How do people afford this?

[igorsMistress]

On our last batch of cockerels, it worked out to about $1.25/lb. It was about $90 in feed to raise 18 birds to a dressed weight of 4lb average. That was 18 BSL cockerels raised to 18-20wks. Now, I'm not including the cost of grow out hoop house that we keep them in, because it's something we always have and that was the 3rd group raised in it.

Thanks so much for this info. I currently have 1 or 2 too many cockerels but we are thinking about hatching chicks for meat in the spring. I'm going to track the expenses and see how mine compare to yours.

 

[Ursuline Chick]

What if education doesn't seem to fit into your long term plans?

Education doesn't have to mean formal college education. Find what you believe you want to do to support yourself, and educate yourself in that area. Also educate yourself in the things that will help you to live the life style that suits YOU best. You are young, remember, it's okay to change your mind later on, if you choose to do something different.

 

[Molpet]

So true! I couldn't afford to buy organic eggs or free range chicken. That's why I have chickens. Is it cheaper in the long run? Eggs are for sure, but haven't done the math on meat yet.

My heritage birds cost 4-7 a lb. organic feed isn't cheap and I always have hens that go broody in august through october.
A study was done in 2012: https://projects.sare.org/project-reports/fnc12-866/
Cost of production per lb. dressed weight, by breed*:
– Dominique – $4.08
– White Plymouth Rock – $3.71
– Naked Neck – $3.73
– Silver-Laced Wyandotte – $4.21
– Speckled Sussex – $4.01
– New Hampshire Red – $3.82
– Delaware – $4.05
– AVERAGE – $3.90

 

[moomoodiddy]

My heritage birds cost 4-7 a lb. organic feed isn't cheap and I always have hens that go broody in august through october.
A study was done in 2012: https://projects.sare.org/project-reports/fnc12-866/
Cost of production per lb. dressed weight, by breed*:
– Dominique – $4.08
– White Plymouth Rock – $3.71
– Naked Neck – $3.73
– Silver-Laced Wyandotte – $4.21
– Speckled Sussex – $4.01
– New Hampshire Red – $3.82
– Delaware – $4.05
– AVERAGE – $3.90

Interesting, three dollars is also the average of a dressed cow per pound in my area.

 

[moomoodiddy]

Brutal hint from one who knows:

Don't go the veterinary route.

Not only will you suffer the grueling hell of vet school X 4 years (which is worse than almost anything I can think of at the moment). But once you graduate, find a job as a vet, and start working off your massive debt load, you will work 80 hour + weeks trying to save all the animals while neglecting your own, having no life, making a comparatively crappy income (especially considering your vet school debt) and a quality of life that is questionable, while lecturing clients day in and out about the quality of their pets life, and putting down animals 24/7 for reasons too numerous to name. And did I mention vets have one of the highest suicide rates of all the professions? People think it's all, like Animal Planet. The reality is far different. I won't get into the abuse and neglect you see daily, and the clients who expect you to perform miracles with $30 in their pocket, and cuss you out when you can't fix it, or they don't want to hear the options you give them.

Sorry if this upsets people, but...been there, done that, will be paying off my now-scanty 70K debt till I'm in my 70's or die. How do I stay at home and play with my chickens and dogs and have a decent quality of life? Quit being a vet and went back to nursing. School nursing, to be exact. I make a little less than what I made as a vet, it's fairly happy work, I don't work nights/weekends/holidays/24/7, have to be on call, all that jazz.

Oh , and the kicker? Veterinary people can be some of the most catty, back-stabbing people you ever worked with. I don't know why this is, you would think all animal lovers are sweet. But they can be up there with seasoned, ICU nurses with some new grad meat to work with, lol.

Sorry if that not what you want to hear, but that's one ex-vet's opinion. There are alot more of us around than you would think!

Just some honest advice. Veterinarians are always working. Even when they're not. Brutal, brutal lifestyle for most. Interview some vets before you decide that's what you really want to do....or develop an incredibly thick skin and learn to function at 200% with no sleep or food, ever. Just sayin'.

Thank you so much for saying this. It seems as though everyone automatically assumes that if you love animals and you want a good job and education you go to vet school. No creativity. I've interned with several vets and have seen first hand that all they do is stay at work and deal with the same crap all the time. They sit on their computers tying up reports, check to see if the tech cleaned the ears on the tenth dog of the day correctly, and deal with cheap and irresponsible owners. I saw a woman walk out on her dying hamster so she wouldn't have to pay for it to be put to sleep. I also heard one vet on the phone with a customer begging for medicine. I've even see a vet tech make a 2nd year vet graduate cry because she didn't give a shot correctly. I thought I would do something different. I would get my vet degree and work in a poultry house with populations, but it just doesn't seem realistic. But it would break my family's hearts.

 

[moomoodiddy]

I would love for one day when someone asks me what I did for a living to be able to say, I am a veterinarian. I would be so proud of myself, but its just a word. The average person does not know what it truly means to be one.

 

[igorsMistress]

@Molpet what does feed cost for you? I pay about $23 with tax for 40 lbs organic non gmo chick grower.

 

[Molpet]

@Molpet what does feed cost for you? I pay about $23 with tax for 40 lbs organic non gmo chick grower.

$30 for 50#

 

[igorsMistress]

$30 for 50#

Puts within pennies for cost per pound. I can't remember, do you let your flock freerange?

 

[Molpet]

Puts within pennies for cost per pound. I can't remember, do you let your flock freerange?

they WERE free ranging all the time , but the coyotes showed up during the day.... So now they are out for a few hours 2x a day... also some I have are 1/2 jersey giants so they grow out until 6-9 months, if I can stand them that long LOL
This year 2 batches were incubated in the spring, a broody in July and Sept.. and a Broody just started sitting...last year I had broodies in sept and oct... fall chicks eat more and no free range food available.