What happened to the price of feed?????

[TexasAggieOfc]

OUCH on some of y'alls feed prices. It's a shame you don't access to the feed mills that most the rest of us do. The only thing I buy from TSC now in the way of feed is medicated (VFM doesn't carry it), and alfalfa hay for the rabbits. As long as corn prices stay up (thanks ethanol subsidies!), feed will stay up. It's what drove Pilgrim's Pride chicken bankrupt.

 

[speckledhen]

There are no local feed mills around here, either. I buy from the Fannin County Co-op who carries Tucker Milling, Faithway and ADM Alliance feeds. They are less expensive than anyone around here, but yes, they've gone up on prices, too. My Tucker Milling mini pellets (16% layer) used to be $9.50 a couple years ago. Now, I pay $11.50 for 50#, but it's good feed, never dusty, still has the porcine animal protein in it, which is what I prefer over Purina and Southern States layer feeds.

 

[darkmatter]

I don't recall my grandparents ever giving scratch/grains/feed to the chickens except in the winter time. When I started my Chicken Run years ago I planted Illinois Everbearing Mulberry trees to supplement feed---they are now 30 feet tall with a 60 foot spread and drop a ton of mulberries over a 10-12 week period. I've since planted apple and persimmons in the Run in order (when they mature) to have free food dropping from June into November. I've enlarged my Run which shares a fence with my Garden and in the fall when I'm done with the Garden I open the Run/Garden door and the chicken’s glean/clean/till/fertilize until spring when I shut them out and plant. They really work the soil over and I barely have to till to plant, the weeds are gone! I also planted a cage/trellis arrangement with tomatoes and squash in their run which feeds them during the summer. I'm trying something new this year also; I've planted Mangels (fodder beets) in cages and will remove the cages this fall to let them peck to their hearts content at the beets over winter.

 

[zippitydooda]

Quote:
To lower the cost of feeding your flock, remember these two words:

FREE RANGE!

 

[mstrrlm]

Well I don't know if anyone spouts there grains but that will help supplement from what I have been reading going to try it over next 2 weeks

 

[mstrrlm]

Also Mealworm and Red Wigglers farming make good supplements for feed

 

[Lotsapaints]

Quote:
My birds love sprouts only problem for me is the summer gets too hot for sprouts so they get all the garden culls and grass clipping and hay chafe starting in June and I'm thinking about starting back up the sprouts again as it should start staying under 85 soon I hope. My eggs get so large with sprouts and I'm lucky there are 3 local feed mills that make feed within 50 miles the only special feed I buy is Mazuri and Ultra Kibble it hasn't gone up as much as some feeds. 50lbs of wheat is 11.00 oat groats are 21.00 for 50lbs though when the one mill is cleaning the seeds I can it them for 9.00 recleaned oats are 11.50. I don't feed a lot of processed food once I got them started on whole grains I just buy grit and save charcoal from the fire pit.......I only have green stuff starting in November by late April it's turned golden brown again.....The turkeys like acorns I don't think the chickens eat those.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
Dont have a local feed mill around here...
So then what do you do?

 

[saladin]

Granted there aren't as many mills as there use to be. However, I can tell you that if you are in an area where corn is being grown then you can bet there is a mill within driving distance (1 hour).

 

[Ridgerunner]

Quote:
Dont have a local feed mill around here...
So then what do you do?

Have you checked with your county extension agent? They should have access to that type of information if there is one around.