The true cost of backyard eggs!

[RocketDad]

what is the PERFECT number of chickens for a small backyarder???

My answer is "one more than the permit says I can have." Because you should always have a spare, right? And there are 5 of us, and we each wanted to pick out a chick at the store...

A lot of towns with urban chicken rules limit to 6. Watching my flock, I think 6 to 8 would be a good number.​

 

[TipsyDog]

NURSEMEH: I have 7 hens that are 7 months old and laying well. We got 162 eggs for the month of December. That is more than enough for the two of us! For 5 people I'd probably go with 10 - 12 hens. Depends how many you'd like to share, but I like having an extra dozen or two around for family or neighbors and you'd be surprised how many uses I've found for the extra eggs! I now make pasta all the time and freeze it. Quiche is on the menu more and all baked goods are homemade too. Dogs like them and the girls get a few scrambled fed back to them. Everyone benefits!

 

[AtHomeDaddy]

I was about $250 into my hens when I got my first egg. And that $250 egg sure was TASTY!

I kept count of eggs and total costs, with a spreadsheet for about 6 months. I quit counting when I realized I was never going to get my per egg cost to drop below about $.75-$1.00 per egg.

They are still tasty, though!

 

[quietheart]

Our initial costs were pretty low, not really sure how much though cause we also built a rabbit hutch at the same time

. The house we're buying already had a coop but the front wall was falling down

. Our neighbor let us tear down an old building of his so we had plenty of lumber to fix it

.Most of our cost came from the chicken wire, nails and 2x4's. We "refurbished" the coop, then we built a smaller coop for my daughters BO's, then a chicken tractor for babies

. I still need to build a coop with yard for my sons PR's, they're in the mutt coop for now. I also need to build a coop with yard for my silkies. I'm glad we still have a lot of wood left fro that old building

.We let ours free range during the day

but come spring I want to be able to separate the breeds for breeding at least part of the time

. I should have 11 laying hens by then and should be able to sell a few dozen a week to pay for their feed

 

[backyarder717]

I am new to the whole thing...only about about three months....its cold here! so not much laying now...plus the fact that we moved the girls here to a new coop, new diet, new everthing...quite a shock...so about 15 eggs or so so far total... with that said i pay about $200.00 PER EGG!

right now as follows.....


New hand built COOP de Taj Mahal...$2500.00 (I need to post a pic someday)
Feed, scratch, etc so far... $90.00
Feeders, waterers, etc, ..$100.00
Misc items...$200.00

effect of my wife and kids....priceless!

 

[cluck-addict]

i guess I don't care HOW much they cost. They are a please and joy to have! Plus the eggs are FAR better than any of the junk we would get at the store. I know exactly what goes into our chickens so i know exactly whats going into my family. That's priceless.

Now that said, My hubby brings home extra feed from the family farm so my feed bill is pretty much free. I suppliment about $5 a month and another $5 for calicium and grit. In the summer they free range I don't supply grit then.

I'm still averaging about 2 doz a week and should max out at next summer at about 8-9 doz a week.

 

[lighthawk]

You know that it is great that many people don't have to care what it costs but I'm close to retirement and I will be looking at a fixed income that I hope to supplement with egg sales and other commodities I produce on my land. Be flippant if you want but helpful advice and actual experience with feed prices and numbers would be a much greater help to myself and others like me. For example vet bills. Medication costs. Unforseen expenses. I'm still planning this foray and it is not for the joy of chickens it is an effort to be able to feed myself for years to come. Pets they may be to many of you but in essence they are also a commodity and food source. Thank you in advance.

 

[cluck-addict]

Quote:
light hawk, I didn't mean to offend you and appologize if I came off as flippant. My point was that value can be more than just pure money. I would suspect that you probably feel the same way. If finaces were the ultimate factor I guess at some point one may just be better off not having a backyard flock.
There is a joy and passion that runs true with us chicken owners that goes far beyond the money.

As far as cost savings, look for food manufacturers in your area. Many frozen food facilities have vegetables and food that doesn't meet the standards for human consuption but are suitable for animal feed. They may even give it away for free. Someone was talking about breweries and graineries allowing folks to come in and clean up the spills for free. Search out local farmers who grind their own corn feed. There are 100lbs of pounds of corn around the dryers and grain bins that are suitable and you can take for the labor. There is a high concentration of calcium in broccoli. Feed your scraps to the chickens. There is NO need to through out old rice, oatmeal, ham bones, vegetable cuttings, ect.

I hope this helps a little. Best of luck in your retirement.

 

[HennyJenny]

Lighthawk - I have read some articles by Robert Plamandon. He has also written several books. He seems to me to be a knowledgeable poultry resource - but more for your interest he has some good advice and suggestions about the how to economically raise birds. For me they are pets and the eggs are a bonus. My Dad has raised poultry for food and profit for years with the same goals you seem to have in mind. He thinks I'm nuts. But there is a place at the table (so to speak) for everyone. You have been around here for awhile so maybe you have heard of this guy - but if I had a little farm or more than one acre and was interested in raising poultry and eggs to sell, I would implement several of the processes Plamandon seems to have down to a science. I don't know if I successfully placed a link below - but the name of his website is there anyway. One of his articles is "Profitable Free Range Eggs". I thought it was kind of interesting.

www.plamondon.com

 

[Oblio13]

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.