Is high quality feed worth the money?

[Pghelp]

I buy my feed in Petaluma from a grain company which has been operating for years. Petaluma CA is the original chicken capital of the country and the whole town is chicken themed. High quality feed at low prices supplemented by veggie compost from me and my neighbors - you can’t beat that.

Swimmy44, may I ask which company you use in Petaluma? I’m in Solano county in the Bay Area and I’m wondering if it’s sold anywhere near me.

 

[BigTex19]

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.

I was thinking about fermenting my flocks feed that I get from Tractor Supply to save money on feed, and keep my birds healthier. I have a mixed flock of 5 Pekin Ducks, and 20 chickens which consist of eggers, and dual purpose birds. It is a split pen and I have 5 ducks by themselves in the back run. I am quickly approaching my second year anniversary of making an excellent decision in becoming a chicken and duck home. Do you think fermentation of their feed with a flock this size would keep them healthy and save money. Feed is getting expensive as you all know. I love getting advice from the backyard chicken community. I want to keep my birds healthy and strong. Thanks ahead of time! Happy New Year to all!!!!

 

[bertogomus]

It’s the same with them as us. You are what you eat. My neighbor used to give me eggs, knew nothing about chickens, but knew when I cracked them, almost all watery whites and the yolks were pale! I wouldn’t even eat them. Cheap food and dirty water. My girls get the best I can afford, I buy most of my food at Natural Grocers and ask for the trimmings.
They get a lot of good greens and such. I’ve started cooking them oatmeal in the mornings which I add pulverized egg shells to it. The dried mealWorms have completely restored the feathers they didn’t have when I bought them. Ok, so they get pampered. And I’m getting 6
Eggs a day from 8 girls. Golden yolks. I want to make my own feed, but got a lot going on building a greenhouse!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I was thinking about fermenting my flocks feed that I get from Tractor Supply to save money on feed, and keep my birds healthier. I have a mixed flock of 5 Pekin Ducks, and 20 chickens which consist of eggers, and dual purpose birds. It is a split pen and I have 5 ducks by themselves in the back run. I am quickly approaching my second year anniversary of making an excellent decision in becoming a chicken and duck home. Do you think fermentation of their feed with a flock this size would keep them healthy and save money. Feed is getting expensive as you all know. I love getting advice from the backyard chicken community. I want to keep my birds healthy and strong. Thanks ahead of time! Happy New Year to all!!!!

Fermenting feed is said to make nutrients more available, and like serving wet mash, it helps reduce waste from scattered feed. The big savings in feed costs, however, never materialized for me - maybe 5-10% (and closer to 5%)? I was underwhelmed. Other posters report better experiences.

I should say, I do feed wet mash routinely, AND my bird free range. Either could be factors in the lack of comparative savings. Or not.

 

[Garry A]

I have 2 feeds available , one a very well known and very popular quality feed available from the local farm supplies store. In the next town there is a poultry breeder who mixes his own feeds, I note two things, one my hens prefer his feed and they seem to be satisfied with a lesser quantity which sort of balances the cost difference. Perhaps quality does pay?

 

[3KillerBs]

I have 2 feeds available , one a very well known and very popular quality feed available from the local farm supplies store. In the next town there is a poultry breeder who mixes his own feeds, I note two things, one my hens prefer his feed and they seem to be satisfied with a lesser quantity which sort of balances the cost difference. Perhaps quality does pay?

While the plural of anecdote is not data, I have to say that when I bought an emergency bag of cheap layer feed from Wal-Mart they went through it a couple days faster than they eat their usual feed.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

While the plural of anecdote is not data

I love this expression. I’m so using that!

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I have 2 feeds available , one a very well known and very popular quality feed available from the local farm supplies store. In the next town there is a poultry breeder who mixes his own feeds, I note two things, one my hens prefer his feed and they seem to be satisfied with a lesser quantity which sort of balances the cost difference. Perhaps quality does pay?

They could be reacting to the quality, but maybe also the freshness. Or both.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Without seeing the guaranteed nutritional analysis, I can't join you in agreeing that it's "quality". Give me a recipe, not just an ingredients list, and I might have more comfort with it. Though some ingredients lists are obviously deficient on their face.

Name names, man. No one benefits from anonymous comments about nameless feeds. That's how we as individuals learn, and BYC as a collective grows its knowledge base.

and yes, entirely possible faceless farmer's feed is both more nutrient and more energy dense, potentially making it cheaper on a cost per serving basis than the cost per bag suggests. Normally, that's a benefit, but not if you are trying to raise certain butterballs as breeders...

 

[Brooks_]

While the plural of anecdote is not data, I have to say that when I bought an emergency bag of cheap layer feed from Wal-Mart they went through it a couple days faster than they eat their usual feed.

It seemed to me that mine went through Purina start & grow a little faster than flock raiser. I attributed it a 2% protein reduction.