A pint is 2 cups. I think a liquid pint would be about a pound. A pint of something dry, depending on how dense it is would weigh more or less than a pound. ie: comparing a pint of sand to a pint of marshmallows.
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
Thanks for the food for thought! Especially about breeds and predators. I don't want to lose birds, but I don't want to never let them out for fear of predators, either. I want the chickens to be reasonably healthy, I want at least 70% egg rate from the 6 birds, and I want monthly costs to be equal to or cheaper than our current cost of eggs. Definite bonuses would be the general experience, the better quality eggs, and the fertilizer. I'm not showing them, or keeping them as pets, or trying to sell anything. I completely respect those things, but it's just not where my goals lie.
Start up would be written off. Feed costs could also be averaged over the year; that's acceptable. So if it cost $5/month in summer and $20/month in winter, that would be fine. I just keep reading about people spending $100, $200 on feed each month (or week!!) and that would most certainly break the bank. Because I know next to nothing, I don't know if this is because of the size of the flock, a lack of foraging, the type of feed (organic?), or if feed is really just that expensive. When I started buying in bulk, it was hard to get the ball rolling, but once I did, it stretched our dollars. I'm having a hard time discerning if chickens would be like that, or if they're something that would just end up costing more and more.
Our current yard is broadleaf weeds, St. Augustine and Centipede grass, wild onions, and maybe some clover here and there. I'm not a landscaper, so if my yard is ever manicured, it would be an accident. But since they aren't happening here, I don't know what the forage would be like. I wouldn't be opposed to sowing and planting forage for them, if it came back each year. The ordinance is a bummer. A coop would be possible, but near the house, and my husband would almost assuredly veto that. I was wanting a coop/run set up next to my garden, but it's too close to our line.
And I misread the 1 1/2 figure, sorry. I think I'm overloading my information circuits. I appreciate all the advice and welcome more thoughts and comments! I'll keep reading and crunching numbers. I believe we'd have to be in a better position to move somewhere with more land, so maybe by then we can just have room for a chicken line on our budget.
I haven't read the others' responses yet, but here is mine:I apologize if this topic is covered a lot. I'm a newbie just perusing the forums. It's sounding like the highest monthly chicken cost is feed. I would plan on free-ranging chickens as much of the day as possible. I am home a lot, but not always able to be vigilant of my yard. I also live in west-central Georgia. So with the climate here and the free-ranging...what could I get by with feeding half a dozen laying hens to help them stay healthy, but not break the bank? I'm looking to replace white grocery store eggs in our diet without increasing (preferably decreasing) our monthly egg-related costs. I know this is a tall order and I'm curious if it's even possible. For what it's worth, based on a very cursory glance ad a few charts, I'm looking at Austorlorpe or Plymouth Rock breeds (any comments on that are welcome as well).
Thanks so much for any input.
I apologize if this topic is covered a lot. I'm a newbie just perusing the forums. It's sounding like the highest monthly chicken cost is feed. I would plan on free-ranging chickens as much of the day as possible. I am home a lot, but not always able to be vigilant of my yard. I also live in west-central Georgia. So with the climate here and the free-ranging...what could I get by with feeding half a dozen laying hens to help them stay healthy, but not break the bank? I'm looking to replace white grocery store eggs in our diet without increasing (preferably decreasing) our monthly egg-related costs. I know this is a tall order and I'm curious if it's even possible. For what it's worth, based on a very cursory glance ad a few charts, I'm looking at Austorlorpe or Plymouth Rock breeds (any comments on that are welcome as well).
Thanks so much for any input.