How much does feed cost to raise Hens?

[digitS']

Quote:
Welcome to BYC, mwatro34. If you start off with chicks and only 3, there will be surprisingly little feed cost.

This time around, I went to the feed store to purchase 7 chicks and came home with 11 Barred Rocks and Black Australorps

. One turned out not to be a pullet and that little guy is now taking up space in a friend's coop.

Despite encouraging them to eat something other than their feed (lettuce is a good thing to start with even if now they turn their beaks up at it), the chicks wouldn't eat much of anything except their starter feed. At about 8 weeks, that began to slowly change. They are now 17 weeks old and free-range nearly every day. They are hardly eating any of their commercial feed. Grass is a sought-after food but we have plenty of good things from the garden and too many left-overs from the kitchen. A little of these things are good but I've gotta watch these little piggies.

Anyway, it cost me $6 per bird in feed costs to get them to 16 weeks of age. There are fewer now and I doubt if 30% of their diet is commercial feed. In all honesty, I feel that I need to get the pullets back to about 50% rations just so that I've some confidence that they aren't deficient is some important nutrients.

The grass will be going soon as will the goodies from the garden. But, if I need to hold their beaks over the feed bowl until they've eaten close to one-quarter pound of feed a day - that's what I'll do

.

Steve

 

[jnjross]

when there was only 7, 50lbs a month. now there's 22, 200 lbs

you made me do the math that's $75 a month or 3.41 per bird per month, they are 4 moths old and i'm in to them for 13.64 not including buying them and hatching them that's $5 more . so 18.64 * 22= 410.08 in chickens alone then a $675 coop . oh I've done a bad thing

 

[Reinbeau]

Quote:
Same here, although I've got 15. A bag of starter (I'm not quite to the layer yet) costs $15.99.

 

[redneckrocker65]

I feed a 50# bag of cracked corn every 1 1/2 weeks to 20 buff orpingtons, 1 rhode island red, 1 black sex link rooster, 2 cornish cross hens, and 2 ducks

 

[quizzle]

I only go through about a cup and a half of feed a day- sometimes less. When I first got them it was perhaps 3lbs for 3 chicks a week. They were 2-4 weeks old. Now it's more like 4lbs per week. They roam around the yard too, but don't eat table scraps. I've barely made a dent in my 40lb bag after 2 weeks.

 

[BayCityBabe]

I have twenty-four birds that eat 100lbs. of feed a month - MAXIMUM. That's two bags at $14 ea. About a buck a day. For the past month, my neighbors have been super-generous with unwanted garden scraps (corn, tomatoes, etc.) We have gone through about 70lbs. of feed. Twenty bucks. I have a hard time taking my daughter out to a movie for less than that. We have only gotten a few eggs from out girls, so they are not earning their keep in that regard, but we get alot of pleasure out of having them in our lives. They are worth it.
If you are looking at this from an economic standpoint, please also consider vet care and illness care. My birds are only about 5 mo. old and I have shelled out $60-$70 for antibiotics, injury care, a used crate for an injured bird, more antibiotics for a respiratory illness... BTW: I am really cheap & don't call the vet.
Others on BYC have written that you have to have the mentality of becoming a pet owner and ask yourself whether you are willing & able to shell out the bucks. I think it's a consideration.

 

[Ricks Chicks]

I have 5 RIR's 50# bag lasts about 6-7 weeks. I also give them table scraps and corn, they love that.
the bags of feed cost $13.00,scraps $o.00,corn $0.oo. having my chickens happy and healthy, priceless.

 

[Junkmanme]

I have 21 chickens, including one rooster. They eat THREE times what any post here has mentioned (their run hasn't anything growing anymore. (They ate it ALL.)

Perhaps my chickens have a "wild-pig" gene!

They EAT all the time!NONE of them are "broilers or Cornish X.

I figure that the 21 of them eat 150 lbs of "store-bought feed" every month. At an average of $15.00/50 lbs that's $45.00 per month for 21 birds. That's about $2.15 per bird per month.

So, If I figure on selling a bird at 5 months old, I've got, at least, $10.75 in each bird for feed. Add a purchase cost of $2.75 per bird. My costs at 5 months are, at least, $13.50 per bird.

So, people figure on "making a profit" selling 5 month old pullets for $10.00 each? I don't think so.

So, IF your costs are 1/3 of mine, you've still got $4.50 per bird minimum cost. Every one that dies wipes out the profit for 2 other birds sold at $10.00 each.

Ya AIN"T gonna make any profit at $10.00 per bird sales price!

my opinion,

-Junkmanme-

Sort of a comparison: 40 years ago, a pack of cigarettes was less than 50 cents a pack. Now figure $5.00 per pack, minimum. At $10.00 per pullet, you are effectively trading a pullet for 2 packs of cigarettes. Could a person make a profit 40 years ago by selling a pullet for $1.00 ???????

-Junkmanme-

 

[waygood]

I have 35 chickens that are not free ranging. I feed them only layer crumbles. Here in southern Indiana, a fifty pound bag of feed is $8.50. I use a fifty pound bag about every 6-7 days. Hope this helps.

 

[Junkmanme]

In view of my previous post,

Consider this:

20 laying hens - each of which can be expected to lay, at least 2 eggs every 3 days.

That should yield approx. 30 dozen eggs (saleable) each month.

IF priced at $3.00 per dozen (for 30 dozen) that should produce GROSS INCOME of $90.00 per month.

LESS $45.00 feed cost (my maximum)

Net Income (before other expenses) = $45.00 per month

WHY SELL PULLETS?

just sell eggs.

-Junkmanme-

Disclaimer: ALL figures are approximate "guesses".