In case you missed this discussion on the general Forum site, I have added this discussion here.Would you like to provide your poultry with organic feed? If your experience is like mine, you can’t find a feed store in Phoenix that carries such products and, if you have ordered them online, you are daunted by the cost. How about joining me in forming a Buying Club?I have had experience with a producer of organic livestock feeds in Iowa. I fed their products to my little flock of 3 hens as I was raising them to maturity earlier this year. I had purchased the feed through MacMurray’s website and just couldn’t justify continuing to use them because of the cost. So, I started to investigate….and here is what I have learned.The wholesale cost of the feeds themselves, before the transportation costs, taxes, and profits of a retail store, is roughly equal to the retail cost of the non-organic Arizona feeds (that contain animal byproducts and who knows what else!). So, how can we get this stuff at wholesale prices with as little add-on cost as possible?This supplier is interested in gaining a foothold in Arizona and is willing to sell us their products at the prices shown below, but we must order 40 50-pound bags, or the equivalent, as a minimum order to be able to ship as a truck pallet. This is the secret to keeping the shipping costs down to a minimum. The supplier will ship smaller loads, of course, but the shipping costs then go up dramatically because the smaller shipments are sent via retail carriers.Shipping costs can be lowered even more if we can find a retail location that is willing to take our delivery.This supplier uses all organic certified grains and supplements to produce complete nutritious livestock feeds. No animal byproducts are used in any of these feeds. The variety of grains and oil used to meet nutritional needs are in accordance with the NOP standards for organically raised livestock.The feeds from this supplier are listed below, with their wholesale prices (not including shipping costs). These feeds are certified as follows:The growing fields have been free of harmful chemicals or prohibited substances for at least 3 years,Milling operations follow strict standardsDetailed records of practices are keptEcologically friendly methods and substances are used to improve the soil and control pests# of pounds Price ($)Chicken Feed:Organic Chick Starter 5 3.55Organic Chick Starter 50 18.47Organic Chick Grower 50 17.58Organic Broiler Finisher 50 16.82Organic Layer Complete 50 15.80Additions:Aragonite Flour 10 7.8350 25.65Fishmeal w/Naturox 10 14.8650 53.85Kelp 5 7.1050 38.90Flaxseed 5 6.4550 41.10Premix bases:Starter/Grower/Finisher 10 10.9820 18.25Layer Base 20 17.83Duck Feeds:Starter 50 18.21Grower 50 17.88Finisher 50 17.25Turkey Feeds:Starter 26% 50 19.13Grower 24% 50 18.80Finisher 22% 50 18.20Wild Game Feed 50 19.98Other grains:Extruded soybean meal 50 27.70Corn, shell 50 14.70Corn, ground fine 50 15.10Corn, ground med. 50 15.10If you are interested in forming a buyer’s club, please let me know by emailing: dharmabarbie@gmail.comWe will need to get together to decide on the working details of the organization. Perhaps a potluck organizational meeting of the buying club would be a great way to meet everyone, present any more research information we may have, make decisions about the operations of the group, and decide the role each member will play. Some considerations for the group include deciding who will receive shipments, who will handle the ordering and payment (a treasurer?), planning meetings, discussing surcharges and membership fees (if any), and creating bylaws (a quick and easy list of rules).I really look forward to hearing from you!Barbara Standley
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Just FYI, the Stock Shop will give you 10% off 40 bags, which would work out to about $22.50 per bag for organic layer. Maybe if it was a regular order they would go down even more? Keep us posed on Bluestem's prices. Have you ever used their feed before? Do you like it?
Thanks for your note, Rachel. Yes, I have used the Bluestem product with great success. I am also interested in their products because they offer a wide variety of poultry feeds. Please check this week when I will have posted the information they are sending.
HI, David. I am so happy to hear that you would like to participate. We may be getting close to being able to order the required 40 bags. If you write to me at dharmabarbie@gmail.com I can add you to the email distribution list for the group.
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Barbara
P.S.: My 3 hens are going through 10 lbs a week!
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