Trying to get a firm handle on my long-term feed costs

[Molpet]

if I put the whole days ration out in the morning, it is gone by noon and they don't look for bugs and such... I put out what they can clean up in 20 min or so 2x a day, if I can free range them or the poultry yard has vegetation.. I have movable electric fence for the yard.. but it hasn't rained more than a couple of inches in the last 2 months. so the posts are hard to move right now... they still have grass for now... coyotes are hanging around lately so I only let them loose when the dog and I can watch them.

eta I ferment milled feed

 

[rjohns39]

My best calculation to date is that I can easily keep my feed cost at $1.34 per head per month, or just under $200 per year for the 12 chickens I currently have. I'll break that down and then if anyone would be so kind as to give me their overall impression of my feed ration and methods and also give me an idea of how that cost compares to what you are doing (and what it is costing you), I would love to hear your feedback.

They are let out on open bahia grass with plenty of areas like hedges and such where bugs congregate. For now they are going out for 2 to 3 hours before sunset while I can keep an eye on them and the hawk situation, but when they are mature they will be out all day (I hope). They are now at 9 weeks old.

They are getting free-choice 18% NatureWise All Flock, having transitioned them from their starter crumbles over the course of about 7 days. They have easy access to plenty of grit in the coop and water both inside and outside of the coop. They will have crushed oyster shell available in the coop when the time comes.

Daily I give them 2 cups of drained fermented feed that is composed of: 1 part wheat bran, 1 part BOSS, 1/2 part whole hemp seed, 1/2 part hemp seed meal (pressed from oil extraction), 2 parts crimped oats (like is fed to horses). To this I have been adding 1/2 tsp of a lacto bacillus supplement designed for birds, but I will be changing to Fertrell Nutri-balancer (regular) when my local supplier gets it in (in the next couple weeks).

On an annual basis this comes out to 25 lbs each of 18% All-Flock ($16 for a 40 lb bag and a total of 7.5 bags per year) and about 10 lbs of the fermented grain concoction per head per year. That's 120 lbs (dry weight) of the grains which I have calculated to be 15.4% protein and 15.1% fat. When I average out the protein and fat content at 2/3rds pellet and 1/3rd fermented grain I get 17.2% protein and 9.1% fat. (Is that too rich in the fat department?)

I'm in Florida, so they will get bugs all year and I intend to supplement further with kitchen vegetable scraps during the winter as I add this to my compost pile during the spring and summer. I've also started a row of 12 comfrey plants near the coop, but that's a side note. They have also been getting freeze dried black soldier fly maggots daily (mixed into the fermented feed at the time of feeding), but I think I'll stop that or attempt to culture them in my compost pit (outdoors)? I don't know if that will work. I have a good stand of red wrigglers going in the compost pit now.

Just tell me if I can explain better or in a different way. First of all, does anyone think I am underfeeding? Or do you think I am overfeeding? I don't want to do either, but I would err on the side of overfeeding at this stage. As a matter of cost only, is $200 annually too much for a flock of 12 chickens? Seems high to me, but maybe not. I am intending to have a total of about 2 dozen chickens in my flock by about this time next year, so $400 is not looking right to me, but I have more experience feeding cattle and on a larger scale, so its hard for me to know by just looking at the figures without some advice. Thanks!

@rjohns39

Thanks @KikisGirls, sorry it too so long, lost power here for a while.

@Digby57
Looks to me like you understand the math. Are your calculations based upon Pearson's square or other methods? Doesn't really matter as once you are a Fertrell customer, you have access to their nutritionists. But its good to show them your math. I would recommend running your calculations by them for input. Based upon production field studies, the optimum feed conversion rate, that is to gain the highest quality and quantity of eggs from dual purpose heritage breed layers, given access to grass 24/7, either through free range or mobile shelters with minimum feed is 4.5 pounds per bird per day. Jeff or his associates can tell you much more about the studies.

I'm at the point where I'm calculating one Ton will last 47. something days. But I have a few more birds. That's after I process the thanksgiving birds.

 

[Kiki]

I just have this feeling that they will eat more than they need if I am giving them all they can eat all day. I don't want to under feed them, but I know they can and will eat more than necessary if given extra feed.

