Cost of Chicken Food

Like others mentioned, with the colder weather and more times stuck indoors I had to find something to occupy me for a minute or two. So I figured out the cost of feeding my chickens. They are fed whole or cracked grains and seeds, mixed by hand. The total came to $40 per week, which, with 47 chickens, comes to $0.84 per bird per week. That sounded good until I realized it still adds up to $160 a month . With 8 birds molting, and the pullets not yet laying eggs, the odd leghorn egg is really expensive! But I wouldn't have it any other way. I wonder how it compares to premixed or pelleted feed.

My husband is just off to the feed store. He is buying 1 bag of organic layer pellets $16.99 and tax and 1 bag of layer mash $15.99 and tax(some of the birds prefer it to the pellets) and he will probably sneak in a bag of hen scratch (not sure)and a small bag of corn ($3.95+ tax). We have 39 birds, 28 chickens; some banty, some hens, some pullets that are not yet laying and a giagantic rooster. We have 5 female Khaki Campbells, some laying, some not, 1 Khaki male, a breeding pair (I hope of Welsh Harlequin ducks, two Pekin sisters (huge eaters), a black & white Muscovy female and Mr Magoo (a blind young Khaki male). I believe that in the summer they do pay for their feed and hay, shavings etc, but right now, we are paying to have them lay. We do sell the eggs and don't ask perhaps as much as we should for free range, organic. It will be fun once hubby gets back to look at the bills and figure out what it would be per bird. This will be a good exercise.

I swung a deal with the grain terminal down the highway,every 2 months I can show up and load up all the grain samples. They are in little sealed plastic bags but free food is free food. The manager stated they dont want them in the landfill due to rodent problems so this works for both of us. He also lets me pick up the grain spilt loading cars. As they say on Duck Dynasty Happy Happy Happy.