How much does it cost?]

[Coco Rae]

Hey,
I'm going to get chickens soon but first I have to figure out what the costs are.
What are the costs on a monthly basis??
What is the starting cost??
Thank you all,
Coco
Oh also, I'm going to get three chickens.
Thank you.

 

[All about the EGG]

The biggest cost for three chickens would be the coop. You might spend $25 a month in feed and litter. So it depends on the coop.

 

[bekisar]

I wanted to suggest that you might consider building your coop of recycled materials such as pallets to lower the cost.

 

[RonC]

Coop and enclosed run(in used) are the biggest expenses. They will waste a large amount of their food feeding them crumbles. As soon as they are grown switch to pellets and they will waste alot less food. I use about 50 lbs a month on six so half that for three. Fifteen to twenty dollars a month should be enough for three chickens depending on where you live and food prices. Of course there's always chicken math that comes into play.

 

[Coco Rae]

Thank you all this will help me!

What do you think the starting cost would be?

Coco

 

[RonC]

All together I spent about three hundred dollars building a new coop and run,feed,feeder,and waterer.And oh yeah, chickens(the cheap part). It can be done cheaper if you purchase a used coop/run. Craigslist can be your friend. A simple hoop coop or DIY tractor could probably save a little money. Wish I had done the hoop coop/run myself.

 

[TXchickmum]

Coop(s) are the largest expense. If utilizing recycled materials, you may spend as little as $25 - $50 (for wire/latches/screws/staples). Feed costs vary depending upon whether your flock's diet consists mainly of commercial feed or a combination of feed and forage. Also, consider if you plan to supplement with treats such as scratch grain and mealworms. A container of dried mealworms costs around $14. Scratch is about $20 a bag. Feed varies from about $17 - $35 per bag (depending upon whether it is organic). Grass and homegrown greens and plants are a minimal cost (aside from the water it takes for growing. This, too, can be minimal depending upon climate and catching via a rain barrel). Feeders and waterers must be purchased at a cost range from $5 - $40 (depending upon material, size).

Our initial "cheap" investment was around $50 for coop material for recycled construction, $3 per pullet chick, $1 per bantam chick, $16 for starter feed, and about $8 for a small feeder and waterer.

As time passed we required more feed per month (as they grew), crushed oyster shell (calcium supplement for layers), and grit. Additionally, we chose to construct a large covered run (to keep away hawks). We used recycled materials for this. -cost was about $100 for wire and hardware for the door.

 

[jasmer]

Our starting cost was the cost of two rolls of chicken wire and staples for the staple gun. Everything else we used to build our coop was already on our property. We used an unfinished shed that the previous owners built, some recycled pallets, and wood and 2x4 poles that we found on the property. Your cost may vary depending on how much recycled material you can come up with. Pallets are a great, often free, source of building materials, you can take them apart or use them as is for fence construction like we did. A chicken coop doesn't have to be big, just big enough for your chickens to roost, nest, and you to easily clean.

We feed Nutrena flock raiser, it's, what, $16 a bag? We buy it about once a month and feed the chickens kitchen scraps too. If you're going to have a rooster or chickens that aren't laying frequently, get a starter, grower, or all purpose flock raiser. Layer feed has a lot of calcium and that's apparently quite bad for any chicken that is not actively laying (like roosters). We free range when there isn't snow on the ground and feed costs go down, down, down.

We got our chickens free, but I've been looking into Jersey Giant meat chickens and they're going for $2-2.50 per chick seems like, and that seemed pretty on par with that particular hatchery's stock for layers too.

 

[JanetS]

We had to buy all our wood. The cost for the coop depends on the size that you want and what kind of wire
you use. We used hardware cloth ( the safest) but it's pricey. Around $50 a roll. We buried patio stones sideways in the ground all around the coop
and run to stop predator digging. Patio stones are around $1.50 each. We easily have over $500 into ours.

 

[jasmer]

We had to buy all our wood. The cost for the coop depends on the size that you want and what kind of wire
you use. We used hardware cloth ( the safest) but it's pricey. Around $50 a roll. We buried patio stones sideways in the ground all around the coop
and run to stop predator digging. Patio stones are around $1.50 each. We easily have over $500 into ours.

That's one mighty fine coop to show for it though.

Coco, something we're thinking of doing with our next coop that's free if you have a rocky creek or river nearby is getting a truckload of river rock--just load them right into your truck (or a friend's) and take 'em home, and bury them a foot or two deep around the perimeter of your coop and fence line. It's a good way to cut cost if it's available.