Official BYC Poll: What Factors Affect Your Chicken Feed Buying Decisions?

[rosemarythyme]

Why not save some bags and get the bigger ones and split it up to make it easier to move?

I don't know fishygirl25's situation and probably depends on the set up but like I can't get 50 lb bags out of my trunk in the first place, to make them easier to move. I would have to open the bag inside the trunk and scoop out about 30% of the feed to even get the bag on the ground. Which is doable I suppose, but a little time consuming and risks some spillage/mess.

Like my mother in law who lives alone opts to order dog food from Chewy simply because the delivery guy puts it right at her mud room door, and she can drag it in those few feet. She knows she's paying for convenience.

 

[Sally PB]

I buy organic (which is also by definition non-GMO), and I wanted a 20% all flock feed. The only brand I found was Kalmbach.

My "other" is that it has to be something I can get regularly, and be close enough to go pick it up. Even if an online source will ship it for free, there are times in the winter when UPS can not get back to my house.

 

[SueT]

For me, the weight is the most important factor. There are a lot of feeds in 50 lb. bags but that is much too heavy for me to try and lift. I usually pay more for 10 lb. bags or sometimes 25 lb. bags.

When I have to do it alone, I get someone at the store to load it in my car. At home, I bring out 2 five gallon buckets to the car. I open the bag while it is still in the car, and using a scoop, carefully put 1/3 of it in each bucket, leaving 1/3 in the bag. I then have 3 manageable containers each holding a little over 16 lbs, to carry inside.

 

[SueT]

An important factor for me is that my chickens like it. They like Purina Flock Raiser more than anything else I’ve tried. Perhaps because it’s higher in protein. They don’t spill it and they don’t waste it.
Also I check the mill date on the bag and make sure it’s fresh. Sometimes they don’t rotate their stock and the new stuff is on top. But there are times I have asked an employee to get me a bag from the bottom of the stack as those are fresher.
I have other stores I can go to if all they have is 2 months or more old.

 

[PetitePlume]

Local

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I chose "protein" and "other." The "other" being availability. I like giving my hens an 18% protein feed if I can, it keeps them in good condition and they like it. Some may say this is too high, but my hens get a LOT of forage so the pellets or crumble (whichever is available) is not their only feed throughout the day. Right now we are getting 12 to 16 eggs a day from our 20 layers. Production has not dropped off at all due to heat, so what we are doing is certainly working.

 

[RubyLady]

We switched from layer pellets and scratch to some fermented wheat, sunflower seeds, millet and scratch mix I made and free-ranging half the day after they've laid their eggs. I would rather have bought organic and will from now on, but cost was king this time. Our costs have gone from about 50 cents a day to 10 cents a day and they are laying fine and seem happy. I give them other treats such as fish or yogurt, fruit, watermelon like crazy when temps were in the high 90s. But it's either fallen fruit or frozen from earlier in the summer or a bit of what we're eating, and I make my own organic yogurt all the time. Eventually, we'll cut out bought feed to a bit of scratch a day and fodder in the winter and let them forage more. It's just me and my husband and we just need them for the food. So now they cost us half of what store-bought organic eggs used to per month. Yay!

 

[docdubz]

My biggest thing for feed is if I can get it reliably. When I first started I went with brands that wound up being sold out a lot and needing to switch every other trip to the feed store. And every time I had to switch feed health problems followed shortly after.

 

[sweaterthebroodyrooster]

One of the biggest things for me is trying to get local feed with out breaking my budget.

 

[3KillerBs]

And every time I had to switch feed health problems followed shortly after.

What kind of health problems?

I've never worried about what brand I was buying and have never had any issues switching from one to another.