coop cost justification

[bustedchicks]

I see some awesome and well built coops. at what point is the cost of construction too much? I wanted this elaborate shed but $1000 dollars on lumber, materials and time? you will need over 250 dozen eggs at 4$ per dozen for the return on your investment.
my coop was built in an existing shed and all the materials were lying around the house and property. so far I have spent 160$ on chicks, food and heat lamp, plus cost of electricity hasnt been added in. I need 13 dozen before I break even. with 30 chicks that should come soon but not after the 4 month wait of them to get to laying age.
I know some people have them as pets and thats a bit odd to me. my cats are pets but also tools. they keep rodents from eating my garden and keeping birds away from my fruit trees.
what is your cost to production? is it worth the investment to "gobig or go home"?

 

[Duckopolis]

You don't want to know! I am trying to go big, but it isn't really working.

 

[jetdog]

I think my first egg cost me about $1000.00 but the rest are free from now on.

 

[Fred's Hens]

In the vast majority of cases, the hobby is it's own reward. It isn't about the money, as in breaking even or showing a profit. It's what people enjoy and that's that.

 

[SparkMonkey]

In the vast majority of cases, the hobby is it's own reward. It isn't about the money, as in breaking even or showing a profit. It's what people enjoy and that's that.

I agree completely with this. We just spent about $200 on materials to build a brooder and fix up an existing (but neglected) coop. By far the biggest-ticket items were the shingles for the roof and the hardware cloth to cover the openings. Two bundles of shingles and one 3'x25' roll of hardware cloth took up nearly half of what we spent. The rest of the purchase was hardware, fasteners, low-grade lumber, and sheet materials off the clearance shelf. We expect to spend another $50 or so on fencing and posts for the outdoor run. The chicks and supplies cost about $40.

To me, that's a pretty big chunk of money. If that was our only project this year, it would be no problem at all, but we have other things we need to do this spring and we only have about $700 to cover everything. However, we plan on having chickens forever. We feel that it adds a small amount of resale value to the house--even if the next owners don't want chickens, the coop and run could easily be converted to a very nice dog kennel. And everyone knows that fresh eggs, from small operations where the chickens are allowed a more natural chicken life, are far better and more nutritious than grocery-store eggs. So this is more of a long-term investment.

I am a crafter, and I can tell you without a doubt that over the years I have spent way more than $300 on yarn, knitting needles, fabric, thread, books, etc. I haven't made a cent off of that hobby (although I do have some very nice accessories and garments to show for it!). And I don't mind one bit. It keeps me happy, busy, and warm. Chickens will be much the same, only replace "warm" with "fed."

 

[fiddlebanshee]

For each their own goals and we should be careful not to judge by appearances.

A couple of observations for me:

1. It is about caring for your animals in a responsible manner. I have big predators on my property (bear, mountain lions, etc) so I need to go all out with the materials. I can't do plastic, chickenwire or half rotten recycled wood. The birds would be gone in a heartbeat to become someones dinner. So before you judge anyone who spends major money on this, consider that you don't know the circumstances that they are dealing with. there are a lot of people in suburbia or in places with less predators that can make their enclosures totally out of reclaimed materials. More power to them! I can't do it here, that's the simple truth. To illustrate the point, I have a friend who has lost at least 20 chickens over the last 3 years to fox because they don't invest in simple but effective and expensive protection. She decided to live with the losses, that's her decision and fine by me, but it is not my way. I have not lost a single chicken to a predator over the last 2.5 years that I have been doing this.

2. It is a long-term investment. I sell my eggs at work for $4 a dozen, and with the current production I will be selling about 400 dozen per year. If I had to figure everything out, I'd say I break even in a couple of years (built 2 big coops with enclosed runs, about to build a quail aviary), but the structures will endure time and still be strong and standing in 10 years. It is an upfront investment that will last for a long time, and that's what I am committed to. I could expand even more given the demand for the eggs at work, but time is the constraint now that I am still working. I have 7 to 9 dozen to sell every week, I have a waiting list of 25 people. I'm usually sold out within 15 minutes.

