Hello all! Just wanted to start with my name is Chris and im a newbie with chickens. Just got 4 hens and a rooster a couple weeks back. Ive already been thinking/dreaming/planning about building a big coop and run. And getting a bunch of chickens this coming spring. My wife at first thought i was completely nuts when i said i think i want to get up to around 50 layers if not alittle more. But now she is all for it when i told her i wanted to sell the eggs and donate the profits to our church to help fund things like mission trips, feeding the hungry and whatnots that we do... Soo with that all said. How big of a flock does everyone have? And just curious how much feed you go through in a week or month?(if you dont mind sharing)
well i have 5 runner ducks around 20 polish chickens and a bunch of pigeons and 2 silver pheasants and 8 ringneck pheasants and i go threw around a bag of chicken food a week and a bag of duck food every 2 weeks so if u were to have 50 u would be going threw a lot a week with all those girls laying they need lots of food and i fine its best to have them free range
I currently have nine laying hens. They go through...maybe a 50 lb bag of layer feed a month (haven't been keeping as good records as I should). I also feed them lots of garden and table scraps and they get to free range for about an hour a day. I don't know how much nurishment they get out of that during the winter months, but they do enjoy it.
I free range only now and then due to hawks and other preditors so not countung treats daily My 6 layers go thru a large xmas Popcorn tin 3/4 full about every 30 hours.50 hens will cost you quite a bit in feed My younger 18 week olds added gives me about 20 chickens and i go thru about a 50lb bag a week for all which is about $60 a month.Guesstimate you bill will be more like $120 a month. for 50.I would start with 10 and see first.You should get 7 or 8 eggs a day
I have three different flocks. Altogether I have around 50 birds and they go through two 50lb bags of feed every 2 1/2 weeks. I'm in the process of downsizing to cut back on feed costs, but if I could I would keep them all.
I have 15 chickens. I have 2 roosters and 13 hens. I'm hoping to get some more chicks in the spring. In the summer I free range my chickens, so they only go through one 50 pound bag of feed about every 6 weeks. But in the winter when they are inside all day we go through one 50 pound bag every 3 weeks. We also give our chickens fruits and vegetables alot, so that helps with how much feed we go through as well. The feed that we get costs about $15.00 per 50 pound bag.
Oh, a thought for you. In my experience, it's tough to make much of a profit on a small scale chicken operation. While I do have a lady who buys my excess eggs and pays $6.00 a dozen (I always give her the prettiest combinations) most folks charge $4 or $5 for free range, organic eggs. What you might consider instead is simply donating excess eggs to your church if they host community breakfasts or donating the eggs directly to the commuity soup kitchen or food bank. It might be easier than trying to market them.
I have 24 layers, errrr now 23 just found out the one who was an honorary guinea got murdered by a predator, 1 roo, 5 Cochins and I get somewhere between 16-18 eggs per day plus or minus a couple either way. The Cochins are not prolific layers, but the other hens are pretty consistant. I have a few egg customers, I sell them for $3.50/dozen. My hens free range during daylight hours and only go in the coop to lay (most of the time) and sleep. I go through 2 50 lb bags of Purina Layena every 2 weeks, so about $120/month. We eat all the eggs we can stand, sell a few and I donate to the Salvation Army, about 20-30 dozen every month. They have a large food bank and I take them eggs just before they do their food baskets each week. I get a receipt for the number of dozen eggs I give them, at the end of the year I show them as charitable deductions. I don't think I make a profit in money, but I sure am rich in healthy food, and lots of love from messing with those chickens. A trilling chicken is better than Valium any day in the week!
THREE Lovely Layers!!! And in the spring I'm increasing my flock by 30%, i.e., I'm getting one more! Obviously I'm not your target audience on this topic, but I just couldn't resist. That's great that you're helping your church.
I have 30 hens and a rooster. I used to have a straight-run flock of 63, but we ate the cockerels and sold the hens. A flock that big costs a lot. It might pay off, depending on your course of action.
