Cheapest Healthiest Way to feed chicken and ducks.

[Obyli]

I myself don't have a large flock, well i guess not. I have 6 chickens and 4 ducks. I buy a 20lb chicken feeder and it takes them around 5 days to finish it. It cost 14.99$ per bag. So its techniquely 3$ perday only on chickens and ducks. When they lay, maximum 10 eggs which i didn't even count i have 3 drakes and 1 roo. So its down to 6 eggs and it is half of a dozen. Thats probably a dollar a day . Is it possible to feed them something less exspensive? Do you guys have any recipes that is easy to make at home? Please be aware about the price. Or can i atleast feed the ducks something else other than chicken feeder? They eat like a cow i am SERIOUS.

 

[Denninmi]

Well, part of the problem is they may be wasting a lot of it. See if you can come up with a feeder that restricts access to the food in such a way that they have to stick their heads inside to eat, and none of the food really "spills out" -- a lot of people make them from PVC pipe. That helps a lot.

 

[bullyforme]

Don't forget the possibilities of leftovers and veggie/fruit scraps. You can stretch your budget a lot with stuff you may just throw out or compost. Along with other leftovers etc, mine love celery and carrot tops & peels, sweet pepper tops & seeds, strawberry hulls, corn cobs with some corn still on them, etc.

 

[floyd242]

My 50lb bags cost less than your 20lb bags... you need to find cheaper feed! Maybe you should post Where am I forum and ask people around you where they get their feed.

 

[Denninmi]

Honestly, though, to answer your original question, I can't think of anything in this day and age that is much cheaper per pound than basic chicken feed. Protein sources are fairly expensive, grain is cheaper per pound but you have to blend with a protein source. Unfortunately, the cost of everything is going up, a lot. You might check out and see if there is a day old bakery near you that sells bread really cheap, like 20 cents a loaf, that would work for part of the diet. I've heard that hanging a bug zapper over the run can supply quite a few moths, beetles, and flies as they get zapped and then fall down, but it probably wouldn't be enough to make a difference, and the electricity might cost more than the feed.

 

[mamaKate]

You might want to shop around for cheaper food. I pay $9-$12 for a 40 or 50 lb bag at Orscheln's in MO. It lasts my 3 hens, 3 bantam hens, 1 rooster and a guinea 4-6 weeks.

 

[Obyli]

I buy them at petco. They only have chicken starter and hen feeder. Sometimes i mix rice and chicken feed to the ducks because THEY EAT A LOT!!! Do you guy think its ok to give them leftover rice/friedrice to my ducks?

 

[hennyannie]

I agree that you need to look around your area for another source of feed.
You can buy some pretty good feed in 50lb bags around here for less than 15$.
Buy some green peas at the grocery store for your ducks, they love'em. (Frozen ones are pretty cheap)

 

[cobrien]

maybe you are buying from Petco because you live in the city? I also live in the city and feed is much more expensive at pet stores, but I'm surrounded by rural areas and whenever I pass through one I stock up on feed. I save at least $10/bag. Try googling for feed stores in your area or a rural area near you.

 

[dannodamanno]

Look for the closest tractor supply store. Those guys are popping up everywhere and you can get 50lbs for $15 or less.