Confused.......how can you afford to feed your chickens

[HHandbasket]

Fred's Hens :

This is a huge topic that proves difficult to discuss intelligently in a forum format such as this. It involves economics/politics/science/sociology etc.

Ya know, Fred, I was reading your message and thought to myself, "Now that's an awesome post! He answers everybody's questions clearly and didn't insult anyone." Then I got to the bottom of your message.

Do you think you could have possibly, just maybe, I dunno, left out the part where you insulted the intelligence of everyone on the forum?

Just sayin', your awesome info would have been much better received if you hadn't ended the message with a backhanded slap to the intelligence and conversational ability of the members of this forum.​

 

[seedcorn]

Dairyman indeed use stimulants and hormones which increase milk production

What stimulants and hormones are we talking about?

It's not insulting to say that it is a hard subject to talk intelligently about because along w/religion & politics, on these boards it is a very sensitive subject. Some get irrate when you don't agree with their slant, then emotions take over.​

 

[Fred's Hens]

Quote:
Ya know, Fred, I was reading your message and thought to myself, "Now that's an awesome post! He answers everybody's questions clearly and didn't insult anyone." Then I got to the bottom of your message.

Do you think you could have possibly, just maybe, I dunno, left out the part where you insulted the intelligence of everyone on the forum?

Just sayin', your awesome info would have been much better received if you hadn't ended the message with a backhanded slap to the intelligence and conversational ability of the members of this forum.

Ah, but it is you who mistook my statement and assigned to my motives as insulting. It was not a reference to anyone's intelligence. The discussion would need to be intelligent.
In discussions, ad hominem arguments are those which attack the person. Sorry, but my statement stands, as written.

 

[Fred's Hens]

To return to the thread, my eggs cost my customers more than the $1.60 they can buy eggs at WalMart.
I charge $2.50 a dozen. My customers have a choice. They can buy their eggs at cheaper prices almost anywhere.
That they prefer to buy from me is great. I would like to think that our farm's eggs are clean, pure, tasty and laid by hen's who live quality lives outside the cage. If I had to sell eggs for $1.60? I'd be losing money, pure and simple.

 

[HHandbasket]

You could have made the same point without saying you couldn't have an intelligent conversation about this on a forum such as this, because I think intelligent conversation here CAN be had and IS being had, and you are an active participant. Your intelligence and forthright answers are very helpful to a lot of people (BTW, I agree with you 100%, that the majority of what's "bad" in our food is added in production and not on the farm, etc.). I agree with you, but it doesn't change the fact that you smacked an insult at the forum that could have, should have, been worded differently if, indeed, it was NOT meant as a backhanded insult to the ingelligence of this forum community.

Just sayin'. I'm leaving the thread now.

There are many less insulting threads on the forum where I can engage in intelligent conversation about these subjects with others and not have to worry about one person smackin' the general intelligence of this forum's participants.

Have an awesome day.

 

[Fred's Hens]

No such "slap" was intended, whatsoever. I am sorry you took it that way.

Have a terrific day yourself.

 

[seedcorn]

Fred's Hens :

To return to the thread, my eggs cost my customers more than the $1.60 they can buy eggs at WalMart.
I charge $2.50 a dozen. My customers have a choice. They can buy their eggs at cheaper prices almost anywhere.
That they prefer to buy from me is great. I would like to think that our farm's eggs are clean, pure, tasty and laid by hen's who live quality lives outside the cage. If I had to sell eggs for $1.60? I'd be losing money, pure and simple.

I wish more took your attitude. Better product, higher price to cover production. Seems fair to me.​

 

[halo]

Quote:
Great post. There is so much that can be trimmed (or hacked) out of most people's budgets. Its all in whats the most important to you. If I shopped, ate out a lot, drank, smoked, etc., I couldnt afford my critters either. But Id rather have the critters, and cut my life to the bare minimum, so I can have them. And I like my life so much better.

Nowadays you just can't have everything. Choose whats most important and make it work for you. It can be done.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
Ya know, Fred, I was reading your message and thought to myself, "Now that's an awesome post! He answers everybody's questions clearly and didn't insult anyone." Then I got to the bottom of your message.

Do you think you could have possibly, just maybe, I dunno, left out the part where you insulted the intelligence of everyone on the forum?

Just sayin', your awesome info would have been much better received if you hadn't ended the message with a backhanded slap to the intelligence and conversational ability of the members of this forum.

You're right HHandbasket. So I wonder what does that say about him? He is a member of this forum format such as this in which this huge topic that proves difficult to discuss intelligently as well. I wonder why would be want to surround himself around forums such as this? I always thought that I was in good company in all of these forums on BYC. This is where I have learned the most about my animals, to include emergencies and illnesses where the information received from this format from my BYC friends have saved the lives of several of my animals. I am VERY grateful for these forum formats such as this. Just my 2 cents.

And now back to our regularly scheduled program.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

Quote:
eggs, spinach just to name 2, both are not processed and from American growers, plus there are imported items that you might not realize, tilapia fish for one from china

Both of those in relation to the amount of food grown and produced in the US were not really very high. Yes, if you were one of the people who got sick then it was high enough. Spinach is processed......at least I consider the washing and packaging of it as processing. Did they ever even determine what the cause was with the spinach? I don't buy fish....tilapia or other. If it doesn't say product of the US I don't buy it.....or try very hard not to.

=============
Agree. If it's not USA, it doesn't come home with me. Especially grapes and other fruit, and spinach. Plus I try to buy in season, even tho my kid has been begging for some strawberries.

We have chickens and goats just because I don't like how the end results (milk, eggs) are obtained from main-stream agriculture. I grow my own corn, from heirloom non-gmo seeds because I don't like how we humans have messed around with the genetics of our food, and corn is the worst. As is the gmo giant, Monsanto. The difference is obvious in my autistic kid: when he eats corn from the grocery it's like he's on crack; when he eats the non-gmo heirloom corn we grow, no change to my sweet boy. Proof is in the pudding, so to speak.

As far as feeding my girls, I grow what will manage to make it in our sandy soil, including sunflower seeds (one head is quite an enjoyment on a snowy blustery day), millet (no special seeds .. just some leftover from our eating supply) and amaranth. They get scraps (just cleaned out the fridge yesterday so this morning they all get quite a treat!), I also make oatmeal, pasta and rice on a regular basis, so they get the leftovers. And when I make cheese from my goat's milk, they get the whey. I was feeding corn but it reduced our number of eggs.

When I'm at King Soopers/Krogers, I **always** look in the discounted bakery section for a loaf of bread (50 cents) or produce/dairy that marked down. This grocery chain uses bright orange stickers and usually has a dedicated section. Good place to find food that's almost-spoiled but still good enough for chickens and goats.

And they get layer pellets. But after reading posts of this thread, I'm thinking we'll switch to broiler mash, and find a feed mill to mix our own (Spring? Summer). My girls get plenty of grit from our sandy-soil, and I feed them discounted cheese a couple of times a week (and sometimes pancakes that include ground up eggshells, powdered milk and ground alfalfa) for calcium.

I'm no way breaking even, but then again, I have pullets who just started laying. I'm buying chicks one more year, and then I'll start hatching my own and selling some of them, and trading on here. Plus this year's garden will be much bigger. So... This time next year, I'll barely notice the feed bill. Well, that's the plan anyway.