Is it cheaper to buy chicken at the market or raise it?

[blue90292]

and that's the sad part, cuz they are unaware. in this age of electronics, it's hard to get information. i always hear, if you want such and such, go online and put in your information and we'll get it to you...well, my mother doesn't have a computer, how else can she get you the information, and they look at me like i asked the hardest question in the world!

btw, sorry if i said anything rude to you. i'm not trying to be rude. just sometimes, it's a fact of been there, done that and sometimes have a hard time seeing outside the box.

 

[dangerouschicken]

In Oregon, they have really been expanding the WIC program to get more fruits and veggies in kid's diets. Obesity being the problem it is, and many kids are obese and malnourished. Only in America, right? It is soooo frustrating. I used to live in an urban part of Portland where there were NO grocery stores, only corner stores, and the local folks had no way to get fresh fruits and veggies. Not every family can just grow their own, so it really helps if WIC can. Of course you would have to take a bus just to get to the Farmers' Market... more money spent people don't have....

Hey, I need to add here that the bus fares keep going up as gas prices do. Low income folks are now even lower income. Great!

 

[okiemommy]

and that's the sad part, cuz they are unaware. in this age of electronics, it's hard to get information. i always hear, if you want such and such, go online and put in your information and we'll get it to you...well, my mother doesn't have a computer, how else can she get you the information, and they look at me like i asked the hardest question in the world!

btw, sorry if i said anything rude to you. i'm not trying to be rude. just sometimes, it's a fact of been there, done that and sometimes have a hard time seeing outside the box

I'm not sure if you were talking to me or not,

, but I don't think you were being rude and I completely agree with you. I also completely agree with your previous post. I think it's a combination of all of these are factors. I think the summation of my point is that the problem is much bigger than laziness, and laziness in itself is a secondary reaction to less obvious more underlying problems such as loss of hope, a lack of education, a lack of education to the resources available to them, and not just the ones that perpetuate the cycle.


Which brings up another point, most of the programs that are in place to help the low income are vicious cycle type things. They're not programs where the people can sustain themselves, they're programs that give them only hand outs, not hand ups.

It takes a truly perserverant (sp?) person to make a low income work, which I think MissPrissy handed beautifully. Unfortunately that's becoming more and more rare, as our country's resourcefulness and determination seem to be all but completely gone.​

 

[okiemommy]

I used to live in an urban part of Portland where there were NO grocery stores, only corner stores, and the local folks had no way to get fresh fruits and veggies.

DC, that's how it is in OKC right now. They are revitalizing the downtown area, and there is no grocery store. And they are debating on whether enough people would use it! I would say duh! they would, b/c they are expanding the living spaces by 200%, and people who already live downtown complain that they don't have a grocery store close enough. The closest one is around 7 miles or a little more away.
But I'm not a city planner, so what do I know

 

[suenrob]

I started raising chickens just for their eggs, which BTW, costs more than store bought eggs. Who knew we would grow to love them so much!!!!!!! It has become such a wonderful hobby that i am now incubating some of my eggs and selling chicks to help pay for feed. I also sell a few dozen eggs here and there.

So, yes, it might cost a little more but just the joy alone that comes from raising chickens, not to mention the health benefits, far out weighs the costs.

We are also raising two calves for beef. They too are costing a small fortune, but like DH keep saying........

When the truckers finally go on strike because of fuel prices, and the groceries stores are empty, we will have an abundence of food and all the people that have laughed at us (including family members) will be calling to see if they can come to our BBQ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bottom line, it's not really about the cost difference, its about being self sufficient....just my two cents worth....

Edited to apologize for my poor spelling

 

[dacjohns]

Well said okiemommy.

 

[dangerouschicken]

The old ways are disappearing, but there is a real movement to bring them back. Raising your own food used to be the norm, but in post-WWII America, our nation became so reliant on the "convenience" of grocery stores. It almost wiped out part of our culture as Americans (as do it yourself people). Factory farming and big agriculture haven't helped. Whatever people can do to be part of a homegrown food movement really helps, even if that is just supporting another person's farming, such as with CSA's, Farmers' Markets, etc.

As for government food assistance, this may shock some people, but it is not just low income families that receive it. In most states, parents who adopt through Child Protective Services usually have children that qualify for WIC until they are 18. Two of our three daughters receive WIC coupons. They also have Medicaid and will receive free college educations. These services are available to children who have been in foster care, regardless of their being adopted. It is also an incentive for folks to choose CPS/foster care children over international adoption.

 

[okiemommy]

Thank you, dacjohns.