[Montana Rancher]

Hey all

Last fall I changed the way I buy chicken feed. Locally the pellets for layers busted over $16 a bag and I decided to try mixing my own rations.

So I set up my Country Living Grain Mill in the garage (set it for very coarse grind) and hooked it up to a small motor I salvaged off a old drill press.

Next I went out and purchases 5 galvanized garbage cans and 200 pounds of red wheat, corn, oats, soy, and alfalfa. I lined the cans with heavy garbage bags and filled them with the 5 grains.

Every third day I spend about 20 minutes grinding a fresh ration for the cluckers, 2 parts corn, soy and wheat to 1 part the rest. Since grain loses its nutritional value once it is cracked and as it ages, it makes sense to do my own for max nutritional value.

Each 50lb bag of grain cost me $12 so I'm saving about $4 for every 50 lbs of feed and it is better for them.

I always have clam shells in a different feeder for the calcium. Also I only feed in the winter time as there isn't much good forage here when the snow flies and the coyotes, foxes and occasional wolf come down in the winter and eat all my tasty hens, so I leave them cooped up or else they disappear.

They free range in the summer, saves a lot on feed.

The other upside to this system is i have an additional 1000 lbs of food stored on site in an emergency.

If anyone does the same and has suggestions on the ration, I'd love it.

 

[Ripon]

My dad's life was chickens. His ranch got to 60,000 of them (layers) and he used to get mighty mad at the "its just chicken feed" comment. Of course he
bought about 12 tons of the stuff - at a time.

 

[Smitty901]

Some cracked corn and free range them if it gets to bad.

 

[Montana Rancher]

My dad's life was chickens. His ranch got to 60,000 of them (layers) and he used to get mighty mad at the "its just chicken feed" comment. Of course he
bought about 12 tons of the stuff - at a time.

when the kids were growing up we would get 100 meat chickens a year and of course they helped process them. Back in those days we would get milk in 1/2 gallon cardboard containers. If you saved them and put the chicken in them, filled them with water they would freeze very well and line the chest freezer with hundreds of pounds of fresh meat.

Now a days we buy the chemically process antibiotically produced white meat we call chickens, but trust me It isn't as good as before.

 

[Deebo]

when the kids were growing up we would get 100 meat chickens a year and of course they helped process them. Back in those days we would get milk in 1/2 gallon cardboard containers. If you saved them and put the chicken in them, filled them with water they would freeze very well and line the chest freezer with hundreds of pounds of fresh meat.

Now a days we buy the chemically process antibiotically produced white meat we call chickens, but trust me It isn't as good as before.

thats how my grandpa would freeze catfish fillets. Keeps them from getting freezer burnt right?

 

[Old Man]

Still lucky enought to buy it here in Mississippi for $11.85 50lbs, no tax!