Analyzing whether or not backyard hens are "cost-effective"

[goodeater]

Hey guys, if anyone's interested, I just spent the weekend doing an analysis of this question. I was pretty surprised by the result, which was contrary to most of what I've read. Based on the study, I also produced some recommendations on how to contain costs with backyard and urban chickens.

http://www.goodeater.org/2010/05/10/backyard-chickens-running-the-numbers/

 

[Alabama ee]

Interesting....

 

[sugar pants]

Okay, that's pretty darn awesome.

The coop and run I mean (yes, they math is really neat too. but as i'm now 'landscaping' my coop, i've blown any shot i have at breaking even. plus, i can't bear to charge friends for the extra eggs, so i just give them away).

I would love to see more pics of the coop and run!

 

[augustmomx2]

Super

Thanks for the info...I need to share this info with my husband

 

[Qi Chicken]

Excellent!! Nice hens too!

 

[kokonut]

Nice work!!! I'm trying to be as thrifty as possible, so it was nice to read....also if you've ever been in the middle of baking a cake and forgot you're out of eggs...you could factor in gas to go to the store and the wasted time of driving and traffic and the guy in line in front of you with a load of groceries and a handful of coupons.....my first egg will cost about 400 bucks....but I garden and compost so I'm having a lot of fun.....plus my 8 little girls are very entertaining for my grandchildren and me....good job.....

 

[jjparke]

Did you take into consideration the eggs that you would consume? It looks like your calculations are assuming that you are selling all the eggs they lay???

 

[my1stchicks]

I also would love to see a bit more detail on the coop! Great info also by the way.