How many birds can I manage

[OldGuy43]

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Alll in ALll at the 6 wek mark i am less than $70 into this project. and now all i am buying is food.
Sounds about right.
still using medicated starter... when should i switch by the way and when should i add grit or oyster shells.

As for the starter, 6-8 weeks or whenever you use it all up. It doesn't hurt 'em. You didn't ask, but in my opinion "brand name" feeds are not really any better than the locally milled stuff. You're just paying for the shipping and advertising.

I started giving mine oyster shell on day 2. I did sieve it through a tea strainer so it was really fine to begin with.

We have a dozen chickens and half-a-dozen ducks. We're picking up 6 chicks and 6 ducks from Ideal in about 3 weeks.

 

[jhammett]

great I have two full feeders and half of a 25 pound bag of starter left. THis Sunday will be 6 weeks to the day since the first chick hached. The feed i have should carry me through then and into about mid week 7. SO Should my next purchase be layer feed? What about the roosters will the layer be ok for them.(as soon as i can identify them they are going to be reassigned...) but it may be a few weeks still before i can do that.

 

[OldGuy43]

That's what I'd do. Ours like scratch too. Just mix a little in with the layer.

 

[jhammett]

do you throw "scratch" on the ground. I put all food in feeders to prevent loss. do you ever feed by throwing feed on the ground?

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I can't fully agree with everything on WalkingOnSunshine's list.

oyster shell

grit
If you get oyster shell you don't need grit.

dewormer
Only if you have a worm problem. We never have.

hen house
Depends on the weather where you live. Here in Central Texas a little shelter that I made from scrap lumber is all they need.

run
Fencing, sure, but the run itself?

feeders
You can make your own.

wheel barrow
Already owned one, but use it infrequently for the chickens. Usually just a bucket is all we need.

shovel
ibid.

perches
Built some, but they don't use them much.

nest boxes
We use plastic milk crates on a frame built out of scrap lumber.

carton labels
Not required here, so it depends on the laws where you are. I did print up some business cards on card stock that we usually include it the cartons.

egg wash soap
Only if you wash your eggs. Our customers expect dirty eggs.

marketing materials, like sign at the end of the drive and what you spend registering your URL if you have a blog
Our sign I made out of scrap lumber. Did have to buy a couple of quarts of paint, and it's a onetime expense. We don't have a blog so...

Money spent to register as a business
Again, depends on the laws where you live. Here in Texas, as long as we just sell from our home we don't need one.

Of course, if you want to any expenses are tax deductible, but than you'll have to list the income as well. We operate under the theory that what the taxman doesn't know doesn't hurt him.

Our girls have been profitable for over 2 years now, and have even bailed us out a couple of times in cash emergencies.

You're completely missing the point. My point here is that when you price your eggs, include EVERYTHING, no matter how small and insignificant.

I know that your situation will vary, so don't look at this as a specific list of what you'll need, but as a guide for how comprehensive you have to be when figuring costs. Too many people sell eggs for below what it is actually costing them to produce them.

 

[OldGuy43]

No, I didn't miss the point.

We handle this situation by keeping a separate "Chicken Fund". The first thing we did when the hens started laying was recoup our start-up expenses. Anything that we buy exclusively for the chickens we take out of the fund. When we need to borrow from it we put in an I.O.U. Hence, we know that the girls are showing a profit. Admittedly, not a huge profit, but they are profitable, and we get free eggs.

Incidentally, when we decided to add ducks to the flock that money came out of the Chicken Fund too.

 

[missnu01]

I would love to actually make back a little money, but it seems to me more money can be made selling chicks and hatching eggs than you can make selling eggs by themselves..I am super thinking of splitting the coop into a few different breeding pens and then selling chicks and hatching eggs more so than eating eggs...then again, people will buy mutt chicks and mutt eggs for hatching, but it seems if I split everyone up more money could be made. I really do need to at least make it to where it isn't costing us money to keep the chickens.

No expense was needed for our coop. We have spent money buying material to make a couple some smaller housings for ducks and turkeys. I know I can sell the turkeys no problem...and probably the ducks too...I figure we could possibly even sell the processed chickens. Not sure on that one, or what is needed to be able to do so. I just know that there are ways to make money with poultry and I am going to figure it out...Lol.

I will sell eggs for eating, and eggs for hatching. I will keep a muttley flock, but I'm thinking some EEs and Salmon Faverolles, and Orpingtons will get their own spots in the coop. I will eventually make everyone their own area, but for now that isn't feasible...so they will all be in the same building but separated within it...anyway that way I can sell pure breed hatching eggs, and chicks as well as ones of the more muttley variety.
I know when I buy chickens locally I don't care what they are. I just love chickens, but some people don't fell that way I'm sure. blah blah blah I'm ranting on and on...
We have an 18x20 ft coop and will have around 40 chickens, thinking about 6 turkeys, and perhaps 10 ducks but the ducks and turkeys will have separate housing.