My "Free" Eggs are costing me a FORTUNE! - ITS DONE!! pg 15 pics

[Claudias Coop]

DITTO! In the same boat here. I went in as a Backyard Newbie. First did a lot of reading online before I jumped in.
1) I Read: that the Chickens would only cost $1 - 2.00 each. Of course that was for chicks. And not wanting to wait 6 months for eggs, I bought Pullets for $10. - $20.00 each. 2) The prefab coop I bought truly was not good quality & Comfortably held half as many hens as stated.
3) They eat Alot! And feed is not cheap, now that gas prices have jacked up everything. I bought Crumble, Pellets, Scratch & Oyster Shell at an average of $10. each
4) I read you could leave enough food & water for a few days if you were gone. NOT. Maybe in a really large coop with really large feeders & waterers.
So for $3 - $4. a dozen organic eggs in the store, it definitely is not paying for itself. And my girls are laying 6 - 7 days a week.

 

[abundantwife]

So happy? to read this post! I originally converted a shed as a guinea coop and then decided to add chickens-- so I had to change things up quite a bit. My husband and I joke that my eggs are about $800 a dozen! On a happier note, he got so sick of me asking him to do "just one more little thing" to the coop"-- I became quite a proficient carpenter all on my own. These days I look at some of the BYC coops and have to talk myself out of doing more modifications tomy own coop

 

[arianna]

Quote:

that's a good one.

 

[Autumnchicken]

My first egg cost me $1400.00.

 

[Kudzu]

I am contemplating having our first egg gold-plated. I was kind of disappointed it didn't come out that way.

 

[schellie69]

We had to use recycled wood and anything we had just as we where starting to build the real chicken coop (used old dog house for 1st coop) my DH lost his job so we got a bunch of free pallets some left over plywood some old shower doors and old wooden toy box and then I spent our very small budget on new wood for the flooring and floor frame and the frame of the coop. I got the recycled plastic flooring for the chicken coop part never rots it is great. I think we spent less then $200 total for the new wood, roofing, flooring, and wire. It might not look like a mansion but It is nice and I think the chickens will like it. My Dh even built me a feeder that holds a whole bag of feed.

 

[weswhite01]

I love the shower door idea.....very original.

Our coop cost of 3X what we expected and took 4X as long to build. Four years later the coop works well and I don't think about the cost anymore. And, I managed to get a few new tools in the construction budget.
With grass beginning to grow we'll soon start getting those advertised "free eggs" for the next 6 months. Life is good.

 

[schellie69]

Quote:
It helps to allow light in the other door is the other shower door, blocks the coop off from the storage area, the other part is blocked by the huge feeder. I like it I can't wait to get the pen built we are making our run almost 3 times as big as the run we have now plus adding a salad bar since the chickens killed the grass last summer.

 

[arianna]

Quote:
x2 (minus the silver)

Those back yard chickens are a reliable food supply, and it doesn't have to be that expensive to feed them. If you only have few chickens, you can keep them quite cheap. They will eat just about any kitchen leftover you have, build a cheap tractor coop and make the grass their primary food in the summer, use egg shells to replace the oyster shells...etc.

 

[Irish Luck]

My neighbors call my Chicken Coop the Manor House and joke that if the hurricanes come all will seek shelter in the coop. And you know what? Everytime I go in the coop to collect eggs or pet the girls or clean, I thank myself for taking the time, energy and expense to build such a coop because it is light and airy and easy to work in. Wouldn't change a thing!! And when I'm at work and a storm hits, I know the girls are safe on their perch in the Manor House, safe from weather and predators!!!