is it really cost effective raising your own chickens?

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phoenix rooster

phoenix rooster

In the Brooder
11 Years
Oct 3, 2008
64
4
39
Portland, OR
I've spent nearly $1000 on 2 coops, feed, bedding, equipment, meds, etc...
and chicks are 5 weeks old now. will there be more hidden fees? I'm new to the chicken business and hoping to make a little cash for my sons saving.... but what a cost upfront! Also to be efficient should I raise new chicks every 2 years for maximum production? there's a good market in my area for fresh eggs hence my new egg stand opening soon in 5 months! would it wear out my red stars and australops if I kept a light on for 14 hours to keep them laying next fall/winter 2009. i do plan to free range, any tips for cost savings is a plus! so far the rewards have been good, just not monetary......

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not really ~ but you get to have your own fresh eggs, plus a ready supply of meat, should you need it. Also, I think it depends on perspective ~ are you coddling them, with a ginormous mansion/coop, do they have to have fresh ground feed every day, are they considered ~pets~, or are they earning their keep?

My chickens didn't cost hardly anything for set-up ~ wood for the coop came salvaged from the dump, it's an arc, so they scavenge a lot of their food from the yard/garden/household scraps ( to exclude meat, potato, & onion or garlic scraps) ~ we have 13 hens, & we buy a $15.00 50# bag of feed once a month. Plus we bought a $15.00 50# bag of scratch that we are still throwing out as treats every now & again. (Same bag since the beginning, back in March). Probably cost a bit more in the winter, since I ( ok, my husband :-D ) won't be moving the arc around anymore due to snow.

Since we are a family of 7, and we go through a significant amount of eggs, we don't have enough left over to sell, but then again, we don't have to buy any to supplement either. ( We go through about 5 doz eggs every week to week & a half).

And the 2 surprise roo's tasted mighty good in that chicken & rice casserole.

We are going to raise meat chickens next spring. About 25 - 30. I have figured out that in an 8 - 9 week period, with the amount of feed they will consume as to the amount of weight they will gain, & the cost of food, chick purchase price, etc, they will come out to roughly 23cents a pound. I can live with that number. It may cost me my labor ~ but it's better than watching tv.

So I suppose it's a perspective question, you know where your meat comes from, satisfaction of raising your own, self-sufficiency, provident living.....but in the end ~ again ~ probably not ~ :-D
~Red
 
ps ~ what an adorable little guy you have there!! It looks to me like it might have been worth the expense regardless. :-D
~Red
 
It would take a very long time and a very large operation for it to be worth it money wise. But it is worth it for the knowledge of what you are eating. You know what it eats and therefore what you are eating.

There is a lot to be said for a bit of self-reliance and wholesome goodness.
 
LOL
My husband and a co worker figured it out shortly after we built our $200 coop and $150 run.
Will take a LONG LONG LONG time to even come close to breaking even. But the chickens are fun.
 
As a farmer, there are ways to break even at least and maybe make some money, as a hobbyist or pet chicken owner...no, it is definitely not cost effective
 

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