# Feed Cost?



## birdkeeper (Jun 24, 2009)

Just a question?

I buy 6 50lb. bags of feed every month for about 130 birds and I only feed them once a day, is that reasonable or am I feeding my birds too much because every feed time they go crazy like they've never eaten before?
what do you guys think?


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## Flapdoodle (Nov 8, 2009)

birdkeeper said:


> Just a question?
> 
> I buy 6 50lb. bags of feed every month for about 130 birds and I only feed them once a day, is that reasonable or am I feeding my birds too much because every feed time they go crazy like they've never eaten before?
> what do you guys think?


6 x 50 = 300 x 16 = 4,800 oz of feed a month 

4800/130=37 oz per bird per month

37/30=1.2 oz per bird per day.

They may need a little more then that, especially when it gets cold. What do you feed your birds?


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## birdkeeper (Jun 24, 2009)

I get my feeds at the Seed Factory and I get the gold 15.5

15.5% GOLD (POPCORN) - Popcorn, R/C Wheat, Maple Peas, Red & White Milo, Trapper Peas, Safflower Seeds, Austrian Peas, Oat Groats, Vetch, Paddy Rice and 35% Extruded Protein Pellet.


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## bicklebok (Sep 29, 2010)

Good math Flapdoodle! Nice to see it broken down that way. I have about 90-100 birds and go through 6 bags a month. I feed mine once a day also.

In the cold weather they do need a lot more. You can try watching to see if they eat all of it in the first 20 minutes and adjust to a little more or less. 

I use European Supreme blend feed (Moyer Brand?)and I am shocked in how much the price has gone up in the last few years. It went from 19.00 a 50 lb bag to 29.00. Its back down to 24.00 now. Still high!


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## birdkeeper (Jun 24, 2009)

My birds always finish their food in 10-15 mins but I do not add more food because like you said bicklebok that the feed is getting expensive. I just want to make sure i do not deprived them of food.


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## Guest (Oct 28, 2010)

the constant increase of feed prices sure does put a damper on keeping pigeons , I can remember when 50 lbs of feed cost under and around $10 dollars a bag ..I used to work on a poultry farm as a kid and they sold feed in 100lb bags and even that was around $10 bucks a bag oh how I wish there was a way to go back to the good ole day of yester year  my mentor at the time had like 200 plus pigeons just for pleasure and they all were always in super shape at any time of the year he never treated them for anything other then worms , that was the good life we sat there for hours just watching them fly .. he was also a poultry show person who had pheasants and show chickens and more on a retired persons salary without a problem ..times sure have changed


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## ptras (Jun 29, 2010)

LokotaLoft said:


> the constant increase of feed prices sure does put a damper on keeping pigeons , I can remember when 50 lbs of feed cost under and around $10 dollars a bag ..I used to work on a poultry farm as a kid and they sold feed in 100lb bags and even that was around $10 bucks a bag oh how I wish there was a way to go back to the good ole day of yester year  my mentor at the time had like 200 plus pigeons just for pleasure and they all were always in super shape at any time of the year he never treated them for anything other then worms , that was the good life we sat there for hours just watching them fly .. he was also a poultry show person who had pheasants and show chickens and more on a retired persons salary without a problem ..times sure have changed


Not sure I like your "good ole days of yesteryear."

When I was 20 years old, I earned less than $10,000 per year. Pigeon feed was around $10 per 50 lb. bag. Now, pigeon feed is around $25/bag. Based on that 250% increase, I should be earning around $25,000.00/year. With my family of four, that puts us smack dab in the middle of the federal poverty guidelines.

If pigeon feed kept pace with my increases in salary, we would all be paying over $100 per bag.


