Is it worth it in doallars only to raise my own chickens ? Do the math and compare costs only NOT for anything like taste, self satisfaction or thouchy feely or self sufficiency. Just hard cost of feed only. Last fall I got the chicken feed from a mill in Cental Cal for $12.50 for a 22% protein 50 lb bag. and that is cheap compared to feed stores at $14.95 a bag. x 11 bags for 25 chickens= $137.50 (120 pounds of meat)divide by 25 chickens = $5.50 each bird averaging 4.8 pounds = $1.14 per pound in feed costs alone per chicken and NOT counting anything for overhead or fuel or even my labor for 6 weeks. Last Saturday we baught 36.78 pounds of already processed chicken (8 chickens ave 4.6 lbs. each x $0.47 per pound = $2.162 each) from a chain grocery store at $0.47 a pound ( $17.28 total.) So, $5.50 minus $2.16= $ 3.34 as my savings per bird. If one pays $10 per chicken as was suggested as a fair price x 8 chickens = $80.00 , minus my cost of $17.28 = $62.72 that in this case, I saved by not raising my own 8 chickens. They taste like a mighty fine chicken too.
