Is high quality feed worth the money?

[Verbon30]

I looked on the kalmbach website and found and found 1 store local selling it for $18. I been ordering it from chewy.com. I started ordering it online because my local feed store feed quality was limited and low quality the chick starter was like dust.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I pay $14 for a 50# bag which is likely fresher, and is much higher protein (24%). It is not full of buzz words and feel good ingredients. What it is full of is grains, legumes, nuts/seeds, and a few other things which, when combined and crushed into crumbles, makes a nutritionally complete feed for my birds. Its so high protein, in fact, i thin it out with an $11 bag of "layer" feed from the same mill, and an end product at 20% protein. Makes for a feed that's ultimately higher in calcium than is good for my Roos (about 2.3-2.5%), but most won't make it past 20 weeks, and none make it past 20 months. That's a risk I will take at $0.25/lb with my flock.

 

[DickMidnight]

I pay $35 dollars for 50 lbs.

dear god i hope they had the decency to take you out to a nice dinner first.

 

[Verbon30]

I love my silkies. Its taken me 6 years to build my flock it's so hard to find good quality Bearded silkie breeding stalk. Most are bearded/ non bearded crosses. I do what I have to keep them healthy. I could tell just by there feathers that it's was good feed. I also like they have higher protein layer feed. I'm just glad I found it cheaper.

 

[ChookieG]

I love my silkies. Its taken me 6 years to build my flock it's so hard to find good quality Bearded silkie breeding stalk. Most are bearded/ non bearded crosses. I do what I have to keep them healthy. I could tell just by there feathers that it's was good feed. I also like they have higher protein layer feed. I'm just glad I found it cheaper.

You don't need to pay so much to keep them healthy. Consider lacto-fermenting some of your feed and replace 50% of their feed with that. That's a very economical and more sensible way of spending your money I reckon. You may wanna incorporate some diatomaceous earth (DE) in their diet once a week. I noticed it gives them very shiny bright eyes. Also start feeding them wild greens (10-15% of their diet) if you haven't already done so.

 

[avjudge]

I looked on the kalmbach website and found and found 1 store local selling it for $18. I been ordering it from chewy.com. I started ordering it online because my local feed store feed quality was limited and low quality the chick starter was like dust.

It's expensive (and getting more so) to send heavy items like feed through the mail, and since Chewy has "free shipping" above $50 they need to get enough money to cover that shipping somehow!

For something heavy and bulky but relatively cheap like feed, it makes sense to get it locally if it's available. I'm glad you found a local supplier.

Still, I'm surprised Chewy charges so much more for your chicken feed. I was getting alfalfa pellets from them a couple of years ago and was amazed they could ship it for the same price that Tractor Supply charged (which makes me wonder about TSC's markup). I am still getting my pigeon feed from them because I can't find a local source, and the price seems pretty reasonable.

 

[Folly's place]

I buy Purina's Flock raiser at our local TSC's for $19.49 per 50 pounds, with fresh mill dates, and then get oyster shell in the 50 pound bags too.
Shipped feed from Chewie or Amazon will cost way more, and there's no way to see mill dates first.
We don't have a local mill here any more, so that's not an option. When one was operating, their feed was not at all better, only cheaper.
I compare labels, and mill dates, and this is what's best for me here.
Mary

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

In my opinion yes it is worth it. However prices for feed here are stupid expensive and the difference between not very good and very good isn't that much. Cheap farm store feed costs about $25 for 20kg (roughly 50lb sack equivalent) and the feed I buy from a family run mill using local grain in small batch runs (so it's fresh, my flock won't even eat the farm store feed) is $32 for 20kg. I'd rather spend $7 extra the quality difference is massive. You guys in the States seem to have a lot more price point options though.

 

[Verbon30]

In my opinion yes it is worth it. However prices for feed here are stupid expensive and the difference between not very good and very good isn't that much. Cheap farm store feed costs about $25 for 20kg (roughly 50lb sack equivalent) and the feed I buy from a family run mill using local grain in small batch runs (so it's fresh, my flock won't even eat the farm store feed) is $32 for 20kg. I'd rather spend $7 extra the quality difference is massive. You guys in the States seem to have a lot more price point options though.

Yes if care for your pets you give them the best food you can afford. I breed some of cutest little fluffy silkies. Poor diet in hens can lead to birth defects and poor diet in chicks can lead to other problems. I have many return customers that drive 3 hrs one way to get my silkies because they know they will get healthy good Quality chicks. Sure would like try some of money saving ticks like making my own feed but if I get it wrong my chickens will suffer from mistakes. I know the feed I buy has all they need.

 

[MadamContrary]

Quality feed is more about ingredients than price. I save a lot of money by sprouting whole grains, growing fodder, and growing soldier fly and mealworms, as well as letting my birds free range. I buy commercial meat bird feed from Nutrena (22% protein, it's high but since they eat a lot of other stuff that number is mostly a target for my quail) and keep the feeders stocked and provide oyster shell free choice. I spend about $45 a month to feed 4 silkies, 8 standard hens, and about 50 quail. It takes more work, but I guess I pay with my time instead of money.