snow in run

[gtaus]

$2 per egg! You are a brave soul to keep track of the expense. I am worried our chicken grocery bill is starting to rival the cost of feeding our dog, my wife and myself! But you have to admit the thrill of cleaning poop, hanging treats, constantly counting how many and where they are during free ranging, coming up with new names, is priceless! If we had know what was involved BEFORE we got chickens, sigh!

View attachment 1971608

I downloaded a spreadsheet program off the internet to track income, expenses, chickens, eggs, etc... So it automatically updates everything as I enter the data. That $2.00 includes me "selling" myself the eggs we collect. Our local supermarket charges $4.00 per dozen for organic eggs, so I "buy back" my eggs collected from the girls at $4.00 per dozen. That helps bring the cost per egg/dozen down.

If I take out the initial cost of building the chicken coop - my biggest expense - then my eggs drop down to 98 cents per dozen. That sounds a lot better. But yeah, I don't factor in my time and effort in raising chickens. I went into this project knowing that commercial eggs would always be a less expensive option for me. I think my home grown eggs taste better, and they certainly look better than the commercial eggs at the store.

But I go fishing every year and that costs me about $50 per pound of fish after you factor in the fishing license, boat expenses, bait and tackle, etc... I don't know, but fresh fish caught off the lake just seems to taste better than frozen fish from the supermarket. At least that's what I tell myself.

 

[CindyinSD]

The tarps all look good... considering the wind we had, I’m impressed.

 

[50-45-1]

i just go out and shovel a spot outside of my chicken door on sunny days in the winter. i shovel a spot about 10 feet square and broadcast some hay that they can scratch thru. they enjoy getting out in the sun.
The coop my husband and i built is 11 by 14 ft. this building can be gutted, power-washed and made into many things later if my daughter no longer wants chickens.
she is an artist so i see a studio or workshop.
as far as a covered run to shed snow, i am thinking something constructed in A frame.

 

[CindyinSD]

.. I don't know, but fresh fish caught off the lake just seems to taste better than frozen fish from the supermarket. At least that's what I tell myself.

What? I thought frozen fish tasted like tartar sauce... you mean it has a taste of its own?

 

[aart]

Couldn't/can't afford to build a structure strong enough to carry the snow loads here.
So I shovel, sometimes hourly during bad storms.
First to keep run and pop doors accessible to me,
then a 50' path to access run roof if snow gathers there(which it can).
Run roof almost collapsed the first year,
I was very lucky it didn't bend beyond bouncing back.
Have a 4x8 'under-run' for the birds which is always accessible and stays dry all year for dust bathing. It's protected the the glass panels shown and another, and the awning. The other run is closed in winter, too hard to get back there to keep it cleared.
Luckily the coop is rather large, and I keep the winter population low so cabin fever days don't cause any mayhem.

 

[K0k0shka]

View attachment 1970690
View attachment 1970692

I love the sign on your gate

 

[bajabirdbrain]

Aart: Wow, your dedication to shoveling is impressive!!! Maybe a lottery ticket winner is in the future to provide more covered area, but in the meantime, enjoy your exercise!! I assume that you enjoy spring and fall with your chickens more than summer??

 

[skipa-za-ko_13]

Le plastique sert également de brise-vent en hiver, ce que les filles approuvent, je suppose.

 

[jreardon1918]

I downloaded a spreadsheet program off the internet to track income, expenses, chickens, eggs, etc... So it automatically updates everything as I enter the data. That $2.00 includes me "selling" myself the eggs we collect. Our local supermarket charges $4.00 per dozen for organic eggs, so I "buy back" my eggs collected from the girls at $4.00 per dozen. That helps bring the cost per egg/dozen down.

If I take out the initial cost of building the chicken coop - my biggest expense - then my eggs drop down to 98 cents per dozen. That sounds a lot better. But yeah, I don't factor in my time and effort in raising chickens. I went into this project knowing that commercial eggs would always be a less expensive option for me. I think my home grown eggs taste better, and they certainly look better than the commercial eggs at the store.

But I go fishing every year and that costs me about $50 per pound of fish after you factor in the fishing license, boat expenses, bait and tackle, etc... I don't know, but fresh fish caught off the lake just seems to taste better than frozen fish from the supermarket. At least that's what I tell myself.

I have also kept track of cost per egg. Including the cost of the coop, run, feed, bedding, odds and ends. We are down to $.78 per egg. They have been some very enjoyable eggs. That is after 2.5 years.

 

[skipa-za-ko_13]

Je n'ai que trois coqs là-dedans, plus environ 30 dindes et quelques canards et oies. Les coqs sont les seuls à s'occuper de la neige et il y a une coopérative de bonne taille pour eux et pour quiconque est assez intelligent pour aller à l'intérieur. Sinon, je pourrais envelopper l’ouest et peut-être l’est pour rester à la dérive.