Topic of the Week - Managing Expenses and Saving/Making Money Keeping Poultry

[sevenfatcows]

I agree with your cost analysis, dawnd13; the chickens that we keep have enriched our lives beyond what we spend on them. Chicken society is fascinating to me, I learn new things constantly, especially in the breeding and rearing of the baby chicks. I think the fact that a chick can hatch itself out of that egg is a flat out miracle, and I am so very thankful to have been able to study and learn to appreciate the complexity and beauty of the process. As it happens, we are blessed to have resources that cut our costs dramatically, but if that were not the case, we'd still do it. I often find my husband, a big scary looking fellow, lol, relaxing in his chair at the end of the day with a couple of chicks cupped in his hands. The flock is a gift to us....

 

[igorsMistress]

We decided to build our coop because it's exactly how we want it. All new materials, but we want it to last for many years. I planned for this expense and used my annual bonus to build it. We went over budget because I decided to put on blocks but those weren't expensive; also decided to try nest boxes that mount on the wall rather than build using the scraps left over from the coop. It's about time and ease of clean up for me.

We just built a 5 gallon bucket feeder to try so not sure about food waste but I make them clean up spills. The chicks also have the yard to free range in and since that started their feed consumption has been cut by at least 1/3. I also give them veggies/fruit that we haven't eaten and will feed back the shells when they start to lay. My only treat expense is mealworms and since they do like them I get live worms once a week for about $2.50.

We never intended to sell eggs but will share with my family. We have two kids, three grandkids and my parents are here too. Things may change but for now we don't plan to sell chicks either. I would love it but not so sure about my husband.

So far it's all been an expense, but the relaxation of chicken tv is worth it.

 

[donrae]

Another money saving tip I just remembered.....

No matter if you think of your chickens as pets, don't shop for them at a "pet" store if you have an option. Go to a farm and ranch store, prices will be much better as a rule.

Don't buy the small cute little bags of shavings. Buy the big bales, you get a lot more and they're only $10 or so. They stay compressed in the bag well, so it's not too much of a pain to store them if you have a tiny coop and don't use it all at once.

I buy oyster shell by the 40-50lb bag. Yep, I have a lot of birds. But even if I only had a few, oyster shell does not go bad. Same for grit.

If you want to feed mealworms, etc look into raising your own. No need to shell out $ each week, they're very easy to raise.

 

[igorsMistress]

If you want to feed mealworms, etc look into raising your own. No need to shell out $ each week, they're very easy to raise. 

I have grown them for fishing, they're super easy. Alas I currently lack the space and it's going to be too hot in the garage soon.

Do you raise them? I raised them in a 3 tiered drawer thing but we couldn't go through them fast enough to be worth dealing with them so I gave up.

We tried red wigglers too but it didn't go well. Going to try that again though.

 

[donrae]

I'm not at the moment, but when I did, it was just in a Tupperware container. I didn't get a big batch going, just enough for a few treats now and then. I used chicken feed and potatoes, IIRC.

 

[GardenJen77]

Another money saving tip I just remembered.....

No matter if you think of your chickens as pets, don't shop for them at a "pet" store if you have an option. Go to a farm and ranch store, prices will be much better as a rule.

Don't buy the small cute little bags of shavings. Buy the big bales, you get a lot more and they're only $10 or so. They stay compressed in the bag well, so it's not too much of a pain to store them if you have a tiny coop and don't use it all at once.

I buy oyster shell by the 40-50lb bag. Yep, I have a lot of birds. But even if I only had a few, oyster shell does not go bad. Same for grit.

If you want to feed mealworms, etc look into raising your own. No need to shell out $ each week, they're very easy to raise.

I don't get the oyster shell because we don't eat any sea food products. If there are other's out there such as us, you can feed the chickens their own egg shells, after you dry and grind them up. No need to buy additional product, unless of course you don't keep the eggs yourselves .;-)

I agree with buying the BIG bag of pine shavings. I might look into raising my own meal worms, sounds interesting.

 

[donrae]

I don't get the oyster shell because we don't eat any sea food products. If there are other's out there such as us, you can feed the chickens their own egg shells, after you dry and grind them up. No need to buy additional product, unless of course you don't keep the eggs yourselves .;-)

I agree with buying the BIG bag of pine shavings. I might look into raising my own meal worms, sounds interesting.

Depending on what breeds you have and how long you intend to keep them, you may need to eventually look into some sort of supplemental calcium. Feeding egg shells is wonderful, I do it myself, but it's kind of a diminishing rate of return. You cycle through enough and there may not be enough to support both bone health and good egg shells. I'm thinking specifically of high production bred birds like sex links, Leghorns, etc, over say 2 years old. I know some folks use calcium carbonate, like Tums, but I have no idea of the dose.....

then again, I don't feed layer feed, so my base feed is lower in calcium. I guess my whole concern would be a moot point for someone who feeds layer feed, with the higher calcium levels to start with

 

[5Sons Coop]

Coop

I recommend to anyone that wants to "try" chickens and is not handy enough to build there own coop. Or doesn't want an old use repurposed eye sore, to in vest in a garden shed. Get one with at least one window for light and venting. If you keep it clean and chickens don't work out you will still have a shed.

Feed cost

I love feeding my chickens cob corn. It gives them something to do besides peck on each other. I do deep litter in my runs and the empty cobs help keep it dry. After a farmer is done picking the corn off there field ask if you can scavenge some. You will be surprise how much they miss or drive over on the corners. You can pick a lot in a short amount of time. I feed it free will alongside there normal feed. I also feed them table scrap. Chickens are omnivore and need protein to produce eggs so leftover meat is a favorite. Predators are a big issue so I don't let my chickens free range as often as I would like, a mobile chicken tractor helps with this.

$

Hatching your own chicks has a lot of benefits. Selling chicks, your own replacement chickens, you can have a closed flock becoming less like to get illnesses. I do not buy pine shavings. I get a pickup load of saw dust from a saw mill for $5-$10 a pick-up load.

 

[missy1971]

Coop

I recommend to anyone that wants to "try" chickens and is not handy enough to build there own coop. Or doesn't want an old use repurposed eye sore, to in vest in a garden shed. Get one with at least one window for light and venting. If you keep it clean and chickens don't work out you will still have a shed.

Feed cost

I love feeding my chickens cob corn. It gives them something to do besides peck on each other. I do deep litter in my runs and the empty cobs help keep it dry. After a farmer is done picking the corn off there field ask if you can scavenge some. You will be surprise how much they miss or drive over on the corners. You can pick a lot in a short amount of time. I feed it free will alongside there normal feed. I also feed them table scrap. Chickens are omnivore and need protein to produce eggs so leftover meat is a favorite. Predators are a big issue so I don't let my chickens free range as often as I would like, a mobile chicken tractor helps with this.

$

Hatching your own chicks has a lot of benefits. Selling chicks, your own replacement chickens, you can have a closed flock becoming less like to get illnesses. I do not buy pine shavings. I get a pickup load of saw dust from a saw mill for $5-$10 a pick-up load.

question about the sawdust, is the sawdust not to fine for their resp. systems? Im tired of buying straw and pine shavings, it gets expensive, but i hate for them to have a muddy coop or run.

 

[5Sons Coop]

question about the sawdust, is the sawdust not to fine for their resp. systems? Im tired of buying straw and pine shavings, it gets expensive, but i hate for them to have a muddy coop or run. 

The saw dust I get it really coarse from an old circular saw mill.