Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[katekearby]

You don't want to know what I pay for a bag. It's about double because I buy organic. But I live in an area where I can charge more for the eggs 'cause they get organic feed and still cover the cost of the feed (well right now I only cover half the cost but only half are laying... less than half if you count two silkies who feel they never have to lay an egg if they go broody).

How much food do you guys go through? Mine free range all day so I'm wondering how much I'm saving on feed...

Mine, 7 now, free range some in a large protected yard, the feed is vegetarian, I'm using less than a 50pound bag a month. They get some snacks, kitchen veggie scraps, and love a handfull or 2 of sweet horse feed, a 14% hi fat, mix grain.

 

[chickenlindz]

Ok... that sounds like what I'm going through. I have 22 and I go through about 2 50pound bags a month. Mine get very little added scraps and only get what they find in nature. Once our fencing goes up I plan on having a garden and will plant them things like Kale, Lettuce, etc... to supplement even more.

 

[katekearby]

Ok... that sounds like what I'm going through. I have 22 and I go through about 2 50pound bags a month. Mine get very little added scraps and only get what they find in nature. Once our fencing goes up I plan on having a garden and will plant them things like Kale, Lettuce, etc... to supplement even more.

Wish we could central OK is already to hot to grow leafy stuff here.

 

[cheeka]

over the winter, I went through about 50# a week, with 48 birds, add to that corn, BOSS and millet, but each 50# bag of those lasted the whole month. now that they get to free range more and longer, I go through a 50# bag about every 2 weeks...

 

[newchickmomma4]

Here in central CA our layer feed averages $14-16/50# bag no matter which feed store or TSC you go to. I have a really hard time finding anything larger than a 20# bag of chick starter and that runs $10-11. We have one feed store (out of 3) that carries 50# bags of chick starter but they sell out within a day or two every time!

 

[mortie]

Jw- even without teenagers we go through 3 dozen a week at my house. I have had requests to sell them but I won't. Any above what we eat I will give away to friends and neighbors. I would rather give someone a gift than take their $3. I enjoying sharing with my friends so this will be good. If the ******** ever lay. They might not.

 

[BullChick]

With 29 chickens, I was using 10# of feed a day, and that is average (an adult hen is supposed to eat 1/4# per day).
If I could free range, I am sure that would go down.
Now, the turkeys... They have me so stunned that I couldn't tell you what my 17 remaining (after selling off part of the flock) are eating. I have gone through 50# of poult (baby turkey) feed in about 10 days. There are 2 BBW (the kind you find in the store) and five Bourbon Reds. The 2 BBW are now 12 weeks-old, and the jake's back is up to my thigh, with the jenny not far behind. The Bourbons are 8 weeks, and the size of the chickens. As adults, they will be chowing down on one pound per day per turkey (thus, why I sold part of the chicken flock).
As for price, TSC sells the layer feed for $17 Purina, and $16 Dumor. I go to a feed store, and pay $12.50/50# of Southern States.
Even with 10 less chickens, and an average of 11 fewer eggs/day, I still have too many eggs. All of my customers have gone away, and IDK why.

 

[chickenlindz]

Thanks MC!

Wow that's a lot of food.

So my free ranging is saving roughly half. I'd say mine are eating about 1/8lb a day each if I have 22 (2 are little) and am using 100lbs a month.

 

[JW12]

The chickens eat quit a bit, but where I go through the most feed is with the ducks! Oh my gosh do they eat. The 10 ducks if I keep the feeder full with go through a 50# bag a week. So I started feeding them once a day and giving them a little cracked corn to go with it. If it were just the chickens I think they would only eat a 50# bag every two weeks or so.

 

[subhanalah]

I highly recommend fermenting your rations to make them go father and deal with less waste. Not to mention the countless health benefits for your flock.
http://tikktok.wordpress.com/2014/04/13/fermented-feed-faq/