How hard

[Shanelkepley]

How hard is it to raise chickens I know I can buy a chicken coop for like $300 and I have a few chickens in there but how long do they take to lay eggs how much food money am I going to be wasting to feed themAnd is it cleaned by chickens from like tractor supply and raise them and eat them are you allowed to do that?

 

[FuzzyOwlFeet]

Maybe chickens are not for you if you're concerned about "wasting" money on their food. You feed them so the food sustains their bodies to support egg laying. It's not a "waste". No food= no eggs. I spent 79$ this week on feed, but I have 25+ chickens.

Chickens are a decent amount of work. They get sick, injured, their coop must be cleaned often to avoid illness, predators can kill them, etc.
You need at least 4 square feet per chicken, most people do not like tractor supply coops because they are small and expensive. You'd be better off building it yourself, it is hard but rewarding!

Some breeds start laying eggs at about 18 weeks of age, give or take.

Not sure what you mean by cleaning them.

Yes you are allowed to eat your own chickens, you either kill them yourself or find a local processing place that does it. Yes, it cost money.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Chickens aren't that hard to raise, compared to most animals. However if COST is your number one concern, be aware that it's next to impossible to raise eggs or meat more cheaply than commercial farms. Also eggs are generally considered a seasonal food - chickens do not lay continuously due to age (6 mo-2 years would be prime laying time), molting, and shortened days, as many of us get few to no eggs at all during winter.

Some of us call our first eggs "the $1000 egg" because on average you can put hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars into the venture before you ever get a single egg.

This isn't to discourage you, but just some points to consider while weighing pros and cons.

 

[FuzzyOwlFeet]

Chickens aren't that hard to raise, compared to most animals. However if COST is your number one concern, be aware that it's next to impossible to raise eggs or meat more cheaply than commercial farms. Also eggs are generally considered a seasonal food - chickens do not lay continuously due to age (6 mo-2 years would be prime laying time), molting, and shortened days, as many of us get few to no eggs at all during winter.

Some of us call our first eggs "the $1000 egg" because on average you can put hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars into the venture before you ever get a single egg.

This isn't to discourage you, but just some points to consider while weighing pros and cons.

This is an excellent way to put it. 100% true.

 

[21hens-incharge]

The only thing cheap about chickens is that noise the chicks make.

A 50# bag of basic layer feed runs about $17 here. Scratch is a treat to be given very sparingly as is any food item that is NOT chick starter, all flock, flock raiser or layer feed. Pine shavings in my area are $6.50 for a bale which could suffice for a 4x6 coop with 6 hens for a month.

Building a coop will vary greatly on how many birds you need to house. The same goes for the run.

Chicks require a decent sized brooder, heat source, bedding, feeder and waterer.

It is expensive but the entertainment is priceless.

 

[aart]

I know I can buy a chicken coop for like $300

Chances are that coop is inadequate......sounds like tiny dollhouse prefab coop.

 

[CluckerFamily]

Chickens are easy to take care of, a little more work than taking care of a cat but less than an indoor dog.
The prefab coop may not work based on the area you live in and how many chickens it can hold. The prefab coop states how many chicken can fit in the coop, cut that number in half at least for a more appropriate number.
You can raise and eat your chickens, chicken tenders and farmers do it all the time. Make sure you ask or research into supplies and strategies used to cull chickens or maybe you could pay a local person to cull the chickens.
As for the cost, I sell my eggs for $2 a dozen and I break even in the bags of feed I buy. I choose to not raise by chickens for meat but for animals.

 

[MissE]

If you are just looking to raise them for meat, cornish cross grow fast and are ready to process at 8 weeks. You can process them yourself for basically no cost, or hire someone to do it. They can be raised in a tractor and don't need a year round coop like layers. Depending on your climate and time of year, you can even brood in the tractor. This is how I started as an adult. We had meat birds every summer and layers year round when I was a kid.

Layers are a longer term commitment, and with that comes more money. They need a coop that will allow 4 square feet per bird and a run that will allow 10 square feet per bird. There has to be good ventilation, roosting space, and nest boxes. It needs to be predator proof and protect your birds from the elements. Heated waterers aren't cheap and hauling water several times a day when its below 0 isn't fun, but those are your two choices in the winter. You will need bedding, feeders, and basic meds for treating minor injuries and illness. You need a plan to put down sick or old birds.

If you are looking for cheap, chickens may not be the thing.

 

[LizzzyJo]

You wont make money by having a few chickens. Having a few is a labor of love, not a money saving plan. It will always be cheaper to buy chicken and eggs from the store - until you have a huge number of chickens (like 40). Once you get up into those numbers, you will need a huge coop/barn. That will also eat into your profit margins.

I'm not sure they will be right for you. But, I don't know you, so take that advice with a huge grain of salt!

 

[3KillerBs]

I suggest that you have a look at the information here in this article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-to-raise-chickens.47660/

I can be almost 100% certain that a $300 prefab coop will be too small, too badly ventilated, and too badly designed to make chicken-keeping easy and pleasant.

Like any animal, chickens require appropriate housing, appropriate food, and appropriate care. A well-designed coop and run make this easier than a poorly-designed one and some management systems are more or less intensive.

But, as others have said, you will not save money vs. the cost of grocery store eggs. What you will do is get a better quality egg and the satisfaction of raising your own food -- along with the other, non-food reasons people have for getting chickens such as yard-pest control, gardening, and/or the enjoyment of their beauty and behavior.