ORGANIC CHICKEN FEED

[werblessd1s]

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP. COUNTRY SIDE NATURAL HAS A GREAT SUPPLY OF ORGANIC FEED.

 

[Jsto]

I asked for a quote for them a bit ago, here's what I got:

Certified Organic Animal Feeds Size Quantity Price Quantity Price Quantity Price
ORGANIC POULTRY BROILER FEED 50 lb bag 1-19 $17.65 20-39 $17.45 40+ $17.25
ORGANIC POULTRY STARTER FEED 50 lb bag 1-19 $17.65 20-39 $17.45 40+ $17.25
ORGANIC POULTRY LAYER FEED 50 lb bag 1-19 $16.25 20-39 $15.90 40+ $15.60
ORGANIC SCRATCH FEED 50 lb bag 1-19 $14.45 20-39 $14.30 40+ $14.15
ORGANIC GOAT FEED 50 lb bag 1-19 $16.80 20-39 $16.45 40+ $16.10
ORGANIC SHEEP FEED 50 lb bag 1-19 $16.00 20-39 $15.85 40+ $15.70
ORGANIC SWINE FEED 50 lb bag 1-19 $16.10 20-39 $15.80 40+ $15.50
ORGANIC CATTLE FEED 50 lb bag 1-19 $16.90 20-39 $16.55 40+ $16.30
ORGANIC CALF FEED 50 lb bag 1-19 $16.00 20-39 $15.85 40+ $15.70
ORGANIC LLAMA & ALPACA FEED 50 lb bag available by special order only - 1000 lb minimum ------------ $16.70
ORGANIC RABBIT PELLETS 50 lb bag 1-19 $19.00 20-39 $18.85 40+ $18.70
HORSE FEED (not certified organic) 50 lb bag 1-19 $17.00 20-39 $16.80 40+ $16.50
Certified Organic Grains Size Quantity Price
WHOLE ORGANIC CORN 50 lb bag $13.00
CRACKED ORGANIC CORN 50 lb bag $14.00
WHOLE ORGANIC OATS 50 lb bag $13.80
ORGANIC FLAXSEED 50 lb bag $24.00
WHOLE ORGANIC FIELD PEAS 50 lb bag $15.50
WHOLE ORGANIC WHEAT 50 lb bag $12.50

 

[barg]

Just an fyi here:
All caps is considered yelling in the internet world and many people will automaticly read it as such.
Just a friendly note

 

[4myHennyPenny]

Jsto,

FANTASTIC!

Thanks so much for posting the price list. I've been waiting to hear from them and decide whether or not to place an order, so you've made this a lot easier for me.

For those of you with very small flocks, would a 50# bag of the chick starter be too much for 3 to 4 chicks? Earlier posts recommended keeping feed as fresh as possible/not letting it sit around too long. Would I go through the 50# soon enough, or should I stick with Purina SunFresh in 25# or smaller?

Thanks for any advice you can offer!!!

 

[4myHennyPenny]

EEEKK! Just received my reply from Countryside on the cost of shipping to Colorado. Here it is:
50 lbs. - $32
100 lbs. - $64
200 lbs. - $108
500 lbs. - shipped on a pallet via trucking company at an LTL rate of
approximately $135
These prices are JUST shipping, don't include the price of the feed itself.

So, looks like I'll be using the unmedicated SunFresh Start & Grow and then switching to my own organic feed after that (cheaper to pick up the organic ingredients locally and make my own). Any other ideas out there?

 

[chickaboo7]

try

www.groworganic.com

I don't know what the shipping is .

 

[MTchick]

Azure Standard (azurestandard.com) is a supplier of Rogue Feeds. Members of wholesale co-ops can get organic feed from them for $15/ 50lbs of either starter or layer pellets. They are based out of Oregon and I believe they only have a Western market. If there is a co-op near you that orders from Azure, you can probably sweet talk them into buying you some feed. Shipping would be free. You just need to do the research.

I buy through my local co-op and have been very happy with their feed and price.

-MTchick

 

[4myHennyPenny]

Quote:
Thanks for the ideas, chickaboo7 and MTchick.

Logged onto Peaceful Valley's site (groworganic.com), and it looks like it would be just under $30 to ship. So that route's a bit more expensive than the others (the feed itself is about $14 than other organic feeds). Rest of the site looks interesting, though!

Shipping from Azure is a few dollars more than that. My co-op doesn't carry them (or any poultry feed). In fact, none of their suppliers offer poultry feed. The person in charge of ordering is at least willing to look at websites from companies I know offer the products. But unless they have a huge demand for it (and hence, can buy in bulk), I'm not sure it'll work. Worth a try, though.

Yesterday, I phoned a nearby organic farm which sells eggs to see if they might have some feed I can buy from them. Haven't heard back yet, but that might be my best option locally at this point.

Other than that, the least expensive option I've found is CFS (cfspecial.com). The feed is $12 for 50# and will cost me about $22 to ship via FedEx ground. I'll be following up with them today to find out more about their product (ingredients, etc).

I'm just extremely frustrated that I can't find anything locally. For heaven's sake, I live in Colorado!! Outside the Republic of Boulder!! Can you get more health conscious than that??!!!

Thanks again for your help.

 

[Jsto]

If you're having trouble finding what you want, you may consider mixing your own. There's some good info from 4hkidsandmom in this thread from when I asked her about it a while ago: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=4848

I just found out the other day that my feedstore/hardware store has a station with most of that stuff so you mix your own on a smaller scale, but in looking at the Country Side Natural quotes, you can buy most of what goes into that mix, end up with a gigantic amount of food, and end up paying less in the long run. Although, as she said, the start up cost is quite high. I'm sure you could find those ingredients around town for much cheaper.

 

[4myHennyPenny]

Thanks, Jsto. That's definitely what I'm planning on doing further down the road (whey they're laying). I'll need that time to find out who around here carries the organic grains I'll need--not as easy as I'd hoped.

BTW, how have others made their own feed in the past in terms of grinding it/rolling it? Do you have your own grain grinder, for example? What do you recommend (for equipment)? How small do things need to be ground/rolled for your full size hens?

As for an update on CFS, I called and their feed is organic. PLUS, they allowed me to only order what I needed!

That means they'll just be shipping me a 10# bag of starter to cover the first 6 weeks. I decided to go ahead and order a 50# bag of the grower as it will cover things until point of lay. We weren't able to arrange FedEx Ground (shipping is least expensive), but they will ship via UPS (not much more). Their customer service was fantastic! Will post later re: what I thought about the feed itself. Great option to consider when you need to ship organic feed and aren't on either coast, or when you just need a small quantity of feed.