Save Money On the Profitable Farm While Feeding Your Chickens

Save Money On the Profitable Farm While Feeding Your Chickens

Financial Sustainability

Keeping track of numbers is an important skill for a profitable farm.  A farm needs to be sustainable when it comes to the health of the land, animals, and environment, but it also needs to be financially sustainable in order to survive and thrive.  Your financial goals will depend upon your farming goals, but no matter if you are farming for hobby, homestead, or for profit, you will want your financial resources to be used as efficiently as possible. When profitable farms want to be thrifty, often there is a focus on only one number, that being the price tag on a bag of feed.  It is true that a farm’s feed bill may be the largest single expense, but the price of feed is not the best indicator of the bottom line for a profitable farm.  Dawson Gap will be producing a series of blog posts which will look at how to employ efficient farm management techniques to achieve a profitable farm.  It is possible to be a thrifty, profitable farm without sacrificing quality, or your personal standards.

What kind of feeder do I use?

Presentation of feed is a key element to getting the most out of your farm dollar.  Self feeders, while they may seem easy to the farmer, encourage sorting and waste by the chickens. Broilers will be stimulated to eat more and waste less when fed incrementally through out the day. When feed is completely consumed in between feedings, less waste occurs.

Feeder Height Will Save You Money

Feeders placed at the height of the average chicken’s back will also decrease waste. When chickens are fed on the ground, waste will account for a 10% increase in the cost of feed being used.  If you would like to decrease your feed bill by 10%, then adjust your feeders to the proper height.  Proper feeder height can also decrease sores on the breast and feet of chickens who would otherwise lay down in the waste next to the feeder and eat. Hanging feeders are a good way to regulate feeder height, or if in a backyard flock situation, simply placing the feeder on a cinder block may help alleviate waste.

Everybody needs a seat at the dinner table.

There should be enough space available for every chicken to eat at the same time.  Three to four inches of space should be allowed for linear feeders for mature birds. Doing so will translate to there being less runts in a batch of broilers, as the big ones push the little ones out of the way to get to the feed.  Adequate space can also decrease scratches and injuries to the chickens caused by them frantically climbing on each trying to reach the feed.

Save Money With A Clear Conscience

Presentation of feed is especially important for a fresh cracked feed such as Hiland Naturals.  Fresh cracked feeds will provide maximum nutritional benefits for increase growth and performance.  Be sure to use feed within 2-4 weeks to avoid nutritional degradation due to old feed.   Any fresh cracked feed will contain a certain amount of fine material.  In order for all of the feed to be efficiently consumed, be sure to feed in the manner described above.  When efficient management techniques are utilized, savings on the farm and increased performance of animals can be realized without having to sacrifice your farm’s standards when it comes to documented Non-GMO and pesticide/herbicide free feed for your animals.

What does Water Have to do with Feed?

One more important factor to feed consumption and growth rates for your broiler chickens is to remember that water regulates feed intake for chickens.  A chicken will drink twice as much water as they eat feed.  Learn more about watering your chickens and improving your flock’s performance in an upcoming blog post!

We have learned this great information from Jeff Mattocks and Casey Trinkaus of Fertrell Minerals.  Join us some time when we host an informative workshop by Fertrell Minerals.  We carry Fertrell products in the Dawson Gap Farm Store, and you can find Fertrell minerals and formulations in Hiland Naturals Feed.  Contact Dawson Gap for pricing and delivery options for Hiland Naturals and Fertrell products.  From one bag, to bulk truck delivery, Dawson Gap is your source for quality Non-GMO, chemical free farm products.

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