Cost of feed in different areas

[Brad]

Fifty pounds of chick grow costs about $11.05 here in the desert. At this price, raising chickens is prohibitive. What do you guys pay for your feed?

[Cyngbaeld]

When I lived in the desert I fed my chickens dog food from wally world as it was cheaper than the chicken feed at intermountain farmers.

[kathy H]

Here by Yosimite egg layer is nine dollars but I buy organic chicken food which is seventeen dollars a bag.

[ohio_kid]

In my neck of the woods we pay 6.50 for 50 lbs. of layin mash. We give them dog food every other day as a treat and it has upped their egg production considerably. We also feed them peelings from vegetables and fruit to help make the feed last longer.

[sisterpine]

Southwest Montana: Chick feed is 8.00 per 50 and layer feed is 10.00 per 50

[Zuiko]

20% layer supplement and 16% layer are both 8.50 here, I get my chick starter from another place for 9.50. I don't know if dog food would be cheaper here, I've seen double for purina or ol roy is about $10 but only for 22.5 lbs. What do you want your chickens for? If you want eggs, you just need a few birds. 9 were giving me 6-7 per day.

PS. West side of twin cities, mn

[Blu3duk]

commercial chicken grower is $9.00 per 50# bag, laer mash is $10.50 per 50# bag. I dont use layer mash my chickens have no need for speed, I purchase whole white wheat, $6.00 50#, cracked corn $7.50 50#, pea screenings preferably rolled, $9.00 80#, I mix according to weather, less corn for the spring, summer, fall more for winter when they need extra fat and fat reduces egg production, I have fed str8 pea screenings but find they want more than just that. I also let my pullets free range, and i catch the grass clippings and throw a pile in for them to scratch out whatever they want to. They also get leftover salad greens, and other scraps the cats and dog dont/wont eat.

For feed mixes that are tested and been around awhile look at these http://www.lionsgrip.com/chickens.html common sense tells a erson commercial feed has not been around forever, and component prices are less than mixed.

Also i have a couple grain farmers around here that will now sell me bulk grain for $200 per ton for oats and barley, around $3.00 per bushel for wheat, and $5-7.00 per bushel for Austrian winter peas..... one farmer will even put the oats into my sacks for me and sell me 10 50# sacks for $5.00 per sack [$200.00 per ton] as they only get about half that delivered to elevator in bulk, and maybe $120.00 if lucky delivered to Portland Oregon some 400 miles away..... so it is a win/win situation. buy local.

William

[Cyngbaeld]

Did you know that grasshoppers have the same amount of protein as beef? Earthworms are hi protein also and you can grow your own with scraps and trash that the chickens can't eat. I have known people that would stop and pick up any reasonably fresh road kill to feed their birds. (I never could, just too gross!) Some people get stale bread from a local bakery or grocer and add fruit, vegies or other old stuff the grocer is getting rid of. I have pulled stuff out of the top of a dumpster for my birds. Restaurants will sometimes save stuff for you if you ask. I would cook anything like that tho in case of disease. If you run chicken bones thru the blender and add that to their feed it will increase the calcium and nutrients that they will get from scraps.