Mike (http://www.millsidefarm.com) and Grady (http://www.gradyphelan.com) respond to a listener question about stocking density inside a daily move broiler shelter. But does a simple question have a simple answer?

And how do you know if your expensive feed is paying dividends? Mike relays a story about two separate chicken flocks. One fed a carefully formulated ration and another fed a home-grown feed with a "found-online" ration. One of the single biggest investments in your flock will be feed, so it makes financial sense to cut that cost; however, do you know the impacts various quality feeds have on your flock?

If we follow Grady's advice about collecting data, we'll be able to intelligently justify and quantify the results of our feed choices.

Got a question? Send it to [email protected].