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My fences would be build whether or not I was raising chickens because they also hold in my dog and horses as well as my other animals. I only need to use lighting in my brooder when it's cold so if I raise my birds in the summer months up here it's more than warm enough for them without lighting. They stay in the house until they can deal with 80 degrees and when it is warm outside I don't have to provide heat using a lamp. I also do not light during the night. I don't care if it's a meat or egg bird they deserve to have a normal cycle the same as us. I have not used antibiotics, dewormers, no pick lotion, oyster shell, or grit because if you are raising organic chickens you cannot use these things other than the oyster shell and grit they are not natural. During the spring summer and fall months my feed bill is almost nil because (yes I do buy feed) but the chickens do not eat it very fast at all. They free range to get their own food by looking for bugs eating plants and eating veggies and proteins that I have grown for them here. I save my seeds each year so there is no cost there either. My chickens find their own grit in the ground and I cook, crush and reuse the eggshells for calcium for the hens. My coop is an expense (it cost 300$) yes but is one I would have paid whether or not I was killing the chickens so I do not count it as a cost. I do not charge myself labor because it is an even trade in my eyes. I give of myself to the chickens by providing them with what they need they give of themselves to me by providing eggs for my table, fertilizer for my garden (which I no longer have to buy since I have animals to produce it), feathers to stuff pillows and the final sacrifice of their life to feed my family. It's equivalent exchange.
My income tax, property insurance etc. was not raised by me adding chickens to the property. I pay the same price that I payed before for them so they cannot be added to the cost of the chickens.
Yes I do understand that if you are running a large company that these things would be factored in mainly for the tax write off at the end of the year, but for a home farmer raising free range dual purpose chickens. The cost is definitely less than what is charged in a store for the same quality chicken. One of my 3 pound birds would not cost me 13$ +. If I hatched my eggs fed it myself and raised it off the land. Plus I know that my family is safe from emergency room visits due to contaminated food which is a big concern for me. I know what I put in and that it's safe to serve.
My fences would be build whether or not I was raising chickens because they also hold in my dog and horses as well as my other animals. I only need to use lighting in my brooder when it's cold so if I raise my birds in the summer months up here it's more than warm enough for them without lighting. They stay in the house until they can deal with 80 degrees and when it is warm outside I don't have to provide heat using a lamp. I also do not light during the night. I don't care if it's a meat or egg bird they deserve to have a normal cycle the same as us. I have not used antibiotics, dewormers, no pick lotion, oyster shell, or grit because if you are raising organic chickens you cannot use these things other than the oyster shell and grit they are not natural. During the spring summer and fall months my feed bill is almost nil because (yes I do buy feed) but the chickens do not eat it very fast at all. They free range to get their own food by looking for bugs eating plants and eating veggies and proteins that I have grown for them here. I save my seeds each year so there is no cost there either. My chickens find their own grit in the ground and I cook, crush and reuse the eggshells for calcium for the hens. My coop is an expense (it cost 300$) yes but is one I would have paid whether or not I was killing the chickens so I do not count it as a cost. I do not charge myself labor because it is an even trade in my eyes. I give of myself to the chickens by providing them with what they need they give of themselves to me by providing eggs for my table, fertilizer for my garden (which I no longer have to buy since I have animals to produce it), feathers to stuff pillows and the final sacrifice of their life to feed my family. It's equivalent exchange.
My income tax, property insurance etc. was not raised by me adding chickens to the property. I pay the same price that I payed before for them so they cannot be added to the cost of the chickens.
Yes I do understand that if you are running a large company that these things would be factored in mainly for the tax write off at the end of the year, but for a home farmer raising free range dual purpose chickens. The cost is definitely less than what is charged in a store for the same quality chicken. One of my 3 pound birds would not cost me 13$ +. If I hatched my eggs fed it myself and raised it off the land. Plus I know that my family is safe from emergency room visits due to contaminated food which is a big concern for me. I know what I put in and that it's safe to serve.
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