Where do you find cheap feed? (Brisbane Australia)

[OzChickens]

Where do you source cheap chicken feed?
I don't mind the drive to produce stores, and the premixed feed is convenient. I'm still wondering where people source their cheap chicken feed from.

I've found my local fruit and vege store quite friendly in giving me a box of scraps which the chickens loved. Gradually chatting with them about scaling this up to take more of their waste as between chickens and compost we could handle a few boxes a week.

But I'm wondering how/where people source pallet loads of grain, be that as pre mixed feed or just bulk buys of grain that needs mixing. Probably not worth the hassle, even just storing bags of feed to avoid spoilage requires a dry shed and vermin proof storage. (I'm using 200L drums to store feed in a garden shed)

also have a chicken tractor I'm trialling and fine tuning the design. Not really sure how much feed consumption reduction that will achieve.

 

[Banana01]

Where i live corn is the cheapest feed, comes in 50 kilo bags. It stores a really long time, and even if it gets wet or moldy, you can put it out in the sun on a roofing panel to dry it. Insects are a problem, but there are ways to reduce their damage to corn.

Pellet feed molds really fast.

I dont know about Australia, but there are lots of hydroponic set ups and vertical growing systems for growing your own.

 

[Prop toe]

I always soaked whole oats in a 55 gal plastic barrel had a 5 gal bucket I drilled holes with a 5/16 bit 50 lb oats put a quart of apple cider vinegar put approx 35 gal water fed 3/4 yard feed mix 1/4 strain oats mixed 1 teaspoon of red cell horse vitamin supplement in strain oats mixed with yard feed they looked amazing and this mix made 5 gal bucket of feed

 

[Prop toe]

I fed fowl 16 percent protein and 18 percent when broody and when molting .shelled corn and a bit of catfish floater feed about the less exspensive way I seen a person feed .I used to know how to calculate how much to obtain 16 percent .with google and someone that knows the proper calculation can get it right.I use to know but have forgotten it been so long ago.cheers