Old Fashioned Layer Mash Saves Money?

[Fred's Hens]

With prices getting higher and higher, I searched out an old fashioned grain elevator/feed and seed in a town 40 miles to the north. We were headed there for our monthly shopping trip anyhow. $10 for 50 lbs of old fashioned layer mash. I bought a hundred pounds, hoping the hens wouldn't balk at it.

Dry, almost powder, of course, but I dampened it with a bit of water making it sort of stiff and paste like. The hens loved it and chowed it down. It's another step of labor, rather than just scooping pellets, but for the price, I'm willing to do it. In reading the label, I was quite impressed with the ingredients. With feed costs being so high, you gotta do whatcha gotta do.

 

[gritsar]

Hmmm, I paid $10.40 for 50# of allway kernels (starter/grower/layer) day before yesterday and thought that was an okay price. It can be feed straight out of the bag. Add 20 cents a pound for the oyster shell I have to supplement with and still not that bad IMO.

What was expensive was the Black Rooster. It's right now $13.45 for 50#. It is a gamebird feed/conditioner that I use as a scratch. My chickens adore it and I'm very pleased with the results. They don't need it, but I can't help it. They're spoiled.

Fortunately the new feed store is only 15 minutes away.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Hey, Gritsar, that is a good price for your feed. Cannot match that up here. All the commercial stuff is now $14 a 50#. UGH!!!
For $8 savings a hundred pounds, I don't mind making the mash.

 

[gritsar]

Fred's Hens :

Hey, Gritsar, that is a good price for your feed. Cannot match that up here. All the commercial stuff is now $14 a 50#. UGH!!!
For $8 savings a hundred pounds, I don't mind making the mash.

I wouldn't either! And I know for a fact that my girls love mash because I once long ago accidently bought "scratch". When you ask for "scratch" around here what they are going to give you is fine ground corn. Useless for anything really except mixing with warm water to make a mash . Nice full crops to go to a cold roost on.

The reason I say I am very pleased with this Black Rooster stuff - while we gone on vacation recently my DSD combined two mistakes to send my older hens into a forced molt. They looked so bad when we got home I wanted to cry. I thought it would be forever until the brahma girls started laying again. I've been laying the black rooster on heavy. They've been in the molt a total of about three weeks now. Production is now going back up. Their new feathers are growing in beautiful. It's gotta be the BR. I'm happy