Cost of keeping them...

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Very good and realistic numbers. Mine is a bit less only because I range feed on land that had been planted for feeding chickens with clovers and kelp.

Oh! I should have added the cost of the chick and shipping in that $2.75/dozen. Our costs are less when we hatch our own. Our costs are also MUCH less in the summer due to pasture foraging, but the $2.75 is averaged over the entire year. It's also averaged over her entire life, so it takes into account the fact that there's almost a year of her life when she's not laying at all.

 

[Seatrout00]

While I don't yet have chickens, I have raised a variety of critters and I know from past experience that you can drastically cut food costs if you raise some of your own food. Mealworms are an excellent product for any small omnivore and are nearly free to raise - save for your "bedding" material - in this case I used two cans of generic rolled oats - which cost me about $6, and of course, spent about $15 on the start up mealworms - after that, I will only be tossing in fruit and veggie scraps from the kitchen - which would be going into the trash if I didn't - so maintaining the mealworm colony shouldn't cost me anything. When I was raising chamelons and geckos, I never purchased food for them - raised all of my own - and while chickens do need a variety of foods, raising some of it should help keep your costs down. I can't comment on cheap garden plants as I live in Florida - and there is nothing cheap about raising produce down here, save for citrus - but if you live in an area with good growing soil, that might also be an option.

 

[DaniellePage]

Lots of good info up there.
You have to consider everything.

As Seatrout00 mentioned - grow your own feed is nice but with layers and meaties - it is more as a supplement. Your birds NEED proper feed for their age and purpose or you will have some sick birds!
I live in the PNW and layer feed costs generally 16-24 bucks a bag (40-50lb depending on what you get). Organic is even more - about 2x)
my 4 birds eat about 1/4 cup per day per bird on average. they are standard layers - although the runt eats more then the others (that chunky cheeky chicken).
I supplement with treats from my garden (not for the chickens) they get plenty of weed and veggie scraps.
I also purchase mealworms at about $4/mo (just started on growing my own colony - so that expense will be eliminated)

Bedding used to be shavings which cost $8 every 2 months or so.
just switched to a sand system in the coop which runs about $3 a month until I can find a bulk supplier of good sand here.

It is the hidden cost that will bite you - you WILL NEED a 1st aid/medical kit!
That ran me about $100-200 bucks.

If your bird gets ill - the vet will be EXPENSIVE starting at about $40 per visit (not including any tests, meds or procedures)

1/2 of my girls got bumblefoot from (1 puncture and 2 cuts) injuries obtained from foraging in our wooded areas.
That treatment cost about $200 - that was without vet care (just advice from one over a phone call). Not to mention the TIME it took to treat over 5 weeks.

Then are you needing power for heat or light or (A/C in some places)? factor in the electricity or solar power battery costs.

If all is healthy - regular daily (food, water and cleaning) - they cost about $2.30 / week.
They lay about 18 eggs a week (more when my PBR was laying) during peak season. = @ 25centsper egg (the going rate here for local free-range farm eggs) = $4.50 produced a week (I used to buy an 18 pack a week).
That means they cost me (in optimal conditions mind you)...
... - $2.20 per week yes NEGATIVE $2.20!

so... after all the stupid start-up costs, maintenance, upgrades, medical costs and treats - hopefully we will break even over the lifespan of the girls.
Of course my girls will retire here (not killing them after egg laying slows).
They have become our pets that happen to lay us breakfast and baked goods ingredients.
good luck

 

[Coco Rae]

Okay thanks guys! Sounds like keeping chickens is fun!

 

[buffy the eggslayer]

Hi,

I have recently posted a break down of all the costs of setting up on my blog www.thechickenwhisperer.co.uk with details of everything you would need to concider. Other forumers have given you an idea of prices for your part of the world so in regard to the weekly costs however, you could divide up the price of your bags of feed and bales of straw etc based on the following rough estimates. My birds are Langshans which are larger sized bantams and although they free range all year they get ad lib feed as they want it so.........very rough estimate would be,

for a 6 x 4 coop housing 10 bantams with 4 nest boxes I would go through the following on a weekly basis,

a bucket of wood shavings and some old newspapers to line the coop

a "slice" of straw to line the nest boxes

half a cup of poultry grit

3 to 6lb of pelets dependant on the availability of free range food available

3 lb of poultry corn

Ihope that helps

 

[Coco Rae]

How do you get people to buy your eggs??

This was very helpful to me! Thank you very much!
-Coco-