Shopping tips

[terracore]

Does anybody have any livestock concentric shopping tips? We use a mixture of buying from Dels, Mirandas, Amazon, Walmart, and Pahoa Feed. And occasionally Waimea. The prices at Pahoa feed aren't competitive but we throw them as much business as we can. It's like a "convenience store" for livestock supplies when you need to grab something close and don't want to drive into Hilo. I guess in this category the Orchidland store also applies for emergency small amounts of feed because they do have some livestock supplies (so does J. Hara). The feed at Mirandas is usually higher quality than Dels and they have a real parking lot, but sometimes we get stuff at Dels because their sales are good or its an item that Miranda's doesn't have. Especially medications and vaccines. The customer service at all the main livestock/feed stores is really good. When we have ordered day old chicks etc Pahoa feed has been THE BEST price and it's not as seasonal as Dels. Oddly enough there are some things available at the Waimea feed store that are so cheap by Hilo comparison it may be worth the gas to get there if you need a lot of it. Walmart has a surprisingly large livestock section. Their egg layer feed doesn't have enough protein and their bags weigh less than Mirandas or Dels, but there are some things like mineral blocks etc and some medicines that are only a few dollars compared to much more anywhere else. Their pig feed gets sold out the same day it comes in, so it must have a great price. Last hint is that the hay and straw at Dels is ultra compressed which is convenient for transporting (especially if you're stuck with a hatchback or something) but much of it is dust and stems. The quality at Mirandas is much better value.

ETA: Pahoa feed has a great selection of live plants, reasonably priced.