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

[sweetshoplady]

And what about your time and fuel cost for going to the grocery store? The closest grocery store to me is 6 miles. 12 miles round trip - takes about 15 min - 30 min depending on traffic to get there. Then it takes time to shop. The free-range organic chickens are $10/lb at my grocery store. As I want to add duck for my table, those are $10-15/ duckling. Also, are you paying cash or credit card and if so do you pay your balance in full each month. If putting grocery on credit card and paying interest it'll cost you more. (I am guilty of that)

I personally like not having to buy eggs and milk, and other dairy products (like ice cream) from the grocery store. I've noticed a big difference in my grocery store bill - with just that. I am going to process a roo this weekend. My mom, grandma, and me will eat off that probably 3-4 meals.

I am building a tractor for some of my chickens and plan to have them work in the garden in their tractor and help me get my garden ready, as they are good at getting rid of vegetation whereever they are for any length of time. Them weeding my garden, is one less chore for me to do. And they like scratching around and dust bathing. So I can add that to my time to do other things. I do value my time.

My "time" in caring for my chickens really isn't that much - watching them play is much longer than actual care time. Doesn't take that long to clean a pen. Some people pay to watch animal planet - I don't even have re-runs. These little packing peanuts and guineas are a hoot to watch.

My roo may not be as meaty as a cornish cross, but I'll bet he'll be tasty.

 

[MissPrissy]

I'll bet he is tasty too!

 

[chicken farmer meigs]

I raised 30 cornish X this spring. they eat 250 lbs. of chick grower in 8 weeks plus grass clippings. I butcherd them when they weighted 7-8 lbs. live.It gave me 4-5 lbs of meat per bird. It is cheaper to buy chicken at the store. But I know what was put in my chickens. No hormones or antibiaoitics. Just good clean meat for my family to enjoy.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

I would say the market.

 

[kstaven]

Comparing a bargain basement chicken at wally world to home grown is like comparing prices on a Lada up against a ferrari.

In the end you get what you pay for in quality and satisfaction of providing the best for yourself and your family.

If I leave time out of the equation it is cheaper to raise my own than pay $5.00 and up per pound for good quality birds.

 

[lauralou]

Quote:
This is what I was trying to express earlier.

At .69 cents a pound what exactly are you buying? It is no where near the quality of what you are raising yourself.

If cost is the over all concern and the only factor you use to stock your freezer then by all means on buy the commercial chickens.

Now go over to the orangic meat section and check the price per pound for one of those chickens. What is the difference?

Most homegrown chickens are even better quailty than an 'organic' commercially farmed bird.

You can't compare the cost of unequal birds.

I totally agree with you, Miss Prissy! In fact, my husband asked me to make fried chicken livers the other day, and I told him that I just could not do it. The idea of eating the organ of filtration of a factory raised chicken just grossed me out.

However, we are not yet at the place where we can raise meat birds. We hope to be ready to do that next year. We do, however, have some extra Dominique cockerels that we plan to process and eat. Their Dad, the evil flogger, was delicious!

 

[al6517]

I think many ( non chicken ) folks have lost touch with how our food is raised and produced, and complain about this and that, but yet they will go to a high end resturant and pay a crazy price for a gormet meal.

If I am laboring hard raising my birds for food and eggs, cleaning coops, providing a clean safe good set-up. then when it is time to stock the freezer and all is said and done, when my family and freinds sit down to my table, and say Al this is the best chicken I have ever eaten, and I puff my chest out and say thank you, now you tell me how much is that worth!!!!!

AL

 

[cicene mete]

Another newbie question: How does one find a poultry processor? I couldn't do it myself (pathetic, I know).

 

[1acrefarm]

Quote:
I have not had any luck finding one. I would check yellow pages.

 

[max13077]

As someone who purchased and ate food from a store 99% of my life, I was blown away by the quality of home raised meat. It could be 3 or 4 times more expensive than store bought and it’d still be worth it to me! It's that good. Forget about the fact that you know what's in it and all that.