Fermented feed vs crumbles/pellets

[nikkik0720]

So my fiance and I bit the bullet and ordered 10 chicks from Mt Healthy Hatchery. (The hatch date and ship date is supposed to be May 28th, so we should get them around May 29th or 30th)
We want to feed a non-gmo and organic feed that wont break the budget. We looked into non-gmo, soy-free, organic but can't seem to find any that don't cost an arm and a leg. We figure with 10 chickens, we will go through approx 40# every 2 weeks.
Right now we're looking at the Nature's Best organic, non gmo feed (chick starter/grower crumbles and then the layer pellets) A 40# bag of chick feed is $32.99, 40# layer is $28.99 at our local Tractor Supply Co. That's about as expensive as we want/can go if we're going to have to get food approx every 2 weeks. My first question is, what seems to be everyone's go-to for organic non gmo food? And do your chickens prefer pellets or crumbles? I know chick food only comes in crumbles.
I've read many mixed reviews on fermented feed. I like the health benefits it seems to give, but does it really make chickens eat less/make the bag of food last longer? And does fermenting food have to be done with whole grains or can it be done with pellets and/or crumbles?
As far as whole grain goes, we can't afford to make our own mix right now. We've looked into pricing out all the grains we would need, and the up front cost just isn't feasible. (we are also currently in the process of buying a house and having to do a bunch of renovations on it, plus we are buying a shed to convert into a coop and a run for when the chickens are big enough to be outside. The hens wont be able to free range, but we're getting a 10 ft x 20 ft run for them, which will be in our fenced in yard, which they'll have access to whenever we are able to be outside to watch them.) Sorry kinda went off track there...
Anyway. We eventually want to mix our own feed, but that probably wont be able to happen until fall or next spring.

For now, I guess to sum it up, my questions are:
1) What commercially made non-gmo organic pellets/crumbles are your go-to's? Or does anyone know of any non-gmo organic whole grain mix that's available that doesn't cost an arm and a leg?
2) Is fermenting feed worth it, and can it be done with pellets/crumbles?
3) If we do ferment food, can/should it also be fed to chicks?
4) Is google accurate when it says 40# of feed will last 10 hens approximately 2 weeks?

I will add, as I said above, even though our girls wont technically be free range, they will still have a large run and they'll be allowed out in our fenced yard when we can be out there with them (it's a little over a third of an acre, with about 3/4 of that fenced in). We also plan on giving them fruits/veggies/scraps of whatever they can/will eat, as well as scratch and treats.
I know we still have time to get everything together/planned out, I just like to make sure I'm prepared well in advance and want to make sure I know what I'm doing before the girls come.
(I did have 3 hens years ago when I still lived with my parents, but at that time, I was under the impression that all they needed was a cheap layer pellet feed and oyster shell plus scratch. The girls always did amazing and were super healthy and I would get an average of 18 eggs per week from them, so I must've been doing something right. They did end up going to live on my brother's in-law's farm after about 8 months of having them, but only because I was moving out and my mom did not want them (she's scared of chickens) and I couldn't take them with me)

Sorry if this is kind of all thrown together and I'm hoping it makes sense (my brain tends to go a thousand different directions and I get off track. Like my grandpa would say, its like trying to herd squirrels)
Thanks in advance for any/all advice given!

 

[FrostRanger]

You weren't wrong, all they really need to be healthy is a quality feed, oyster shell and grit (scratch is unnecessary), if that is all they get they will do just fine as you saw. Mixing your own is also more trouble than its worth most of the time, it's expensive and tough to get right. I do think google might be over exaggerating how much 10 bird eat. 50lbs of food will last my 7 birds a bit under a month and a half. If I had to guess, 40lbs should last you a bit under a month

As for fermented feed, it absolutely can be done with pellets or crumbles and it can be fed to birds of all ages. I can't answer if it will be worth it to you specifically as it really depends. Try it if you're curious to see if it works for you but know your birds will be just fine either way. If you do feed mash type feeds (which is what whole grain feeds are called) you absolutely must either make a wet mash or ferment it or the birds can just pick and choose which bits they eat and thus get nutrition deficiencies. I don't have any specific recommendations as I do not feed organic for several reasons, but I would also check chewy if you haven't as they have a good variety of feed at good prices

 

[nikkik0720]

I do not feed organic for several reasons

Could I ask why you don't feed organic? I'm not criticizing or anything! I'm just curious and trying to learn.
I don't really have a preference if it's organic or not (as long as it's non-gmo) but my fiance wants it to be non-gmo and organic, so that's what we'll be going with.

 

[FrostRanger]

Could I ask why you don't feed organic? I'm not criticizing or anything! I'm just curious and trying to learn.
I don't really have a preference if it's organic or not (as long as it's non-gmo) but my fiance wants it to be non-gmo and organic, so that's what we'll be going with.

Aside from the costs, most organic feeds have inferior nutrition to regular feed. Most of them have the absolute bare minimum of protein, methionine and lysine. I prefer to feed high protein as it is healthier for the birds, makes molts go smoother, promotes an overall calmer flock and reduces the likelihood of behavior problems such as egg eating and feather picking. It's not that high protein organic foods don't exist, it's just that a lot of them are chick feeds which only come in crumbles (I prefer pellets as crumbles waste too much) and they still have a lower methionine and lysine level than what I currently feed (both of which are very important to chicken health and can be hard to get at a good level in organic feed mainly due to costs, so much so that synthetic methionine is actually allowed to be used in organic feed)

That said, many people feed organic and their birds do just fine, it's just my preference to feed differently. At the end of the day as long as the birds themselves are happy and healthy that's all that matters

 

[JAMarlow]

Back when I had 10 chickens (before the racoon, the skunk, the coyote, and the hawk) I was using 1 1/2 bags a month. If you are able to free-range your chickens for a few hours a day (or every other day), it can really cut down on feed. At least it has for me.

