What about buying barley/wheat seeds and sprouting them over a 5-7 day period for chicken fodder? One pound of seed can get 5-8 pounds of fodder. That could reduce your feed cost per egg by 70% or more assuming the cost for fodder seed is comparable.
I am about to get 10 hens. For eggs only. How do you sprout your grains and what kinds do you get. Don't mean to sound stupid but I am very new to all this and want to raise health hens and properly cared for and of course as cheaply as possible??
I have been tracking our feed costs more closely since your initial video. We free range daily on farm. We feed 31 chickens, 3 guineas, local, non GMO, cracked grain, corn/soy free. It's $23 per 50Lb. It is all grains and no pellets. Eggs sell for $3.00/12 (rural) and we go through approx. 4 bags per month in hard winter. In the process of tracking egg output. Without any math we basically have free eggs and no profits. Feed costs are extremely regional and so are egg costs. We chose not to go pelleted because of the process itself. I would feed organic so I could sell organic if I lived near the city $$$. A non GMO farmer is very likely to be independent of corporate influence and therefore not forced to spray every week. In my area these people equate to using only what it takes IF they encounter a problem. Farmers are conscious of using sprays regardless of popular opinion. Thanks for sharing. Your cost break downs are very helpful to make it a simple process.
We are in almost exactly the same boat as you. Tracking everything, our chickens almost paid for their own food. We are still out of pocket slightly but are waiting on a dozen chickens and a few ducks to start laying. I think once they start, the chickens should be producing enough to completely cover the cost of feed. Sure has turned into a lot of work for "free eggs" 🤣
Go to your feed store and buy bags of whole oats, cob, sunflower seeds, wheat, cracked corn, milo etc and make your own feed mix. Just make sure it has at least 16% protein when you are done.
I don't think a 'whole grain' feed can be purely whole grain. It's my understanding the calcium content would be way to low for layers, while protein levels probably suffice for meat bird varieties..just my thinking on this. Great video.
we buy bulk feed at a mill are cost is 19.5 cents a pound. but am really looking at a better route and want a better feed for my chickens the cost is a big deal. but i like the idea of a better feed for sure but if you are rasing chickens for eggs for sale this does not work. great video am still looking.
I am not convinced that non GMO is that much better than normal feed stocks and Diego makes good points about the age of the feed and whole grains My truck is not running right now but I have 3 differant feed mills near Me (30 miles ) I will look into buying from ths source
Now I don't feel so bad about not making my own feet! It is so much easier buying organic at my local feed store which is cheaper than TSC. I FYI I happen to live about 20 minutes away from Modesto LOL
Amy Johnson I hauled a tanker load of Organic soy bean oil from Ohio to Modesto Milling back in like '04 they baught a seoerate feed mill just to make organic feeds The fact that they payed high dollar to My company to haul the organic soy oil 2,000 miles in a food grade tanker impressed Me
Thanks a lot from this Missouri lady. The organic feed at Tractor Supply here is $24.99 per 40 lbs here. I have only 10 layers and are going with this. I think organic has a high chance of being non gmo; for gmo cannot be organic because glyphosate is put into the seeds... just a thought...
I would rather go with straight conventional feed versus non-GMO because it would require less spraying of pesticides That’s what I don’t like sprays that being said organic is definitely best
NON GMO is an absolute need. Otherwise, buy your chickens from a farm using wild grazing technique, moving the hen house every day, in a NON GMO used field.
What about if you are NOT anti-GMO? I've followed this issue for several decades, watching both what the organized anti-GMO groups say, and what some individual loonies say on conversations like this. Among the loonies - I'll show you why I use that disparaging word - I find this comment: "My chicken will not eat GMO food if given a choice." I always respond to him with "You have a very useful chicken. People will pay you significant money to help them distinguish a GMO product from its non-GMO equivalent, without having to resort to expensive laboratory tests." Nobody ever responds.
What about buying barley/wheat seeds and sprouting them over a 5-7 day period for chicken fodder? One pound of seed can get 5-8 pounds of fodder. That could reduce your feed cost per egg by 70% or more assuming the cost for fodder seed is comparable.
I am about to get 10 hens. For eggs only. How do you sprout your grains and what kinds do you get. Don't mean to sound stupid but I am very new to all this and want to raise health hens and properly cared for and of course as cheaply as possible??
I have been tracking our feed costs more closely since your initial video. We free range daily on farm. We feed 31 chickens, 3 guineas, local, non GMO, cracked grain, corn/soy free. It's $23 per 50Lb. It is all grains and no pellets. Eggs sell for $3.00/12 (rural) and we go through approx. 4 bags per month in hard winter. In the process of tracking egg output. Without any math we basically have free eggs and no profits. Feed costs are extremely regional and so are egg costs. We chose not to go pelleted because of the process itself. I would feed organic so I could sell organic if I lived near the city $$$.
