- Sep 7, 2010
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If your fiance is going to object to killing any kind of animal you may have a problem some day even if it is a hobby farm. Killing livestock is part of animal farming whether you do it or someone else does it.
Very good point.
If you go into it thinking this way vet bills will be killer, many many times the value of any eggs.
Hatching your own brings a problem in that you will end up with surplus roos. Getting someone to take a roo who won't be kiling it is not easy, finding good homes for several at a time is near impossible. Keeping them is often bad for the flock.
Replacing layers as need brings a risk too as new birds can bring disease. Once you have disease in the flock then selling surplus chickens should be pretty much out of the question.
Also from a practical stand point a chicken past prime quickly starts eating more food $ than it gives in return as egg $. Without recouping some of the meat $ in the chicken the flock and eggs get pretty expensive after a couple years.
Best I can think of is set the ground rules first, how many will you plan to keep, how will flock population be controlled, what is the vet service protocol, under what circumstances will chickens be culled or sold. Without some plan on managing the flock it is all to easy over time to get overrun with sick and non productive chickens.
Very good point.
If you go into it thinking this way vet bills will be killer, many many times the value of any eggs.
Hatching your own brings a problem in that you will end up with surplus roos. Getting someone to take a roo who won't be kiling it is not easy, finding good homes for several at a time is near impossible. Keeping them is often bad for the flock.
Replacing layers as need brings a risk too as new birds can bring disease. Once you have disease in the flock then selling surplus chickens should be pretty much out of the question.
Also from a practical stand point a chicken past prime quickly starts eating more food $ than it gives in return as egg $. Without recouping some of the meat $ in the chicken the flock and eggs get pretty expensive after a couple years.
Best I can think of is set the ground rules first, how many will you plan to keep, how will flock population be controlled, what is the vet service protocol, under what circumstances will chickens be culled or sold. Without some plan on managing the flock it is all to easy over time to get overrun with sick and non productive chickens.
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