Thinking about mixing your own organic feed? Learn more below before you get started.

MIXING YOUR OWN ORGANIC POULTRY FEED:
WHAT’S THE COST?

A lot of poultry owners consider mixing their own feed when it becomes difficult to find an organic feed source close by. This is a commendable effort because it is as difficult as it is rewarding. The benefits include knowing exactly what your chickens are eating and what your family/friends are consuming. The challenges are finding the best recipe, getting the right ingredients, and taking the time to mix it yourself. We believe mixing your own feed should only be for reasons of diet management, because in few situations will you be able to do it for less than the cost of a complete feed.

Finding a recipe is easy; finding the right one for your breed of chickens and their living environment is difficult. Chickens need a precise amount of nutrients and protein to maximize growth and egg production. It’s difficult to find a recipe that is approved by industry and scientifically tested. Many are made by long-time chicken owners who’ve discovered what works (for them) by trial and error.

It’s okay to periodically supplement feed with table scraps and foraging, but these can create in imbalance in nutrition and should be monitored. 30% of total diet in top foraging conditions is a number I’ve seen quoted. Keep in mind this might reduce ROL (rate of lay) but not extensively. Certified organic feeds are mixed and tested for precise nutrient values and have no need for supplements. That is why they are called “complete” feeds. You can read all the ingredients on the label (tag) so you’ll know exactly what you’re eventually consuming.

Something else to consider is milled or whole grains in the feed. Whole grains have a long shelf life but can’t be consumed by young chicks (chicks need mash). Feed grinders are available starting around $65. You also can’t make pellets or crumbles which encourage poultry to consume a more balance diet. Whole grain feed lets chickens peck and choose what they like to eat instead of what they may need.

Even with a good recipe, you have to find the ingredients. If you live in a state that doesn’t produce organic feed, then it’s likely to be just as challenging finding inexpensive organic grains. Since organic certification is costly, not many small local farms carry it. If you have an organic wholesale store in your area, then you are in luck (some require memberships). Other non-grain ingredients such as a nutri-balancer, kelp, or fishmeal may have to be purchase online.

You can see getting your own ingredients for feed requires finding different sources which can necessitate drive time and possibly mail order. It can add up to be quite expensive and time consuming unless you are mixing more than a ton at a time.

Mixing is the easiest part of the process. All you need are good storage containers, a scale, and some elbow grease. All organic products have limited shelf life (no preservatives). Over time it degrades and loses nutrients, especially if pests gain access to it. It’s best to mix feed about every 30 days. You should also keep track of the age of the ingredients so everything stays fresh.

If all this sounds like too much work, you have few other alternatives. You can decide to drop the “organic” label and just make sure you buy ingredients that you trust are not GMO or contain pesticides. In the end this is what most people want anyway. If you sell your eggs as organic, then legally you cannot use the label unless the feed/ingredients are certified organic.

You can also decide to buy or mix your own feed in bulk and sell to friends and family (it’s a nice side business). Lastly you can have feed shipped directly to you in useable quantities and be confident of its quality and freshness. This takes very little time when you order through our online store.

What most people balk at with mail order feed is the cost of shipping. Because of weight and distance, the S&H can cost as much as the feed. If you take into account the option of mixing your own feed, you can see that the cost of S&H can well be worth it. In most cases it costs less. Take a look at the table below that outlines example costs. These are very conservative and realistic prices. You can find higher and lower at times, but rarely.

So if you’ve been considering mixing your own feed, hopefully this information hasn’t deterred you but helped you make a more informed decision. We wish you the best for healthy and happy chickens.