A short chicken feed rant

[SourRoses]

ETA: "I" wanted about 8 birds. The hubby "Farmer Hip Hillbilly" insisted on 40 citing "You're going to have losses for various reasons that is why I am telling you this number." Well, I have talked him down to 20 (the fight gets exhausting).

Of course, we were all new to it at some point. I started with silkies and we were surprised to only get tiny eggs
It's not right for anyone to try to talk you out of it just because you asked the same questions many people have. If you go to the feed section of the forum, Stormcrow has some good explanations of why DIY doesn't work out for most people. I'm most interested in how to keep our chickens going in some kind of disaster but it would frankly be a lot of work.
Tell your hubs that he is betting on failure and most people don't loose that many unless they do something really wrong. In fact, overstocking could lead to more deaths if the space isn't sufficient / disease burden / or you wind up taking risks with feeding (like free ranging despite predation).
Build everything to be predator proof and keep an eye out for signs of them when you free range and you shouldn't loose many. We haven't lost any to predators but a couple have passed for mysterious causes over the years.
It's easily solved by getting more chicks!
We have 40 growing out right now and it is harder than raising a half dozen. Just keeping up with their space requirements as they grow is a whole new learning experience for me after I've raised a lot of batches of chicks. Sometimes you walk out and they seem to have doubled in size overnight. I am calling one Popcorn for just that reason.

 

[Hip Hillbilly Acres]

Of course, we were all new to it at some point. I started with silkies and we were surprised to only get tiny eggs
It's not right for anyone to try to talk you out of it just because you asked the same questions . . .

Amen to that . I had to remind myself that overall this is a friendly place with friendly non-snarky people. Perhaps that responder is having a bad day or needs castor oil.

ETA: I love/enjoy the names you all come up with for your ladies and gents. I have two names picked and one was not even my idea (Clarice) and for a Brahma roo - Samson.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I feel all of that! Food prices - human, that is - and gas prices are hurting me!

The egg money should be enough to cover feed costs

This! This has proven true for me. I have 20 chickens and 6 ducks. Of those 20 chickens, I currently have 11 layers (the others are roos and babies). With those layers, I make enough selling eggs just to coworkers to cover feed costs. When my additional babies start laying, I should be able to make a (very) small profit by expanding to the town. I get about $50/month right now from egg sales, which just covers their feed.

I think that if you free range your flock and offer them pellets also, your feed costs will be relatively low. They'll eat mostly bugs and vegetation but get additional needed nutrition from the feed. If you advertise well and talk to neighbors, you can make some money. At the very least, your chickens will be net zero costs, and you'll save on purchasing eggs for you and your fam. Of course, start up costs are HIGH, but use as much recycled material as you can for their coop, etc. It takes some doing, but it's doable!

And you'll be happy because chickens = life.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Oh - but breed choice can help you if you choose good layers: white Leghorns, for instance, are egg laying MACHINES. They are great foragers, too, because they are good at predator evasion. Highly recommend! I also added a bunch of layers who lay colorful eggs: a Legbar, Easter Eggers, etc. because folks like the colorful eggs!

 

[Hip Hillbilly Acres]

I feel all of that! Food prices - human, that is - and gas prices are hurting me!



This! This has proven true for me. I have 20 chickens and 6 ducks. Of those 20 chickens, I currently have 11 layers (the others are roos and babies). With those layers, I make enough selling eggs just to coworkers to cover feed costs. When my additional babies start laying, I should be able to make a (very) small profit by expanding to the town. I get about $50/month right now from egg sales, which just covers their feed.

I think that if you free range your flock and offer them pellets also, your feed costs will be relatively low. They'll eat mostly bugs and vegetation but get additional needed nutrition from the feed. If you advertise well and talk to neighbors, you can make some money. At the very least, your chickens will be net zero costs, and you'll save on purchasing eggs for you and your fam. Of course, start up costs are HIGH, but use as much recycled material as you can for their coop, etc. It takes some doing, but it's doable!

And you'll be happy because chickens = life.

