The true cost of backyard eggs!

[Opa]

While I can tell you that my chickens provided me with 2941 eggs last year I couldn't honestly tell you what my costs were. While it was never very much at one time, with the exception of $200 for a door opener and another $200 for electric poultry mesh, I sure that the total adds up to a considerable amount of money. My feed alone runs about $50 per month and with eggs selling for 78 cents a dozen at the grocery raising my own definately isn't economically prudent. That being said I think the satisfaction and stress reducing I experience probably saves me in costly medications and doctors. The true cost? $100 per dozen?

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Rich study coop design and do a deep litter system, it's ALMOST effortless to maintain. A great coop design can keep the chores to a minimum, bad coop design...SO MUCH WORK...ask me how I know

ETA: You also might look into what breeds eat less feed, grow faster, eggs sale better for hatching eggs type sales, etc. and get the breed that best suits your needs according to what you find.

 

[HennyJenny]

Folks, if your accountant was calculating this for you, they would amortize your coop costs over the remaining life of your home loan or your lease. Say you have 10 years left on your home loan and your coop costs you $350 to build. That's 120 months. You would amortize the value of your coop per month at $2.91 per month. If you did a profit (loss) statement for your chickens each month it would go something like this for 3 hens in a $350 coop:

3 hens lay three eggs a day x 30 days or 90 eggs per month - say you keep six and sell 7 dozen at 2.50 each.

17.50 EGG MONEY
- 8.00 FEED
- 5.00 COST TO RUN HEAT LAMP
- 2.91 COOP AMORTIZATION
- 5.00 MEDICINE
- 3.41 (LOSS)


Your cost per egg for production is going to be 27 cents per egg or $3.24 per dozen. The real costs would be better tracked over the course of 12 months - kind of like when you figure miles per gallon for your car - over 12 months - the "real" costs all spread themselves out.

 

[Slinkytoys]

My chickens have an extra horse stall. The only expense was the chicken wire used to line the outside runout fencing. Used old haybales for the roost areas, my hens' nesting boxes are covered kitty litter boxes with some straw and wood shavings in them. Bought a large metal waterer at the feed store, use an older buffet heater unit to keep the water from freezing. The chickens use about a bag of layer crumbles every 11 days (down to 8 hens). Will use a couple of bags of wood shavings since we do the deep litter method. The feeder is a huge dog bowl, they will perch on the sides and eat. I give them leftovers from the dogs, horses, cats and our kitchen.
Our costs are pretty low, up until the cold hit we were getting 4-5 eggs a day (the girls are getting old). Am planning on getting a dozen or so chicks this spring and culling the older birds late summer. I have the old ones processed to feed my dogs. Life's circle.
Slinky

 

[Gelky]

Based on my first year's estimated cost and egg production (welded wire, wooden post, coop construction, first year's feed, 5 hens, ect... ~$234.00) This excluding cost of land, 150 sqft of backyard which mortgage is paid regardless of chicken coop or not.

I am estimating that after 1 year, cost of egg production is $0.52/egg ($6.27/dozen)

However, after year one, cost is reduced to feed and minor maintenance.

Estimated year 2 cost of egg production is $0.11/egg or $1.28/dozen.

So providing nothing goes wrong. Year two is when eggs become cheaper than store bought equivalent (Free range, cruelty free, brown eggs)

I am looking forward to year two.

But then again, they are also pets. Hard to put a price tag on a pet which provides you with good wholesome eggs. Not to mention that fact that the wife wont argue about feeding table scraps to the chickens in oppose to the dog.

 

[dlhunicorn]

Quote:
I can almost guarantee that you won't make/save money. If that's your primary motivation, backyard chickens might not be for you.

I'll add my small "ditto" to this

...however , I do feel you can still keep chickens economically if you keep just enough for yourself... it really depends on if you live in an area where there is a market for the extra chickies you may hatch out/the odd dozen eggs or so every now and then you may have available. When you are in an area / in a position where this is going to be an extra cost/effort for you, then I would start with just a few and look elsewhere for a source of extra money.

 

[FisherMOM]

and my dad says.. you charge $2 a dozen? what a rip off!
hmm.. I need to bring him to this thread.
Yeah, it's a rip off all right.. I AM getting ripped off!

Can't imagine NOT having chickens now.
It;s like having a dog or cat, but I get eggs in return.
And if they turn mean (um, roosters), I could always eat them.

 

[chicken ridl]

My dad says the same thing there to high.
I sell mine for $2.00 a dozen. They are $2.17 for brown eggs at the store.
People tell my they are to high I say don't buy them.
I am not in it for the money. It's a hobby. And I have spent a bunch of time and money in it,thats normal for a hobby.
I could have a race car or fly model planes but I have chickens.
I love the eggs they are much better and they make any food you bake taste better.
I have eggs running out my ears and I have home grown chickens in the freezer.
I CAN EAT MY HOBBY SO THERE!!!! Plus it's fun. And always gives me something to talk about.
This summer I am going to try to raise some turkeys.

So good luck chicken friends and most of all have fun.

 

[TipsyDog]

Just got my electric bill which has increased ALOT - only thing different - CHICKENS. We've had this crazy cold since back in November already and the heat lamps are on and maintaining 35* in the coop. My eggs are really expensive.

 

[lovin'mychicks]

I was so discouraged when we began our flock because everyone kept telling us how much it was gonna cost us and we would get tired of it, blah blah!

We keep a flock of about 15-20 layers. We feed quality feed (not the cheep stuff), buy some cartons, sell eggs for 2 dollars per dozen, and raise about 15-20 chicks every couple of week to sale $2-3 each, in the fall, we sell our least favorite laying hens (for what ever reason, body size low egg production, moody or broody) and any extra roos we might have ($12-30) and replace with new stock.

Here is how we look at it...we do not sale chickens/eggs to make money...we sale chickens/eggs to finance our chicken/egg hobby! If you look at it that way and run the numbers on what you can do and how many you can safely manage to have a happy healthy flock - it can be tons of fun and pay for itself! We even raise and sell bantams for fun and pickled banty eggs are a local fave!

I will admit that mild AL temps (not this week it is FREEZING!) and low power/feed cost here helps us!