A non GMO farmer is very likely to be independent of corporate influence and therefore not forced to spray every week. In my area these people equate to using only what it takes IF they encounter a problem. Farmers are conscious of using sprays regardless of popular opinion.
Thanks for sharing. Your cost break downs are very helpful to make it a simple process.
We are in almost exactly the same boat as you. Tracking everything, our chickens almost paid for their own food. We are still out of pocket slightly but are waiting on a dozen chickens and a few ducks to start laying. I think once they start, the chickens should be producing enough to completely cover the cost of feed.
Sure has turned into a lot of work for "free eggs" 🤣
Ignorant statement
Great video! Still relevant 5 years later!
have you tried sprouting, sunflower and or beans. Jack Spirko from the survival podcast does this for his ducks
Go to your feed store and buy bags of whole oats, cob, sunflower seeds, wheat, cracked corn, milo etc and make your own feed mix. Just make sure it has at least 16% protein when you are done.
informative video. Was there a difference in yolk color with different feeds especially with the corn free feed?
right on dude!! lots of good information here! love it! thanks enjoy your day.
Bobby
I don't think a 'whole grain' feed can be purely whole grain. It's my understanding the calcium content would be way to low for layers, while protein levels probably suffice for meat bird varieties..just my thinking on this. Great video.
yeah, you have to buy crushed oyster shell separate.
15:54 He said it right! haha But really, Diego this video is awesome. I love these kinds of details.
It was driving me nuts!
Hi, thank you for this video. Do find that the chickens eat the crumbles better vs the whole pellets feed?
Any thoughts on fermenting grain or using spent brewery grains (if you have a brewery close)?
- Jeff
Will try that in a future video, meaning fermenting grain.
Great, looking forward to it. Thanks, Diego!
- Jeff
+FortKnight Yes, future video in it.
Update?
What organic feed do you use?
Thanks for upload. Surely non-gmo means its not sprayed? If it hasnt been genetically modified it would die if you sprayed it with Glyphosate?
There are a lot of other things you could spray on crops besides glyphosate...... like pesticides.
why can't you use bird seed ( $.30 a pound )
be well
they used whole grains to make the pellets maybe?
we buy bulk feed at a mill are cost is 19.5 cents a pound. but am really looking at a better route and want a better feed for my chickens the cost is a big deal. but i like the idea of a better feed for sure but if you are rasing chickens for eggs for sale this does not work. great video am still looking.
the better option is to buy the whole grains separately and just mix them yourself.
I am not convinced that non GMO is that much better than normal feed stocks and Diego makes good points about the age of the feed and whole grains My truck is not running right now but I have 3 differant feed mills near Me (30 miles ) I will look into buying from ths source
What's up with the wording of "Supply of Tractor Company"?
devkrev Diego is not sponsored or endorsing TSC, so he calls them by this spin of the name; I believe one of his older videos briefly speaks on this.
It's just for fun.
Thank you for this most important info about organic and the others!!!
Now I don't feel so bad about not making my own feet! It is so much easier buying organic at my local feed store which is cheaper than TSC. I FYI I happen to live about 20 minutes away from Modesto LOL
Amy Johnson I hauled a tanker load of Organic soy bean oil from Ohio to Modesto Milling back in like '04 they baught a seoerate feed mill just to make organic feeds The fact that they payed high dollar to My company to haul the organic soy oil 2,000 miles in a food grade tanker impressed Me
I would like to know how you calculate this; did you just track what you used in a month vs how many eggs you got?
Yes, there is a past video on that, two of them.
@@DiegoFooter Appreciate what you do -thank you!
Thanks a lot from this Missouri lady. The organic feed at Tractor Supply here is $24.99 per 40 lbs here. I have only 10 layers and are going with this. I think organic has a high chance of being non gmo; for gmo cannot be organic because glyphosate is put into the seeds... just a thought...
You do good work Diego. Thank You.
Great video! !
I would rather go with straight conventional feed versus non-GMO because it would require less spraying of pesticides That’s what I don’t like sprays that being said organic is definitely best
great video man
NON GMO is an absolute need. Otherwise, buy your chickens from a farm using wild grazing technique, moving the hen house every day, in a NON GMO used field.
What about if you are NOT anti-GMO?
I've followed this issue for several decades, watching both what the organized anti-GMO groups say, and what some individual loonies say on conversations like this. Among the loonies - I'll show you why I use that disparaging word - I find this comment: "My chicken will not eat GMO food if given a choice." I always respond to him with "You have a very useful chicken. People will pay you significant money to help them distinguish a GMO product from its non-GMO equivalent, without having to resort to expensive laboratory tests." Nobody ever responds.
I love it when youtube fuck up and advertise KFC in an environmentally conscious video.
👍
nice vid
you're lucky you can even have a choice. in my country it's monsanto or syngenta. either way i'm fucked.
Just make your own