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## Guest (Oct 28, 2010)

ptras said:


> Not sure I like your "good ole days of yesteryear."
> 
> When I was 20 years old, I earned less than $10,000 per year. Pigeon feed was around $10 per 50 lb. bag. Now, pigeon feed is around $25/bag. Based on that 250% increase, I should be earning around $25,000.00/year. With my family of four, that puts us smack dab in the middle of the federal poverty guidelines.
> 
> If pigeon feed kept pace with my increases in salary, we would all be paying over $100 per bag.


thats why I liked the good ole days when everything was afordable lol sorry  to be honest whith you I thought that was very expensive at the time


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

You should mix your own feed corn wheat and milo are less than $5.50 for a 50 lb bag oats are even cheaper. Safflower and peas coast more but you dont put much safflower in the mix so it goes a long way sun flower seed are under $10 for 40 lbs. But I do live in Nebraska and it helps if you know the farmers. I like to add roasted soy beens $7.50 and a bag of wild bird seed mostly millet around $12. I do buy them race mix for the old and young bird seasons.
Dave


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## Jaysen (Jun 21, 2010)

Don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but I found it was cheaper to get a NC blend and then add local corn that I can get for $8/100lb. I can then "tweak" the corn ratio to the season or loft (prisoners are much lighter than the flyers). We also found barley for $9/50lb. I did the math once, but can't remember the per lb cost that I figured out, but it was significantly cheaper this way.


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## Guest (Oct 28, 2010)

Jaysen said:


> Don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but I found it was cheaper to get a NC blend and then add local corn that I can get for $8/100lb. I can then "tweak" the corn ratio to the season or loft (prisoners are much lighter than the flyers). We also found barley for $9/50lb. I did the math once, but can't remember the per lb cost that I figured out, but it was significantly cheaper this way.


just so you know here corn is 6$ per 50 lbs right now in NJ and barley Im not even sure what is is per lb so each state Im sure its different but last I checked for a nice grain mix was $17 per 50 lb bag from browns mix but it seems to just go up as it gets colder here in NJ so adding to that the price just seems to go up as well making your own mix is better when youuse pelleted mixes if you ask me .


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## hillfamilyloft (Jun 22, 2005)

If you buy whole corn separately and other grains separately you can save a bit of money. I use excello breeder and excello premium without corn and throw a bag of corn in it. Cut it down with some light seeds and makes for a pretty good off season feed 200lbs for about $70. The birds love the corn now that it is getting cold. Gets them a little fat, but they look really healthy. Wish I could find some good barley around here.


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## Crazy Pete (Nov 13, 2008)

Corn doesnt have much fat under 4% while sun flower seeds have over 31%.
Dave


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## Flapdoodle (Nov 8, 2009)

I stumbled across this article a while back. You can take your 15.5 percent mix and then calculate what the percent protein and carbs based on adding, corn, barley or whatever or you use it to mix your own. 

http://www.npausa.com/keeping/feeding.htm


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

I have roughly 100 birds. I get 50 lbs pigeon mix ($26.00) a week and add 20 lbs of wild seed ($4.89 @ Walmart) in with it. When I fill the feed bucket, I add 1 cup safflower seed ($11.00/10 lb) and 1 cup peanut hearts ($8.00/ 5 lb) to it. I feed twice a day.


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## bicklebok (Sep 29, 2010)

I do similar to you MSfreebird. I mix a 50/50 ratio of wild bird seed and pigeon feed. I buy the wild bird feed in the 50lb bag at the feed store and I think it's about $13 a bag. I dont race my birds though, so I dont worry about the protein level as much.


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## birdkeeper (Jun 24, 2009)

I appreciate all the great ideas about the feed. i might look into mixing my own feed and see if i can save some money.


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## g0ldenb0y55 (Dec 23, 2008)

birdkeeper said:


> I appreciate all the great ideas about the feed. i might look into mixing my own feed and see if i can save some money.


It's always good to save! I'm gonna look into maybe mixing everything myself too.


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## RonWhite3030 (Apr 7, 2011)

what is a good ration of peas, corn, wheat, milo and safflower for a pigeon mix?

as in 50lbs of this 25 pound of that terminology


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