It's one of those things that you just can't skimp on if you expect good egg production. There are all sorts of ways to cut the feed bill SOMEWHAT, but none are ideal diets for egg production, or for other reasons. For some people with appropriate set ups, free range in summer can provide up to 1/3 of the diet. That's assuming that you have high quality forage pasture. Predator protection is the other issue, and more often than not, free range = dead, unless you're willing to invest in good, predator proof fencing. If you were willing to do that, then I'm guessing that you wouldn't be concerned about reducing your feed bill. Lots of people set up agreements with commercial bakeries where they get the old bread products, but here again, if used as a large percentage of the diet, production suffers. You're somewhat lucky, because you are in farm country, and have access to large grain producing areas closer than in other parts of the country. From what I've seen of corn silage fields after they're harvested, there's a large amount of waste. An hour or two in a willing farmer's field should yield a pick up truck full of whole ears, if you have a place to store them. Here again, using corn as too high a percentage of the diet will cut production, but the birds can get by on it. Good luck.

Oh yes, just so you know, roosters ARE chickens too!

Patricia, how many eggs do you get daily from your 110 hens? It sounds to me as though a lot of your hens must be unproductive, but I am not getting a clear picture from your post. This time of year, you can't really expect too much from them but if it doesn't start to improve as the days lengthen, I would be inclined to cull the layabouts and let your broodies raise some replacements.

Protein contents in the birds' diet is a major factor in egg production. You don't say what you are feeding, but you could try a higher protein feed and see if that helps. If you have surplus milk, this is an excellent source of protein. Fish is also good... here I could feed smelts or suckers when they are running in April/May, but I don't know what your area offers. You can raise mealworms or red worms in bins to provide free protein. Plant a patch of alfalfa. It will give a high protein forage that will be productive for years.

I have a small flock, just for our own use, because I find it difficult to sell eggs on a regular basis. I free range them and yes, I do lose the occasional bird to predators. But although we have coyotes, foxes, raccoons, hawks, fishers, mink and weasels here, our losses are light. If you lock your birds up at night, you may not experience the heavy losses that one might expect.

I'm posting a link to a website that I think you will find interesting. Hope it helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: Chicken Feed

We have 70+ chickens and now that the ground is frozen and snow covered, we are easily going through over 100# of feed a week. We are especially noticing it because their consumption has increased so much since there isn't any forage available now. We are, however getting 4 doz. eggs per day and I guess that is because this is their first year of laying.

We are feeding lots of eggs back to the chickens because we didn't count on their laying throughout the winter and didn't establish a customer base! Do supplement their diet with all of your leftovers. They love them and with four kids, you probably have plenty. I have read about all the things you aren't supposed to give them, but I give them absolutely all of our leftovers.

They love meat scraps and the only thing I never give them is chicken. Potato peels got into the scrap bucket several times and they were fine with it. I have to believe if something is bad for them, they won't eat it. Be sure to plant plenty of extra stuff just for them this spring like kale, and other greens. Since mine free range, I plant greens all through the flower gardens to keep them out of my vegetable beds.

The price of feed has already gone up considerably because of the push for Ethanol.

Thank you for the great advice so far. The fed here is 10.00 a bag and are just eating like crazy. We have got no eggs really from our older ones yet the ones that should start laying have not. Days like today with a wind chill of a -30 just makes it hard to stay warm. I really am not worried about predators taking the chickens as much as I am about peoiple helping themselves to a free chicken dinner. Know to happen around here. I do not mind asking the farmers about picking up ears of corn either but a lot of the farms around here the farmers go back and use some kind of machine themselves to get them before they bale the rest. Cracked corn is 9.99 a bag here for 50 pounds. I do not want to skimp on what they need just want to learn how to cut costs. Selling eggs will work when weather is better and all my different breeds are laying but untill than a pain. I have to head out just to buy metal wateres with seperate base heaters to keep water defrosted other wise I am driving 6 miles round trip 4 times a day to water them. Its going to be -14 tommorrow without windchill and I though -6 today was bad but we are in for this weather at least a few more weeks. I have a heated barn and still its BRRRRR

Are you giving them supplemental light? That helps with egg production. They say 14 hours a day of light.

(I don't know if that will make them eat more, though!)

--Jonathan

more light will cause them to eat more, thus produce more eggs.
layer feed and other treats/feeeds are not sufficient for hatching egg enterprises. Layer feed is made to make the most eggs at the least cost, not to make healthy eggs for hatching. Breeding flocks whose eggs are meant to be sold, or retained for hatching should be fed a breeder feed, many breeders use a game bird breeder or a turkey pellet for that purpose. Feeding layer to breeders does make eggs, and they will hatch but I would be mad to receive those eggs for my money.