READY...SET...

GRIND!! Brace yourselves, I went to get a bag of chick starter at Leduc UFA and they tried to gouge me for $17.59 a bag. HAH!! nothing united about that bunch of farmers except their greed for munny. Try to remember that chickens, and all other livestock, didnt procreate themselves into the 19th and 20th centuries by eating store bought scientific feed. I have the old recipes for feeding chicks through every stage of life and I will not be held hostage to the corporate greed that has infected the way to live in this harsh country. Like i said before there is a way for those with the will to persevere and survive.

Dig deep, and be ready to dig deeper this is off season imagine what they will require in addition to a pound of flesh next year. Have we come again to the place where we have to keep our extra $1 a secret or face another sneakthief way of relieving us our burden of plenty.

The way I see it is you can be part of the problem or part of the solution. My view is that participating in this robbery by buying overpriced goods is part of the problem, convenience is not an acceptable excuse. The same applies to me when I sell anything for less than a fair and profitable price because of economic blackmail conditions.

Got grinders? Got grains? Got critters? Got time and munny? Make your own equation.

Everything is going up!
I buy my stuff in bulk so purchased a lot to hold off these increases. Still has gone up but not as bad as bagged feed which goes through at least 2-3 inbetween people taking their cut.
Unfortunately we are not grain farmers, and to even purchase grain to make your own is getting pricey. Due to the drought in the US and Eastern Canada demand is up, supply is short and things are not going to change much for a while I think...

buying bulk is a good idea. I have a mixmill and would be willing to grind up whatever us chicken chatters need to survive the gouging, just bring me the ingredients. Im trying all the time every chance I get to talk to grain farmers, need wheat badly at reasonable prices. My own cuz will only sell me wheat at current feed wheat prices, $8 bushel last we talked. Sounds good eh, till he told me it has so much ergot it cant be fed until cleaned, really bad with ergot. By the time I pay for cleaning I might as well go buy seed wheat at full price, Cripes I didnt expect that from my own blood...fkkranywy.

I wish I had storage room to mix my own. Feeds but I don't would have to build a grainery. Post what mix to what you need in a layer feed ...I am curious like ex. 65% oats to 25% CORN ECT...Iam curios to see hw many bins I would need to mix my own.... Anyone have recipes?

me too, triple j!... re mix

We're $17.95/bag plus the 45 min+ drive one way. I am downsizing. Grain farmers here, have quit selling feed as well.

It really is an open can of worms when you ask about recipes and storage. We could argue and go round in circles till my piggers decide to come home. I have some of the info transcribed already but have to reread a few chapters before suggesting anything aside from storage. The only practical storage I can see in this economic condition is a Tote bag on a pallet covered by a good tarp. Past that its a money sink unless you know how to build a decent tarp shed.

I suppose I could be simple and crude to say feed mixes(according to pre-war literature)for chicks should be ground and cooked at first, for adults clover or alfalpha hay + animal protien + grain variety.

Remember too that all these modern feed mixes are tailored for maximum production by birds that are also designed for maximum production. Those of us with heritage breeds are outside of the box. Thinking really how can this be healthy for the older breeds and Ive now observed that my birdes are doing Waaayyyy better not eating feed mixes- they only supplement their diet with them, I have little piles of feed mixes all over the place on the ground and they just get ignored for the most part. Im sure this will change later in the fall.

Thats an interesting point reneggaide, my grandmother sure didnt feed her chickens Soybean meal. Many heritage breeds were developed to produce on less than ideal fodder, and not just chickens!