Right now I'm paying $9.85 for a 50# sack of 17% Lonestar brand laying pellets, $8.95 for a 50# sack of scracth(cracked corn, milo,very little wheat and oats in there just enough to say its there)
and 7.25 for 50# of whole corn (for winter rations in the warmer seasons I drop the whole corn and add whole wheat $10.95/50# as it is easier on the caloric intake of the ol' gals).
I use about 50# of layer feed a week and about 50# of the grain a week ( I mix the scratch/corn 50/50 for treats and temptations to get them cooped up when needed).
So that's 9.85+8.11=$17.96 a week for feed and I get about a dozen eggs a day more or less (I'm at about 50% production right now) So 7 doz. eggs at 1.50 a doz.(that's all I can squeeze out of the local redneck tight-wads around here)= $10.50 a week for eggs, and that leaves $ 7.46 in the red. When they pick up laying inthe warmer season the egg to feed ratio doesn't gain much as the daylight is longer therefore they eat more feed and so on and so forth....ect.
So I guess that's still not a bad price to pay for a continuous, on going, everyday, addictive hobby. Believe you me I've supported way less productive addictions and activities in my lifetime.
Someone else quoted eleswhere on the BYC "chicken feed is just the price you pay for owning these creatures".
Anyway I don't ever plan on getting rich from selling chicken eggs or chicks (or even breaking even for that matter) but it sure is fun to raise them and enjoy their companionship and fruits(cackle berries) of my labors.
BTW I've got more Dellie babies arriving this weekend (see can't ever get enough) if that's not addiction then maybe whomever thinks not should attend some of the courses and (EXPERIENCES) that I've attended before.
catdaddy
