Do your chickens pay for their keep?

[furbabymum]

We are severely in the red right now. Hopefully that will change soon!

 

[OldGuy43]

Once they started laying they have always shown a profit. Eggs for our use and sell the rest. We started with a dozen hens, and their eggs paid for the 12 ducklings about a year later. Being here in Central Texas has helped a lot. No need for a fancy coop or other stuff. Built most of their structures out of pallets and roadside wood and hardware finds. They even buy us a tank of gas every now and than.

A few hints on making them profitable:

1. Treat them as livestock, not pets.
2. Forget the fancy breeds. Keep your eye on the goal. Eggs. I recommend Sex Links for chickens and for ducks, Khaki Campbells.
3. Don't waste money on name brand food. Ours do just fine on scratch and laying mix from a local mill.
4. Never waste your money on vet bills. If one is sick or injured segregate it. If it doesn't survive just buy a new one.
5. Treats; you can buy frozen peas cheaply from WalMart, but they like fresh-pulled grass and weeds just as much and they're free.
6. Free ranging is okay I guess, but there are drawbacks. Predators and finding the eggs comes immediately to mind.
7. Avoid niche markets. Sure you may be able to charge more for free range, organic and Easter Eggers, but will you sell enough to make it worthwhile?
8. The only exception to #7 is duck eggs. Some people are allergic to chicken eggs, but not duck. Others just prefer duck, and are willing to pay for it. Just don't let the duck flock get bigger than your market.

We get $2.75 per dozen for chicken eggs and $7.50 for duck, but duck eggs are hard to come by around here. We usually sell out. I've no experience with meat birds, so I'm no help there if that's what you have in mind.

I know some will disagree with me, but this is what has worked for us.

 

[cinch920]

I have 40 birds. They are free range and that definitely helps. For the most part, they do pay for themselves. I sell the eggs. There are times though when I need extra supplies that they don't quite add up, but in the end, they seem to be doing a good job of paying for themselves.

 

[tadpole98]

they do, plus some.

although i have 100, and only get 40 eggs a day right now, they pay.
they go through a 50 lb bag of layer pellets every three days. that bag costs us 14.00.
3 dozen eggs a day (we eat the others) at $3 is $9 a day. we take in usually around 23 dozen eggs a week (because somedays we have extras). $69 a week we earn. we spend $30 appox.
this all varies sometimes, but thats average.

 

[fowlsessed]

Thanks for posting everyone. Hey! Duck eggs, now that's a thought.........

 

[Tabasco Jack]

Do your chickens end up paying for themselves? Whether you sell eggs, meat, or just selling extra birds.

A good rule of thumb is if you sell over half your eggs, then your hens are paying for their feed.

If you are going to consider the cost of housing, fencing and equipment, then pro-rate the expense over the life expectancy of the equipment. If you're a business, you would be depreciating these cost over a period of time. It helps soften the blow on paper at least.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

A good rule of thumb is if you sell over half your eggs, then your hens are paying for their feed.

If you are going to consider the cost of housing, fencing and equipment, then pro-rate the expense over the life expectancy of the equipment. If you're a business, you would be depreciating these cost over a period of time. It helps soften the blow on paper at least.

This is true. Our balance sheet looks MUCH better now that the cost of the pasture and the hen house dropped off the books this year.

 

[mamabigbird]

I posted earlier that my girls do pay their way. In my case I didn't have the expense of coop/run materials.
For people who start out buying all the housing and equipment, they have further to go to recoup their costs.
Luckily there was an unused wood structure storage shed that BIL dragged into place with his tractor.
He then repurposed a huge chain link dog run for the chicken run. And with an old fishing net slung over the top,
we were done. They only stay confined to the run until noon-ish so they can take care of their business (egg laying).
Someone else stated that free range can be a problem with predators and/or laying eggs out in the bushes.
I have only a few times found eggs outside of the coop. Usually a young pullet learning to lay.
Then I shut them in the pen for a few days until they get it figured out.
I have only lost one hen to a predator (eagle) and she was a fat old retired hen and couldn't run fast enough to get away.
I sell my eggs for $3.50 per doz.