose other than being an expensive treat in that case. However, If you feel like corn is cheaper than maybe that would be a good way to extend your food and save money then do that though. Flock raiser or something like that should be about the same price as the layer feed that you’ve been feeding them. You can offer oyster shell separately. It might be difficult to keep the roosters from eating layer feed if you try to separate them. Free range roosters will be getting food from other sources that will help. I had the problem that my pullets were eating the layer pellets in my laying hens were eating the flock raiser! Very frustrating but they are free range so there was not much I could do. What you’re describing sounds way too much to pay for feed anyway just letting you know.
Maybe overthinking it.

I now have 23 chickens..13 being chicks(10 weeks old)...5 being roosters...the rest are hens...Up until now I've been getting cracked corn feed/laying mash for the adult chickens..chick starter for the babies...however recently I was told that since the roosters eat with the hens(I keep their food in a no-waste feeder..even though they still scratch it out onto the ground)...that the roosters would eventually have health issues because they would be eating the laying mash as well. I tend to mix my laying mash and corn equally...So i thought about just taking layer out all together but was then told that the corn feed wasn't good for them. So I'm not sure what to do now..i started off spending 20 dollars per month on food for 3-10 chickens...now I'm going at about 60 dollars a month for the food...300 lbs of food a month...with the new food that I've been told i should buy them its going to be double the price..I just can't really afford 120 dollars per month for 300 lbs of food for the chickens...I give them things like grass..watermelon etc Any help?

I now have 23 chickens..13 being chicks(10 weeks old)...5 being roosters...the rest are hens...Up until now I've been getting cracked corn feed/laying mash for the adult chickens..chick starter for the babies...however recently I was told that since the roosters eat with the hens(I keep their food in a no-waste feeder..even though they still scratch it out onto the ground)...that the roosters would eventually have health issues because they would be eating the laying mash as well. I tend to mix my laying mash and corn equally...So i thought about just taking layer out all together but was then told that the corn feed wasn't good for them. So I'm not sure what to do now..i started off spending 20 dollars per month on food for 3-10 chickens...now I'm going at about 60 dollars a month for the food...300 lbs of food a month...with the new food that I've been told i should buy them its going to be double the price..I just can't really afford 120 dollars per month for 300 lbs of food for the chickens...I give them things like grass..watermelon etc Any help?

 

[Shezadandy]

Also only putting out a pre-set amount in the run per day can help. I keep a big 40lb feeder in the coop which is of course secured at night, and have various feed containers throughout the run, so I only distribute what they'll finish that day to multiple spots in the run, and plenty in the coop if I miss the mark a little.

Edited to add: Once my flock got bigger, I found we had significantly less wasted. The head hens pick through for all the corn bits they can find, then the lower hens gratefully sneak in right behind them for whatever they kick out of the feeder, then the teenagers dart in for theirs, and the grade school chicks behind them.

 

[Phage]

Just reading your other posts/threads and it looks like you have vermin (rats or such) getting in the coop. This may be why you are getting through so much feed.
I use a step on feeder and pelleted feed - that means no waste.

 

[NatJ]

Have you considered fermenting? It almost doubles in size (so you are doubling your feed)

Logic fail. Getting feed wet does not increase the protein, calories, vitamins, minerals, etc.

For whether fermenting makes your hens need less feed by making nutrients more available, here's a quote from an earlier poster:

I did ONLY FF for at least 2 years... I experienced ZERO savings and ZERO increase in health. I spent a LOT of time fermenting for 82 birds after reading it would save me 30% which meant in THEORY I could feed 30% more birds.

What many folks fail to realize is that when you ferment the feed you are changing the formulation and the bacteria are in fact consuming your carbs.