3. It is a hobby. The money is secondary (but nice to have !) As above posters noted there are hobbies that we spend a lot more on than a one time investment in a good coop and run.

 

[jbher]

In the vast majority of cases, the hobby is it's own reward. It isn't about the money, as in breaking even or showing a profit. It's what people enjoy and that's that.

This exactly.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

For each their own goals and we should be careful not to judge by appearances.

A couple of observations for me:

1. It is about caring for your animals in a responsible manner. I have big predators on my property (bear, mountain lions, etc) so I need to go all out with the materials. I can't do plastic, chickenwire or half rotten recycled wood. The birds would be gone in a heartbeat to become someones dinner. So before you judge anyone who spends major money on this, consider that you don't know the circumstances that they are dealing with. there are a lot of people in suburbia or in places with less predators that can make their enclosures totally out of reclaimed materials. More power to them! I can't do it here, that's the simple truth. To illustrate the point, I have a friend who has lost at least 20 chickens over the last 3 years to fox because they don't invest in simple but effective and expensive protection. She decided to live with the losses, that's her decision and fine by me, but it is not my way. I have not lost a single chicken to a predator over the last 2.5 years that I have been doing this.

2. It is a long-term investment. I sell my eggs at work for $4 a dozen, and with the current production I will be selling about 400 dozen per year. If I had to figure everything out, I'd say I break even in a couple of years (built 2 big coops with enclosed runs, about to build a quail aviary), but the structures will endure time and still be strong and standing in 10 years. It is an upfront investment that will last for a long time, and that's what I am committed to. I could expand even more given the demand for the eggs at work, but time is the constraint now that I am still working. I have 7 to 9 dozen to sell every week, I have a waiting list of 25 people. I'm usually sold out within 15 minutes.

3. It is a hobby. The money is secondary (but nice to have !) As above posters noted there are hobbies that we spend a lot more on than a one time investment in a good coop and run.

Great response!

Ultimately, why does it matter what other people choose to invest their time and money into - if building is something they enjoy and they have the funds to construct an elaborate, expensive set-up and will never see the "return" on their investment (bear in mind, that for them the return may not be about the dollars and cents), more power to them. I think the issue becomes clouded when you try to apply your own filters, goals and beliefs about what is/isn't a pet, what is/isn't "worth it", etc to other people's lives.

 

[shewatson]

I agree completely with this. We just spent about $200 on materials to build a brooder and fix up an existing (but neglected) coop. By far the biggest-ticket items were the shingles for the roof and the hardware cloth to cover the openings. Two bundles of shingles and one 3'x25' roll of hardware cloth took up nearly half of what we spent. The rest of the purchase was hardware, fasteners, low-grade lumber, and sheet materials off the clearance shelf. We expect to spend another $50 or so on fencing and posts for the outdoor run. The chicks and supplies cost about $40.

To me, that's a pretty big chunk of money. If that was our only project this year, it would be no problem at all, but we have other things we need to do this spring and we only have about $700 to cover everything. However, we plan on having chickens forever. We feel that it adds a small amount of resale value to the house--even if the next owners don't want chickens, the coop and run could easily be converted to a very nice dog kennel. And everyone knows that fresh eggs, from small operations where the chickens are allowed a more natural chicken life, are far better and more nutritious than grocery-store eggs. So this is more of a long-term investment.

I am a crafter, and I can tell you without a doubt that over the years I have spent way more than $300 on yarn, knitting needles, fabric, thread, books, etc. I haven't made a cent off of that hobby (although I do have some very nice accessories and garments to show for it!). And I don't mind one bit. It keeps me happy, busy, and warm. Chickens will be much the same, only replace "warm" with "fed."

I agree with this for sure I have had and done many crafts over the years and raised many different types of animals never really made a profit, but the enjoyment of it all has gotten me thru some tough times. I'm Happy Happy Happy!

 

[The Lazy L]

I think my first egg cost me about $1000.00 but the rest are free from now on.

Using your price of $1,000 per egg I figure I'll have free eggs after the second egg.