Leghorns -19 weeks to first eggs

[AllenK RGV]

Yep, this is NOT a for profit enterprise. $5/lb free range organic chicken from a free range organic for profit farm. $3 a pound if you raise them 100% on purchased feed. Less than that if you free range or feed scraps. That's why I want tractors. However, I have issues with grocery $0.50/lb store birds. Issues like flavor or the lack there of. The Barred Rocks have me sold. Let's see if the Cornish are as tasty. If all else fails, I'll go to dual purpose. Straight run will be tricky, but hens will mature longer and still be smaller. If I keep the layer flock going and rotate, that will feed us for 6 months with chicken soup. Hmmm. Chicken and pumpkin soup.

How long does it take the layers to become profitable to keep? Assuming no egg sales? $30 a month in feed for 18 hens? I'll have to crunch numbers and do a yearly estimate.

I got 6 free pumpkins and the layers will probable get 2 plus waste from me eating the other 4.

Now feeding scraps to your laying hens is a whole lot different than generating enough scraps to keep 25 meat birds happy for 8 weeks. Will be a lot of purchased feed.

Need to run to Kroger and see how much they want for their leftover pumpkins and stay away from the clearance candy isle. Well, maybe just one case of candy.

He came up with 422 dollars for 610 pounds of feed, 12 bags of feed isn't that expensive pretty sure it is only 10-12.99 at TSC. I'm sure the nut used some silly hippie organic feed. So I rate his per pound of meatbird to be pushed to the high range of costs. Since I would only be out $150 for feed cause they free range and I don't care about hippie organic crap.
ok 14.99 for 50lb of grower feed.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/dumor-chick-starter-grower-20-feed-50-lb

so 180 +75 so 255 total costs.

 

[AllenK RGV]

I was just at Krogers (my) no pumpkins to be found anywhere

My HEB doesn't have them marked down YET.

Oh hey either of you looking to build new coops anytime soon. Craigslist in San Antonio has the perfect thing to turn into coops and they are free.... check this out you could stack these with tops facing each other to have a 7-8 foot high chicken coop......
https://sanantonio.craigslist.org/zip/d/free-shipping-crate-crates/6339476654.html

Man I'm thinking I should hire me someone to grab these.

 

[Kiki]

Look to the right on this page...
Click to listen LIVE.
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt...ry-that-traced-back-to-slaughterhouse-workers

 

[RUNuts]

Shipping crates pop up on Houston list also pretty regular. Most on the other side of town from me. Since the HOA has standards, I'd wind up putting pretty siding on it no matter what. Driving 2 hours while hauling a trailer through Houston traffic means it is NOT worth my time for a partial trailer of free lumber. Shooting idiots is still illegal. I'm allergic to traffic too. Thought about it. No profit.

 

[RUNuts]

Kiki - that is not nice. I'd stop eating all together if I didn't like food so much.

So I'm allergic to penicillin. Check. Love milk. Check. Hate doctors because they kill so many. Check. Distrust food service workers because I'm a paycheck to them and it is a poor one at that. I'm only a few steps away from being a germaphobe.

In short, that little excerpt explains why we need to grow our own. Priceless.

I'm amused, please excuse me Allen for this, by vegetarians saying how much better their diet is. Then the latest case of salmonella poisoning comes out blaming uncooked greens from halfway around the globe. Everything is out to kill you. Surrender now!

 

[RUNuts]

@AllenK@new2this Yes, Birdinhand was feeding organic feed. If I feed M-G grower at $13.50/pound + $75 for 25 chicks with no losses, then I'm at $1.10/pound for whole birds. Compared to $1.50/pound supermarket whole birds. Not including TT&L, housing, gas, packaging, time, water, electricity (process & store) and knife sharpening.

Grocery will sell whole birds on sale for $0.60/pound. Pieces and parts are $0.75/pound on sale.

Boils down to how much is your time worth and is it worth it to you? I'll try it and see how long the patience holds out. Not included in any of these discussions is if something wipes out your flock like dogs, predator or disease. Depending on place in cycle, costs can be thrice or more.

Bottom line, this is break even at best. The market farms do it faster, better and with less hassle to me.

@KikisGirls when are we ordering spring meat birds? I keep getting sales notices from Ideal and wonder if this continues through spring. You want to split a pig? I'd need another freezer too.

 

[Kiki]

They send those emails out weekly...year round.

I'm not ready for meat birds just yet.

 

[RUNuts]

Did I mention that the organic, free range Red Ranger that I bought was $30 for a <5 pound carcass? Figure $4 per pound to let someone else raise it. So, if that is used as a comparison, I win. And my birds tasted better because I am the judge!

Truth be told, I did not prepare the bought birds right. I'm learning.

 

[RUNuts]

Glorious Day! 7 beautiful butt orbs again! 1 brown. I checked the other 2 RIR and if they don't lay this weekend, I'll be buggered. So lay your money down. I'm betting 3 brown eggs by Thanksgiving. This isn't including the Barred Rocks or the New Hampshire Reds - no sign of getting close other than red face. RIR are squatting, 2 finger pelvic bone spacing and moist.

Now it could be possible that the RIR are taking turns. I'll have to save the brown eggs and compare them. They are getting eaten regular. Line forms behind me. Although, I was eyeballing them and they look the same.

 

[AllenK RGV]

Oh thank god! I was worried there wasn't going to be an egg report tonight.