If looking at it pure dollar wise, you can't beat cheap store eggs, and cheap store meat. You have to keep in mind that roosters of non meat birds won't be as large as store birds and will take 2x as long to reach a "reasonable" weight. Older birds will be tough too so good for stews. In the end, even if you make all feeders and homes out of free materials, chances are you will spend more money on feed than it would be to buy the same amount of meat or eggs because you can't get the food as cheap as big producers can get it.
That said, if you put the dollars to the side, the quality of goods you'll get is superior to that of the store, you get peace of mind that you know where your food is from, and you get extras like little silly companions that you could eat if you wanted, along with manure for gardens.
That said, if you put the dollars to the side, the quality of goods you'll get is superior to that of the store, you get peace of mind that you know where your food is from, and you get extras like little silly companions that you could eat if you wanted, along with manure for gardens.