Cheapest Option for Organic Chicken Feed?

[IndianaHomestea]

I'm crunching numbers and realizing that paying $30 per 50 lbs. bag of organic feed is going to end up costing me MUCH more than if I just bought organic chicken from whole foods for my meat birds and even more for my egg layers in the long run. I would be backwards on the investment even if it weren't organic...

So what would you recommend? I'm fine with mixing my own, but can I do that for much cheaper? And if I do, I run into the same problem... where will I find organic cords etc. for the ingredients?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I dilute my organic chick starter with conventionally grown grains and seeds to avoid GMO corn and soy.

see this post I just wrote:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/730492/how-can-i-make-my-own-chicken-feed#post_10102032

 

[IndianaHomestea]

What does all of that cost you? I'm with you on the nutrition and also on avoiding GMO. That's very important to me as well. But right now, the bridge I'm looking to cross is figuring out the financing aspect of organic feed.

So does your mix end up being cheaper than $30 per 50lbs of feed?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

What does all of that cost you? I'm with you on the nutrition and also on avoiding GMO. That's very important to me as well. But right now, the bridge I'm looking to cross is figuring out the financing aspect of organic feed.

So does your mix end up being cheaper than $30 per 50lbs of feed?

I calculated it awhile back and it was 50 cents a pound including my organic chick starter which was at the time $23 per 40 lb. Now it is up to $28 per 40 lb the last time I bought it.

I have found it is generally not going to be much cheaper unless you go with oats, barley and wheat (make sure you don't go more than 50% grains and do your research because there are amino acids to worry about too (getting enough of them). Split peas are also about 50 cents a lb now in the grocery store bulk bins. Our BOSS is now $36 per 50 lb. Wheat was $14 or so and barley $10, rolled oats $13, cracked corn now $28 per 50 lb, and millet was $20 per 50 lb.

I do like the fact that the rolled barley and rolled oats (and wheat) are fairly inexpensive. I do include more of that and less of the more expensive stuff sometimes. I vary the grains depending on my mood too LOL.

But I unfailingly give that 1/3 chick starter and BOSS with peas (right now Austrian peas but they don't like them).