Thanks @KikisGirls, sorry it too so long, lost power here for a while.

@Digby57
Looks to me like you understand the math. Are your calculations based upon Pearson's square or other methods? Doesn't really matter as once you are a Fertrell customer, you have access to their nutritionists. But its good to show them your math. I would recommend running your calculations by them for input. Based upon production field studies, the optimum feed conversion rate, that is to gain the highest quality and quantity of eggs from dual purpose heritage breed layers, given access to grass 24/7, either through free range or mobile shelters with minimum feed is 4.5 pounds per bird per day. Jeff or his associates can tell you much more about the studies.

I'm at the point where I'm calculating one Ton will last 47. something days. But I have a few more birds. That's after I process the thanksgiving birds.

You should probably start paying your electric bill on time silly!

 

[Digby57]

4.5lbs/bird/day! Holy mole! That would break me. How many chickens do you have to feed 2,000 lbs per 50 days? At 4.5lbs/day that would only be 9 chickens. At 1/4lb per day that would be like 150 chickens. I'm not clear.

I have never heard of Pearson's square, but I'm looking it up tonight. The basis of my starting point on this ration was just reading around on these forums, then the farm that shipped me the hemp seed linked me some white papers and I just read around the web. I see there's a new post in this board about hemp seed right now, I may link those white papers to that thread if I can. I'll check out Fertrell's website a little closer also. I did speak with a rep from Fertrell but we didn't get that far into it.

 

[biodarwin]

4.5lbs/bird/day! Holy mole! That would break me. How many chickens do you have to feed 2,000 lbs per 50 days? At 4.5lbs/day that would only be 9 chickens. At 1/4lb per day that would be like 150 chickens. I'm not clear.

This must have been a typo, my 12 birds have access to pellets 24/7, in addition to 13 acres of free range and they only eat about 5lbs per day of pellets.

 

[rjohns39]

4.5lbs/bird/day! Holy mole! That would break me. How many chickens do you have to feed 2,000 lbs per 50 days? At 4.5lbs/day that would only be 9 chickens. At 1/4lb per day that would be like 150 chickens. I'm not clear.

I have never heard of Pearson's square, but I'm looking it up tonight. The basis of my starting point on this ration was just reading around on these forums, then the farm that shipped me the hemp seed linked me some white papers and I just read around the web. I see there's a new post in this board about hemp seed right now, I may link those white papers to that thread if I can. I'll check out Fertrell's website a little closer also. I did speak with a rep from Fertrell but we didn't get that far into it.

Yes, I have about 150 birds. Again that's after harvest. Feed is the bane of my existence. When I started this adventure I thought... just buy it at the feed store. Then I discovered truth... Most don't care about poultry and really have no clue what they need. So I ordered my first ton from Virginia the same guy who provides for polyface. I got the ingredients, the recipes, etc and got my local co-op to make it for me... Since there's been a management change and no more support. All girls are currently on strike as I'm trying to find a new feed source. ARG

 

[Digby57]

So what are you saying about the 4.5lbs? Did you mean 0.45lbs?

 

[rjohns39]

So what are you saying about the 4.5lbs? Did you mean 0.45lbs?

4.5 ounces per bird. My bad. I shouldn't type while distracted.

 

[Digby57]

Ah! Ok, so that's slightly over 1/4lb., I get it now. Thanks. While I am not feeding that much currently I would probably have ended up there anyways since these chickens are only at 9 weeks old and are growing at what seems like an exponential pace.

I also tried to look up Pearson's square, but I mainly just saw these short write-ups from CSU. It looks like a visual representation of the crude protein average of 2 feed constituents, or some kind of strange algebra. Am I missing something? I need to be pointed in the direction of a good "feeds and feeding for poultry" book.

 

[rjohns39]

I use two:
"Commercial Poultry Nutrition" Second Edition by S. Leeson and J.D.Summers and
"Feeding Pasture-Raised Poultry" Paperback – 2013 by Jeff Mattocks

If you Pm me with an email address I can send you a copy of Jeff's feed calculator and some other materials, it doesn't include nutri-balancer as competitors could reverse engineer his formula from it.