Existential chicken questions

[PoppasGrill]

1) Is raising chickens, after chicken math, worth the time and money?
We have 125 hens and 18 Roos . Spending about 150-175$ a week on feed , treats, and extras ( roosting pads, water vitamin additives, etc) while getting 30-40 eggs a day.
We were breaking even on selling eggs, but now are back to losing money.
Some are molting, some are just not laying for reasons we haven’t figured out.
We can’t go on vacation for more than a day or 2 as nobody wants to chicken sit, or they want full time wages since we also have dogs, cats and donkeys, so it’s not all just having chickens to care for.
The money spent on coop improvement and securing coops against predators has added up this year with the prices of everything skyrocketed.
We love our Ladies, and get a thrill just going out in the yard and watching the little raptors running at us thinking it’s treat time, or maybe hoping we trip and won’t be missed for a few days.
Picking out the differring personalities, who likes to be held and which ones only like to be held after playing catch me if you can. They were , for a time, emotional support critters, we can talk to them for hours and mostly they would listen and, we like to think, commiserating with us.
Maybe I’m just in a sour mood and should wait a few days for my mood to change.
My wife takes great care of all the animals, and loves them dearly. I try to help her when I’m home, but don’t know them like she does.

 

[Debbie292d]

At first, I'd take your post as...if you're posting this at all, it might be time to downsize or sell them. However, I do get it. I've thought a time or two, maybe I should just quit. Nah, I love 'em too much!

If you sold them, your wife would be unhappy, and you still can't leave for more than a day or two as you have other animals. I think you're stuck with them.

How about letting them hatch a batch and sell the chicks? You could sell one chick for probably what you sell a dozen eggs for. We've hatched and sold so many the past couple of years that they've paid for one of two 12x20 Amish sheds.

 

[Mrs. K]

The thing is while no one likes subtraction it really does a lot of positive things for your flock.

Reducing the size of your flock:

• Reduces your feed bill
• Gives remaining birds more space
• Reduces the work of taking care of them
• More space makes for healthier birds and better chicken dynamic and society
• It makes room to add chicks, keeping you flock younger

I like a multigenerational flock, I add and subtract each year.

Mrs K

 

[PoppasGrill]

At first, I'd take your post as...if you're posting this at all, it might be time to downsize or sell them. However, I do get it. I've thought a time or two, maybe I should just quit. Nah, I love 'em too much!

Only time we consider quitting is after a predator attack. We lost 35+ last year to eagles and just got destroyed, emotionally, by the loss of hens and Roos.

The thing is while no one likes subtraction it really does a lot of positive things for your flock.

Reducing the size of your flock:

• Reduces your feed bill
• Gives remaining birds more space
• Reduces the work of taking care of them
• More space makes for healthier birds and better chicken dynamic and society
• It makes room to add chicks, keeping you flock younger

I like a multigenerational flock, I add and subtract each year.

Mrs K

We do have 10 3 month olds and 18 10 day olds, not included in the original count.
We are trying to get rid of some Roos , but our hens are going to retire here.
We don’t cull, can’t bring myself to kill em .

 

[Mrs. K]

Cull does not have to mean kill, just removed from your flock, your responsibility.!Selling layers or giving roosters away can be a way to cull. Each of us does it differently.

Over the years I have found it is better to keep less well than many poorly. And a lot less work, and money. And I am happy with the flock.

You will keep all 18 chicks without removing any birds? You really must have unlimited resources.

Mrs K