Raising your own CAN be cheaper than store-bought!

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

It takes me at least an hour to process a chicken. I don't kill and eat many so I'm not very efficient at the processing part. Even expecting a modest return for my labour I would expect to get paid fifteen UK pounds an hour.
That's any profit gone just from the processing.

I don't really get your point. I was just saying I don't count labor since I'm not paying myself. It wouldn't make sense to. I don't think about how I'm not getting paid to clean the house, do dishes, tend the garden, or walk my dog. Those things only cost an hourly rate because you are paying for the convenience of someone else doing it. When I am doing it myself, it is valued at $0.

And by the way, we did all 6 yesterday in 1 hour and 45 minutes.

I don't really get the point of what you are saying, besides you trying to rain on my parade. I had a success and I'm proud of it. If you don't want to do the same as I do, it's no big deal.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Good point but I don't think that they are selling them, they are eating them.

Exactly. It's for my family only.

 

[Molpet]

I don't really get the point of what you are saying, besides you trying to rain on my parade.

For me it's the title, implying the cost is less than the cheap 99 cent a lb store chicken. Lots of costs not included in your math.
However I'm sure they are healthier and raised in much better condition than the cheap store chicken.

 

[Shadrach]

For me it's the title, implying the cost is less than the cheap 99 cent a lb store chicken. Lots of costs not included in your math.
However I'm sure they are healthier and raised in much better condition than the cheap store chicken.

Exactly.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

For me it's the title, implying the cost is less than the cheap 99 cent a lb store chicken. Lots of costs not included in your math.
However I'm sure they are healthier and raised in much better condition than the cheap store chicken.

Why do you think I put "can" in all caps? I'm not saying it's cheaper than every chicken at every store, but my point was that it is cheaper than the ones at my local grocery store - and is actually of higher quality. Comparable quality chickens go for much more (I've seen $25 for a 4-5 lb "pasture raised" bird), and mine are cheaper than that. So, my point stands that raising your own CAN be cheaper than store bought. I haven't seen 99 cent/lb chickens locally for a while anyway. It's more like $2+.

 

[Morrigan]

Most people probely don't. I try to make a rough estimate.
There are lots of reasons for keeping chickens, whatever their purpose, but making money from them isn't realistic if one is going to provide a reasonable standard of care in a back yard keeping arrangement.

To be fair, I don't think the OP was saying she was trying "to make money off of them," which, I agree, is unrealistic absent a unique set of circumstances. There have been many threads over the years on this topic. Rather, she was saying that home-raised chickens could be cheaper than a comparable store-bought chickens. Comparable, being a pasture-raised/organic style bird, which are ridiculously expensive where I live.

As far as valuing the time I spend with my chickens, since I'm not doing it as a business, I also value my time at $0. It really is an opportunity-cost type equation. What would I have done with those hours, but for caring for the chickens? I'm retired, so I'm not forgoing an income-earning job. I could actually argue that the chicken care is saving me money, because were I not occupying myself with the chickens, I might be spending money by going golfing, shopping, seeing a movie, etc.

 

[TeresaW]

Don't forget, you get more than meat and eggs. You get love, enjoyment, entertainment and satisfaction from raising your own birds.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

To be fair, I don't think the OP was saying she was trying "to make money off of them," which, I agree, is unrealistic absent a unique set of circumstances. There have been many threads over the years on this topic. Rather, she was saying that home-raised chickens could be cheaper than a comparable store-bought chickens. Comparable, being a pasture-raised/organic style bird, which are ridiculously expensive where I live.

As far as valuing the time I spend with my chickens, since I'm not doing it as a business, I also value my time at $0. It really is an opportunity-cost type equation. What would I have done with those hours, but for caring for the chickens? I'm retired, so I'm not forgoing an income-earning job. I could actually argue that the chicken care is saving me money, because were I not occupying myself with the chickens, I might be spending money by going golfing, shopping, seeing a movie, etc.

Yes, exactly. I feel the same way.

And yes, I am not talking about making a profit - just breaking even or saving money.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Don't forget, you get more than meat and eggs. You get love, enjoyment, entertainment and satisfaction from raising your own birds.

Very true! I get a lot of enjoyment from them, and I feel good when I know I gave them a good life.

But that reminds me that even beyond what you said, I physically get even more when I process the chickens myself. The heads, intestines, blood, tails, and feathers go to the compost and nourish my garden. The laying hens also munch at the feathers, which is free nutrition for them. The feet and edible organs go to my dog and cats. We don't waste anything. Leftover bones are made into stock. And these (except for the bones) are parts you don't even get with a store-bought chicken.

 

[The Moonshiner]

I don't really get your point. I was just saying I don't count labor since I'm not paying myself. It wouldn't make sense to. I don't think about how I'm not getting paid to clean the house, do dishes, tend the garden, or walk my dog. Those things only cost an hourly rate because you are paying for the convenience of someone else doing it. When I am doing it myself, it is valued at $0.

And by the way, we did all 6 yesterday in 1 hour and 45 minutes.

I don't really get the point of what you are saying, besides you trying to rain on my parade. I had a success and I'm proud of it. If you don't want to do the same as I do, it's no big deal.

Well just figure what it would come to for your time to go to the grocery store and back, plus, gas, plus wear and tear on your vehicle, etc, etc and you're back ahead