I hope we can find enough pallets to make a coop. He priced 2 x 4s yesterday . . . WOWsers. I know prices are only going up so I need to quit procrastinating and simply git r done. I am reading about cover crops that will help with their protein needs not to mention replenishing the soil. I am quite excited about it all.

Thank you for responding to me. Wish I had known all this when I was raising my younguns. Would have been so great for them. Funny, one of them, my 40 year old is 700 miles away and hanging on this whole venture. So many pictures, texts, and Signal messages forthcoming.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I hope we can find enough pallets to make a coop. He priced 2 x 4s yesterday . . . WOWsers. I know prices are only going up so I need to quit procrastinating and simply git r done. I am reading about cover crops that will help with their protein needs not to mention replenishing the soil. I am quite excited about it all.

Thank you for responding to me. Wish I had known all this when I was raising my younguns. Would have been so great for them. Funny, one of them, my 40 year old is 700 miles away and hanging on this whole venture. So many pictures, texts, and Signal messages forthcoming.

My kids were all almost adults when I started this, too, and I had the same thought.

Oh - for pallets, check Craigslist. I almost always find ads for businesses giving them away. They're easy enough to dismantle with a reciprocating saw and a blade for cutting metal, and they do make pallet tools.

Keep is posted! I'm exctied for you!

 

[Labuggie]

Fencing boards (usually 6’x6”, dog eared on one end) can also be an economical choice if pallets aren’t available or are too expensive. Plus they give a nice rustic look once weathered.

Regarding the infographic recommending both chicken feed and pellets: many of my neighbors (Utah) call cracked corn / scratch grains chicken food. So when they help out while we are gone I usually get questions about having two kinds of food because I have both scratch grains and pellets. Scratch is candy so should be given in moderation. Real chicken food - mash, crumbles, or pellets - should always be available in a feeder.

Have fun with the chickens! They are always full of new surprises and endless fun to watch.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Fencing boards (usually 6’x6”, dog eared on one end) can also be an economical choice if pallets aren’t available or are too expensive. Plus they give a nice rustic look once weathered.

Regarding the infographic recommending both chicken feed and pellets: many of my neighbors (Utah) call cracked corn / scratch grains chicken food. So when they help out while we are gone I usually get questions about having two kinds of food because I have both scratch grains and pellets. Scratch is candy so should be given in moderation. Real chicken food - mash, crumbles, or pellets - should always be available in a feeder.

Have fun with the chickens! They are always full of new surprises and endless fun to watch.

Good suggestion about fence boards! They are much more affordable. Those can often be found on Craigslist, too, in the freebie section when folks replace fences.

 

[raingarden]

For everyone except large industrial farms with many thousands of birds, keeping chickens is a hobby. If you do not count your time and effort you may break even on the feed cost. For others, like myself, it's an expensive hobby but cheap entertainment. What everyone here has in common is we find it satisfying and enjoyable. I'm sure you will agree once you get into it. Welcome.

 

[Percheron chick]

thank you for this well thought out, KIND, response. I appreciate it and will take heed.

ETA: "I" wanted about 8 birds. The hubby "Farmer Hip Hillbilly" insisted on 40 citing "You're going to have losses for various reasons that is why I am telling you this number." Well, I have talked him down to 20 (the fight gets exhausting).

Loss is inevitable but 50% is excessive unless you have a catastrophic breech. By starting here, hopefully you can pick up some tips to minimize loses before you get started. The main tip is do all you can before you receive chicks. Have the coop and brooder ready to go. Don't skimp on wire. Cover any gap big enough for a snake to get in. Secure latches with carribiners.

Unless you live in the mountains, you do not need a traditional 4 walled chicken coop. Your coop needs to be built for the most oppressive days of summer, thunderstorms and high predator load. I would go in the direction of a covered aviary design. Wire walls, roof and a solid back wall will fit the bill. A hoop coop is an inexpensive route as well. An 8x8 coop would be your minimum for 20 hens and works with common lengths of lumber and cattle panels. You might also find some chain link fence panels on CL or FB marketplace that can make a nice open and secure coop. Add a roof a couple of roosts and nestboxes and you're in business.