How to save money on chicken feed?

[Scooter&Suzie]

Why is it costing you so much? How much are you buying at a time? How many and how old are your chickens?

I just checked my math as I went from buying 50ld bags of Purina layer to local grain company's layer in 100lb bags. The cost of producing an egg for me went from .15 cents to just under .10 cents per egg. I was paying $15.50 for a 50 lb bag of Purina and now buy 100lb bags of Ventura layer for $22.32.

So for a dozen eggs is $1.20 plus the box @.22 is $1.44 cost total.

I am buying 50 pounds at a time for $15 dollars. I have 4 layers w/ one silkie which will be 1 year old at the end of June. of 2012. Sounds like I need to find a place where I can buy 100 pounds of feed at a time. I'll ask my TSC and see if they ever sell larger quanities and check around a bit.

 

[Davaroo]

I am buying 50 pounds at a time for $15 dollars. I have 4 layers w/ one silkie which will be 1 year old at the end of June. of 2012. Sounds like I need to find a place where I can buy 100 pounds of feed at a time. I'll ask my TSC and see if they ever sell larger quanities and check around a bit.

Look for local mills. TSC is retail, of course. Find out where the "real" farmers buy feed.

 

[duckinnut]

With 4 layers and a broody banty you should only being through a pound of food or so a day which would be about 45/50 days of food from a bag. I was just running your numbers,do you only get one egg a day? One egg a day for 45 days into $15 bag of food is .33 cents per egg equals $4 a dozen. I am thinking creatures other than chickens might be helping themselves to the feed.

 

[Cindy in PA]

Don't know if you are in SE PA, but there are several places in Berks County & many more in Lancaster & Chester County to get cheaper local feed.

The best price I can find is $15 per 50 pounds at TSC. I buy the Dumor feed. I cannot find a better price where I live. Maybe I should try looking around at all the other possible stores. I'll make some calls on Monday, I guess. I live in Pennsylvania, and I don't know of any locally milled feed around here. I was thinking, could I get together some of my friends who have chickens and together buy some feed in bulk in order to save money? I just have a few back yard hens (4 layers, and 1 bantam with 8 eggs under her). Although, I would like to get 3 more layers and a couple more bantams. I just can't do it yet with feed costing so much :/

 

[Davaroo]

With 4 layers and a broody banty you should only being through a pound of food or so a day which would be about 45/50 days of food from a bag. I was just running your numbers,do you only get one egg a day? One egg a day for 45 days into $15 bag of food is .33 cents per egg equals $4 a dozen. I am thinking creatures other than chickens might be helping themselves to the feed.

Thanks for doing the math, duckinnut. I was thinking along the same lines, too.

 

[n8mont4]

It sounds like a good price because it reproduces so quickly. Just let it multiply to a larger number before you start feeding it to the chickens. I dont know if chickens can eat snails, you might have to google that one.
-Put the duckweed in a seperate container as your fish because the fish will eat it. I grow duckweed and everyday I give some to my chickens and some to my fish. Both eat it up very quickly. If you put 1/4 cup in your fish tank it will be gone in a few minutes.

 

[Scooter&Suzie]

Hmmm.... Maybe I did something wrong there. I read in a chicken book that every 3.5 pounds of food a chicken takes in it produces 1 dozen eggs. So when I did the math on how much I was paying, I got $4.29. Do they not need 3.5 pounds to make a dozen eggs then?

 

[duckinnut]

Hmmm.... Maybe I did something wrong there. I read in a chicken book that every 3.5 pounds of food a chicken takes in it produces 1 dozen eggs. So when I did the math on how much I was paying, I got $4.29. Do they not need 3.5 pounds to make a dozen eggs then?

You have to go by the numbers you get not by some book. Take the number of eggs per week(4 hens @ 5eggs each =20), a bag of food should last at least 6 weeks with 4 layers and a broody. (20 eggs a wk times 6 wks =120 or 10 dz) $15 for food divided by 10 dz should be $1.50 dz. Those numbers put you at about .12/.13 cents per egg. These numbers are moveable I am going just on what would be average.

 

[Scooter&Suzie]

You have to go by the numbers you get not by some book. Take the number of eggs per week(4 hens @ 5eggs each =20), a bag of food should last at least 6 weeks with 4 layers and a broody. (20 eggs a wk times 6 wks =120 or 10 dz) $15 for food divided by 10 dz should be $1.50 dz. Those numbers put you at about .12/.13 cents per egg. These numbers are moveable I am going just on what would be average.

Oh wow, thanks so much!

 

[Davaroo]

Oh wow, thanks so much!

Well done!