Locating BOSS that won't break the bank

[kuntrygirl]

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So, we should be getting unshelled. Do they sell that at any store (Wal Mart, TSC, etc.)? How much is a 50lb bag of unshelled sunflower seeds?

 

[Mac in Wisco]

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I've grown them before, inadvertently. My wife had a long flower bed around a circular drive in front of our house when we lived in Texas. I dug out the bottom of the chicken pen after a few years of running chickens in there and used it to top dress the flower beds. The problem was that the material I dug out of the pen was loaded with old sunflower seeds, just generic BOSS that I was buying at the feed store. They sprouted, so I let them grow. We had hundreds of plants that grew 5 or 6 feet tall. At the end of the season I cut the heads, spread them out on the back porch to dry, and then filled several large plastic totes with them. I'd throw the heads to our hens and let them clean out the seeds.

 

[perchie.girl]

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So, we should be getting unshelled. Do they sell that at any store (Wal Mart, TSC, etc.)? How much is a 50lb bag of unshelled sunflower seeds?

Unless you are buying for human consumption, Dont buy at Wal Mart. Their sunflower seeds have insecticide in them. So does their Wild bird seed. Any retail store is suspect. They buy in bulk and a feedthrough insecticide is adde to keep bugs out of the feed. I was feeding it to my horse and she started looking off. Horses have a cecum too and are dependant on biotics to digest their hay just as Chickens do. I had to treat my horses digestive system with ProBiotics to get her digestion back to where it should be and I was only feeding a cup to her occasionally as a treat. She weights 2000 lbs. I cant imagine what it would do to a chicken.

 

[perchie.girl]

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So, we should be getting unshelled. Do they sell that at any store (Wal Mart, TSC, etc.)? How much is a 50lb bag of unshelled sunflower seeds?

You can buy a fifty lb bag at Henrys or any healthfood store, it has to be ordered. But the shelled seeds have a shorter life span. Unless your consumption rate uses them up say in two or three weeks they would go rancid Unless you could refrigerate them.

If you take a look at Black oil Sunflower seeds they have a thinner shell than regular sunflower seeds. As long as you include grit in their diet Chickens are quite capable of digesting them. Id also include smaller pebbly stones in their grit about the size of a lentles. If you free range your chickens they will pick those up on thier own.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I have been feeding BOSS for a while now and they love it. I have not had any problems. They free range every day ALL day long, so they pick up the extra grit. They go through 40lb of BOSS in about 2 weeks. I have over 100 chickens, so it' doesn't last too long. I mix a bit up with their regular feed.

I just wish that it was cheaper.

 

[perchie.girl]

As BOSS gets more and more like a staple for all sorts of critters from Horses to goats to chickens there will be more and more demand for it the price may go down. But I believe the majority of BOSS is used for Sunflower seed oil. Too bad we cant find the companies that press for oil and get their leftovers from that process. Its probably already used for feed somewhere. Hmmm..... I sense a research project ahead of me....

BTW Sunflower seeds while loaded with protien are also loaded with oil which is a good source of energy believe it or not. It just takes longer to convert it to energy than converting sugars. Thats why its sooo good for horses. Especially drafts who cant process sugars or carbohydrates as well as Light horses. (why I know a bunch about this subject)

 

[bizet912]

It is on sale at Murdoch's for $18.99 for 50 pounds right now if any of you have Murdoch's around!

 

[perchie.girl]

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No Murdoch's OR Tractor Supply here in Sunny San Diego

 

[vickircafe]

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It should grow great. I buy mine at the feed store. I sprout mine for the girls and it sprouts in 2 days. By 5 days it has long roots and sprout opens at the top.

 

[Sparhawk]

The local grain store is closing, so I had to go and look for another source. Luckily, another is opening back up just a few miles away. Picked up 40 lbs for $17 as well as other feed. Prices are good and they are a wealth of knowledge about birds. We are looking into meat chickens and turkeys, but that's another thread