Homemade can range from binding natural ingredients into pea-size pellets made on your own fresh out of the extruder/grinder, to basically toss in livebaits (such as worms that you grow on your own). It's all about how much efforts you're willing to put forth.
I looked at various other brands, and so far, AquaMax is the only suitable choice that I can compare to. Other products are extremely high on salt, fatty substitutes, and the binding agents blended in with attractants will simply of your fish's deaths due to the fatty liver done in by over consumption. As more chime in, I'll get into the specifics on what I've found from years of notes and data crunching.
For now, let's take your questions into account:
1lb of AquaMax Largemouth, after tax and handling fee, roughly estimated at $40. So, 40lbs bag at retail is $1/lb. My question remains is, how many mounts can 1lb of the fish food feed in a population?
Homemade, based on the long run investment, can be as low as $0.20/lb, or as expensive as $3.00/lb, based on the extend you want to feed your fish. Remember, if you want ferocious fishes, then formulation of higher caliber is required. If you want docile but active feeders, then cheaper formulation can be achieved.
Lime applied into the water doesn't increase calcium in the fish. It contribute as high as 3% of total dietary supplement to the fish's total intake due to the consumption of invertebrates they forage at the bottom. Unless the invertebrates consumed high level of lime into their body, and then dispensed as binding materials from their guts into the fish's stomach, then the percentile increases. Otherwise, no. Calcium must be derived from the intake of the feeds/baits provided. The fish will absorb the calcium based on available calcium source in their dietary consumption.
