I know we had this conversation a couple months ago but here I go again. My laying crumbles has went from $16 to $22 for a 50 pound sack. I butchered one of my roosters and four five year old hens today because feed cost is killing me. We will butcher another half a dozen old hens next weekend. To break even I would have to charge about $5 a dozen for my eggs. That is too much and I can't do it. I gues it is time to just keep 4 or 5 hens to supply my mom and us and stop selling to our friends.

I don't keep chickens as a business venture. i give the extra eggs away and the amount of smiles I got out of those birds is worth very buck I spend on feed. With the visitors from the neighbor I feed 19 hens and 2 roosters.

Ask the elevator about mixing a custom batch for you, maybe store it in 55 gallon barrels etc

It's running around 18 per 50 lb around here. A bag for the eeg layers last me 3 days.

We don't have grain elevators anywhere close. The only one I know of grinds there own brand and it is as expensive as name brands. Purina is what I feed as my hens seem to do the best on it.

I feel it to Sundance, Stopped buying from Tractor supply, Crumbles went from 12.00 to 17.00 a 50 lb bag. Found a farm that sells layer feed a 11.50 & cracked corn for 10.00 . We sell egg's at 3.50 a Doz.
We sell about 4 to 6 Doz. a week. Like ya said, hate to raise the price, But I enjoy my chickens to much to get rid of them.

I have about 40 hens but am going to drop down to just 4 to 6 unless I can figure something out. We normally sell about 15 dozen a week for 3.50 a dozen. I can't bring myself to ask for more.

Chickens do more then you think really around a place like pest and weed control so consider that before you drop their numbers to far, look into a moveable run to make use of free range no real need for a lot of feed over the summer months.

Well you Have to charge more...eat the cost or do like you said. Stop.

Find an alternative feed source.

That's a big increase in feed.
Labor of Love is fine but with this economy, we have to star adjusting.

Mine was still $16/50 lbs. yesterdayI better go tomorrow and grab a bunch more if it hasn't gone up since then.

We decided today to get rid of our chickens. Feed is way too expensive. Going to Quail now.

I like having them around.And they don't eat too much feed all summer as I let them free range all day.They put themselves back in the coop at night,,and I let them back out in the morning.The eggs I get from them they are getting almost $6 a dozen at the store.Two dozen eggs almost pays for a bag of feed.

1. Feed your layer feed but cut it with cracked corn and add appropriate amount of oyster shell grit
2. Feed less of layer feed but supplement with food scraps, old produce, old bakery items etc.
3. Feed less layer feed and free range as much as possible.
4. CHEAPEST SOLUTION…. Do all of the above.

Before you do something rash.......figure out what you would have to charge to keep from losing money.........then let the folks buying those eggs know what it is...........and give them the option to keep going or buy their eggs somewhere else. Or as my dad used to say......."don't say no for the other guy".

I'm looking at the same thing for my eggs and hay. For some reason, my feed costs have not gone up much.....so still paying their way.......but I've only got a dozen producing birds, so not critical. I also sell small square bales of hay to folks for their goats, bucket calves and horses. Have informed them all price is going up......from $5 a bale to $7 or $8......and they all said OK. Fertilizer doubled. Gas and Diesel doubled. They all know and accept it. Their alternative is to find cheaper hay that doesn't exist........or lose their animals. They don't expect me to feed their animals at a loss. They would allow me to.....but don't expect it. I'm not their adversary. I'm their hay supplier.

Mine free range all spring and summer but that only covers half the year. We still haven't hit 70 this spring so no bugs only grass and weeds for them so I still need to supply protein. We can't buy oyster shell in our area, something about state laws in Washington, where ours come from. Everybody is looking for bakery and grocery scraps for pigs,chickens and bear bait so are very hard to come by. We will get through summer then will have to make a decision.

Problem with Quail is that they need a good game bird food, That is priced crazy too.

I feed my birds grit. It's fine gravel in case you need an explanation.

18 % is $22/100# here at the co-op. Add a little cracked corn @17/100# not bad. We are feeding out 60-day meat birds, day olds at $4.00. 60 days of 18% we will be into them for about $10 each. Have them pre-sold at $18 ready to cook.

Layers are getting 14% @ $20/100#, eggs are $3 dozen or duck eggs at $3.00 1/2 dozen just barely pays for them selves.

Go buy a PU load of grain from a farmer. All these layer pellets or crumbles are is ground grain. My chickens get very little layer this time of the year. I do give them more in the winter, but it is only a small amount of the feed they get. Mostly whole grain. We often soak it over night so they can process it faster. The more they can eat the more they get out of it.