Chicken Economics 101 -- Reality Check Please!

[supercoops]

According to the University of Maryland Department of Poultry Science:

http://extension.umd.edu/sites/default/files/_docs/Raising Your Home Chicken Flock_FINAL_0.pdf



Supercoop's musings:

ref Note 10: small flock producers aren't here for economic reasons -- chicken-rearing is entertainment. Okeeee.

ref Note 8: Housing costs for a DYI coop/run set-up is $30 per bird including labor and materials. Why are people paying 5 times that amount for a coop?

ref Note 2: a 20% annual mortality rate is factored in. I haven't experienced that yet. Am I just lucky?

 

[Chick Charm]

Interesting play/calculations on numbers. I have to agree on most of it though.
Eating spent hens is really tough. Pun intended.
Urban chicken coops can cost a lot more than that, easily. I wish I could get 50lbs for $13. 17 at TSC for me.

 

[bustedchicks]

Thanks for posting that. Can you link the whole article?

 

[supercoops]

OK, I added the link to the original post.

 

[Julia62]

We have kept a spreadsheet of all our chicken expenses. We built our coop and have 4 teenagers (12-14 weeks old). This price includes all materials to build coop, run, tarp, shade cloth, feed containers, feed, fencing to separate "free range" area: $824.00 so far. My husband was trying to figure cost per dozen for "pastured" eggs (at Whole Foods here they are about $7-8 a dozen). I said they are "priceless" in joy and entertainment value

 

[6of6chicks]

You can't really put a price tag on the value in knowing where your food comes from and how it was grown.

 

[supercoops]

We have kept a spreadsheet of all our chicken expenses. We built our coop and have 4 teenagers (12-14 weeks old). This price includes all materials to build coop, run, tarp, shade cloth, feed containers, feed, fencing to separate "free range" area: $824.00 so far. My husband was trying to figure cost per dozen for "pastured" eggs (at Whole Foods here they are about $7-8 a dozen). I said they are "priceless" in joy and entertainment value

That's what I'm finding out Julia -- the small time coopster is in it for the fun. It's about "quality of life." My chickens give me the look and feel of my grandparents farm. It's nostalgic value.

 

[wings9191]

I've had friends tell me i'm not saving that much raising my chickens.
But the joy i get from messing with them everyday is as Julia put it Priceless.
After a crappy day at the office it's nice to go chill out with the chickens and do a little cleaning or fixing or just feeding them snacks.
And hey I know exactly what is going in and coming out of my chickens

 

[supercoops]

Interesting play/calculations on numbers. I have to agree on most of it though.
Eating spent hens is really tough. Pun intended.
Urban chicken coops can cost a lot more than that, easily. I wish I could get 50lbs for $13. 17 at TSC for me.

Hello chick charm,

No way I'll euthanize my birds. I'd like to let the old birds raise the baby chicks and let the new birds produce the eggs. I hope my plan works.

 

[Chick Charm]

I hear that. It's good for chicks to be raised by older flock members I think.

We have some broilers right now that are 3 weeks old and friendlier than anything. I will be working alone come process time on these as the family has grown attached.