re roosters arent worth the feed? cull them?

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maf2008

maf2008

Songster
12 Years
Feb 19, 2009
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I just thought how expensive chickens can be..... If I hatch an egg and feed the chick until age 8/14 weeks ( and it turns out to be a rooster) I am guessing it can cost $20-$40 in just feed!
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Then you cull and process eat the rooster WOW! THAT IS EXPENSIVE!

What is wrong with this picture? I can BUY a packaged chicken at the super mart for $4.

So do I "cull" rooster chicks? Doe any one have advice or opinions?
 
You have to decide if it is worth it to YOU. to do it yourself, you know where the chickens have been, how they were cared for, what they have been eating etc. buying from a store you know none of that. Especially the what have they been eating, and what have they been pumped full of! I would say, for the peace of mind of knowing where your food comes from is more than worth it. Besides, feeding "snacks" is hilarious and cuts down on feed; so does free ranging.
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p.s. one chick isn't consuming $20-40 of feed on it's own. you would need to divide how many chicks by how much feed.
 
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Yep, that's 99.9% of the reason I bought chickens in the first place. I want to know what they're eating, especially that they are ranging on grass/bugs, and that they're having a good life.
 
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I'm seriously trying to figure that one out -- and if the OP could elaborate I'd appreciate it. Are you not letting them forage, feeding any kitchen scraps, and really feeding them tons or what? ...Seriously, all my supplies for raising my four probably cost me about 40 bucks. Building supplies not included, of course.
 
Well.... I buy a 50 lb bag and each rooster eats in 8 weeks about 1/4 to 1/2 lb feed each day times 10 weeks = 80 days until slaughter ... this is about 100-125 lbs of food per chicken

OR about $40!!!!! Ok Ok I like free ranging too.... (I am afraid I will lose chickens so I dont.)

What "cheap" or in this case I need something "cheep! cheep!" to feed them. I do give them lots of clover/ and even throw in a bucket of mixed grains... How can I keep down the cost? My dogs eat the small amt of table scraps and we are a family of 4 so we do not waste a lot....

Any ideas on how to economize on chicken feed????? BUT keeping each bird for 8/10/14/ weeks can be expensive. $$$$$$$$$$$$
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Please submit all "cheap cheap!" feed ideas for LOTS OF CHICKENS Thanks
 
Putting mine out on grass drastically reduced their feed consumption AND waste. They have 9sq ft each of run space and I move their tractor every couple of days.
That's all I know.
 
I'm very pro-rooster. Sure my roo eats alot, not so much of the layer feed though since they free range.
I consider him an investment for my girls safety.
 
I've heard this discussed before, with all the numbers crunched in every direction. I think that, bottom line, you don't raise meat birds in your back yard to save money on your grocery bill, but you do benefit in many many other ways. The reason there are $4 chickens sold in the stores is because they're raised in huge numbers on factory farms for maximum efficiency. We just cannot compete in terms of price in our back yards.

But if you compare what you spend on your birds with organic free-ranged chicken, the numbers start to get a little closer. And there are ways to trim feed costs with our home flocks, to eliminate waste and supplement with scraps & free ranging.

In terms of personal satisfaction in raising quality food for your family, in having a close connection with your food source, for gaining an appreciation for the meat on your table, there's no way to put a price on that.

Of course, not everyone sees this as a benefit, and that's fine if you don't. But if you don't want to keep your rooster chicks around, taking up coop space & eating up feed, then at least sell/give them to someone who does want them for their table. Since Mister lost his job in Feb I couldn't buy the meat chicks I had wanted to order. Instead, I've been blessed with a few batches of "packing peanuts" other people received & didn't want to bother with. I am grateful to have them to raise for our table.
 
I will guess that I will continue to give clover/grass and greens to eat on as well as ask neighbors to exchange "scraps" for eggs.....

But I can see the benefits both ways.....

Would it hurt to suppliment the 50 lbs of food with a few lbs of extra "all stock" this is goat cattle food that hat 18% veg protein. Its $6.00 a bag
 
I got a few different figures based upon your scenario.

Let say one roo is eating 1/2lb a day and you slaughter at 14 weeks.

14*7 = 98 days worth of feed at .5 lbs a day = 49 lbs of feed.

Only one bag. I don't think that's too bad for raising your own meat. as most have already said, we're not really doing this to save money but for all the other reasons previously mentioned.
 

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