I don't ferment, but I do make "chicken mush", and the hens go crazy for it! I've found that it makes the feed go a lot further, as well. I don't have the room (and too busy) for fermenting, so this works just fine. The chickens are still getting good nutrients, the feed goes a little further, and it gets a little more water down them (I live in a desert, so water is a very good thing)

On the subject of crumbles vs pellets, I've found that the pellets have less waste as well. I've also switched from layer feed to Flock Raiser for the higher protein. My girls do a lot better on it. Not just with egg laying and molting, but also behavior and habits.

Other than that, I crush used egg shells really well and feed them back along with oyster shell. I've noticed some hens like one or the other only, so this way I have them covered.

You might want to experiment. See what works best for your chickens in your climate in your situation. That's what I have done and the results have been very interesting!

 

[nikkik0720]

FrostRanger
Thank you so much for that answer! I really appreciate it! I did notice that the natures best organic non gmo does have less protein that some of the others we were looking at. Maybe I'll try to convince the SO that organic isn't the best way to go.

If you are able to free-range your chickens for a few hours a day (or every other day), it can really cut down on feed.

I can't truly free-range them. The closest they'll get is when we are out in the fenced in yard (which their coop/run will be inside of), we will open the run door and let them out into the rest of the yard. I don't know if that counts as "free-ranging" them or not, but it's the best we can do. There's too many potential predators in the area to let them free-range outside of our fenced in yard (dogs, cats, hawks, coyotes, and the front of our house is near a decently busy road (insert "Why did the chicken cross the road" joke here)
Plus, an ordinance from 1950's says chickens must be properly contained on the property.

 

[FrostRanger]

FrostRanger
Thank you so much for that answer! I really appreciate it! I did notice that the natures best organic non gmo does have less protein that some of the others we were looking at. Maybe I'll try to convince the SO that organic isn't the best way to go.


I can't truly free-range them. The closest they'll get is when we are out in the fenced in yard (which their coop/run will be inside of), we will open the run door and let them out into the rest of the yard. I don't know if that counts as "free-ranging" them or not, but it's the best we can do. There's too many potential predators in the area to let them free-range outside of our fenced in yard (dogs, cats, hawks, coyotes, and the front of our house is near a decently busy road (insert "Why did the chicken cross the road" joke here)
Plus, an ordinance from 1950's says chickens must be properly contained on the property.

That is considered free ranging by most people's standards

 

[nikkik0720]

That is considered free ranging by most people's standards

Okay I wasn't sure if that would be or not. When I think free ranging, I think of letting chickens have free run of a large piece of land; like my brother's in laws for example, have a bunch of hens (not sure how many they've had the past few years, but I know its a decent amount) and they let them out of their barn onto several acres of wooded land, although their hens generally stay within a hundred feet or so of the house/barn.

 

[JAMarlow]

I can't truly free-range them. The closest they'll get is when we are out in the fenced in yard (which their coop/run will be inside of), we will open the run door and let them out into the rest of the yard. I don't know if that counts as "free-ranging" them or not, but it's the best we can do. There's too many potential predators in the area to let them free-range outside of our fenced in yard (dogs, cats, hawks, coyotes, and the front of our house is near a decently busy road (insert "Why did the chicken cross the road" joke here)
Plus, an ordinance from 1950's says chickens must be properly contained on the property.

That's what I mean by free-ranging. I have a big backyard that is fenced that my chickens love to roam around. They have really helped keep down the bad bug population, which has resulted fewer pest problems in my garden compared to others in the area.

Like you, there is far too much predator pressure to allow them to roam without fencing.

 

[Sic]

For now, I guess to sum it up, my questions are:
1) What commercially made non-gmo organic pellets/crumbles are your go-to's? Or does anyone know of any non-gmo organic whole grain mix that's available that doesn't cost an arm and a leg?
2) Is fermenting feed worth it, and can it be done with pellets/crumbles?
3) If we do ferment food, can/should it also be fed to chicks?
4) Is google accurate when it says 40# of feed will last 10 hens approximately 2 weeks?

We only eat organic non GMO, and all our animals are fed accordingly. I usually make my own feed with locally harvested wild food and buy organic grains in bulk from Azure Standard for ourselves and animals. It's time consuming, not cheap, but there is a price to pay to eat well. I definitely draw the line at GMO, I will not eat the eggs or meat from an animal that is eating GMO. I have made a recent purchase of Turkey/gamebird starter from Modesto Milling that is non GMO and certified organic, we're only at day two so I can't say much, but very happy with the purchase as I don't have time this year to make chick feed. It's within our price range because we literally have no price range that isn't an arm and a leg here. Food of any kind that has to be imported is ghastly expensive, which is why we subsistence hunt, fish, and forage for most of what we all eat here.
I personally don't think there is a benefit to feeding fermented food on a daily basis. They say that you will save money on feed because you can take a cup of dry feed and after a few days of fermentation you can get 2 cups of fermented feed. Yes, some of those grains will expand with water, but you still only have the nutritional value(protein, carbs, fat, etc) and the Metabolizable Energy of one cup of feed, thereby cutting the nutritional value in half, which may be fine for some poultry that doesn't move much all day, but if you have active poultry that can be a real detriment to their health over time because they can only eat so much, I try to concentrate the nutrition in my poultry feed, not dilute it.
As far as how much adult chickens eat, it's pretty variable (size, breed, activity level, etc) however commercial laying hens consume on average about a quarter pound per day. So I wouldn't say Google is wrong, but they are basing it on the information for commercial laying hens fed commercial layer feed. You'll find out how much your chickens will consume, and may need to adjust up or down.