Space per Meat Bird

[RoosterML]

Hmm. Have you any links to threads comparing the costs?

Traditional grocery chain chicken here can cost a good $3.75 per pound. Lesser cuts, like the thighs we feed to the dog, are cheaper by $1 or so. We've taken to eating thighs sometimes too, when I can find the huge family packs. I don't like that often, as it's not so healthy for us. This store meat often clearly states on package that there's additives as well
(We are a very far drive from stores like Costco, so this sort of shopping actually made our grocery budgeting worse.)

I will have to ask the local feed store what prices are on meat bird feeds to help make comparison. TSC is usually more expensive than our feed store. They typically carry Poulin.

I use Poulin for my meat birds and am very pleased with it.
Poulin Broiler feed is running roughly $16.50 for 50lb bag.

 

[123RedBeard]

My grocery store sells whole chickens for $0.99 - $1.29 a pound ... drumsticks $0.79 - $0.99 a pound ... organic free range skinless breast $7.49 - $7.99 a pound ...

Google will bring up lots of links to costs ... depends if you count, chicks, feeders, housing, time ...

 

[DellaMyDarling]

All very true.
I would personally choose not to count the potential costs of brooder and tractor, because those items will be used in theory for many years and possibly multiple uses. We often have or can acquire building materials quite cheaply as well. Possibly same goes for feeders, etc.
I never considered my canning equipment as part of the cost per jar to put up either, for same reasons.
I would avoid cold weather meat bird brooding, to not pay electric costs.

Maybe I'm totally delusional though.

 

[pintail_drake2004]

I don't have a chicken tractor yet, so I can't comment on them. But, My meat bird coop is 14x16' made from an old loafing cattle barn. I have an attached 600sqft run for them too. I have raised CornishX, Red Rangers, and heritage breeds for meat in there so far. All 3 foraged in the run, and surprisingly the Cornishx did fairly well getting out and being a "chicken" scratching and pecking at stuff. The most I had in there at one time was 51 birds, and there was plenty of space for them. If I was to build a chicken tractor, I'd opt for a decent sized tractor large enough for 25-30 birds per each.