My husband jokes with people that our eggs cost $100 a dozen because our chickens have cost us so much. I never knew I would love having chickens so much and I want more, however I get the look when I mention it. I don't think he really cares about the birds it's the cost involved. Can chickens ever pay for themselves? What ways have you found to make having chickens affordable? I'm looking for options.... so I can get a few more!
Once you have the housing all set the way you want it, the cost of maintaining the chickens is not so much. But getting the housing set the way you want it can be one of those endless projects.
I think the starting cost would take a long time to recover, frankly my costs weren't all that high to be honest. and now I sell my eggs and it pays for the feed and some. their feed and little extras cost me about 50 dollars a month, but the egg sales come to about 70 to 80 dollars per month sometimes more. So I am not really spending anything out of pocket to feed them.
Pets almost never pay for themselves. How many of us have dogs, cats, hamsters, etc.? My corgi was cheap @$350 and then another $350 for vet bills (shots, fixing, etc.) Add in some dog crates, dog house toys, leashes, collars...
i guess from start to now:8months with 9 birds, i've spent $500; -about $350 of which was coop building expenses though for wood, hardwire cloth, extra chicken wire. -the other $150..the birds themselves, the feed (since then we have cut down cost by free ranging them and all the table scraps they want), having 3 males butchered (i didnt have the heart, raised them from 2 days old). thats about it though... when you think about it you spend more on cats and dogs!
Free ranging and pasturing hens takes prices down a LOT. Breeding and focusing on quality birds to sell hatching eggs from really helps. Growing some of your own food for them, even if it is treats. Asking around for people's extra or outdated grain products, vegetables, etc. can really help. NOT buying new hatchery chicks every year helps. Having dual purpose breeds to offer chicken to eat, too, as well as having broody breeds to hatch out your own. . .
My outgoings are really not very much. I buy a couple of sacks of food every so often. My neighbour gives me free straw for bedding (he grows wheat and barley, but doesn't need so much straw). Another neighbour gives me a sack of wheat whenever I ask in return for as many eggs she needs. I sell spare eggs, and sell duck meat too. I've not sat down with a piece of paper but I think I might break even. Once you're set up it's the bedding and feed that chips away at the money in your pocket.
Free-ranging helps with feed costs, and is often times healthier for the birds, though not all people can let their birds out of their pens---understandable, of course. My birds have a acre-or-so lot, with tall fences and two coops. I let them out of the lot during the day, and they go back into their coops at night. Our birds still cost more then what we get from them---though I'm going to start breeding soon, and so if I can sell some birds that would help.
