True cost of starting a backyard flock.

[nmantime]

Quote:
How true... if i had of known the real cost of competition bass fishing, even after winning a couple... no way can i make the economics work out. Same for the motorcycle riding and somebody help me on hunting... But the enjoyment i get is worth whatever value these things cost. My chicken coop and run would take my girls years to pay off in eggs i sell but the pleasure sitting down in the garden having them wander over and peck at me for a treat they know i have for them,,, yeah it worth every penny spent as the stress of a day at work goes away. My kids used to wander down and sit with me and they'd take these times to talk to me about stuff because they would relax out too and they knew that they had my full attention. Wow anyway.. chicken therapy is far more valuable than going to a $100 an hour shrink so maybe the cost of the coop and run has been paid for already...

Norm in N.CA

 

[Beekissed]

I really can't imagine anyone spending that much to have their own eggs or even to have pet chickens. I've had chickens at various places I've lived over the years and I can honestly say that, even with buying chicks/full grown pullets, I've never spent more than a couple hundred on materials to get started...if that.

Of course, I manage to get more out of my chicken raising experience than the casual backyard chickener as I eat them for meat and eat/sell the eggs. If I thought I would never recoup the start up costs I would never have started up.

Do folks bemoan their start up costs or brag about them...sometimes I can't tell for sure. Either way, if I couldn't manage to keep it any lower than a couple hundred, I'd never tell a soul! Who wants people to know you are foolish with your judgement/money?

 

[erthymom2]

Don't forget to add the cost of a good digital camera and photo printer as part of your start-up cost cause you WILL be taking lots of pics! LOL

 

[calista]

Beekissed, hubby and I had a good laugh at what expression would show up on your face if you heard the ballpark figure for our chicken enterprise THUS FAR. (That is, we expect it to go higher.)

Seven grand -- fencing, coop, local labor.

Of course, we're both 63 and have been waiting 50 years to get back into this, so, like speaking in defense of any passion long-deferred, we're happy to spend whatever it takes to achieve what we want, within our budget and paying in installments.

We did draw the line at gold-plating the roosts, so I hope that redeems us a bit in your eyes as to our "judgment" abilities.

 

[Beekissed]

Yep, it does! If raising chickens has been a life long dream and you have money to spare and they are going to bring you extreme satisfaction...enough that you don't even CARE enough about the price of it to complain or mention it, then, by golly....I say DO IT! That's no different than investing in an expensive RV and touring the states in your retirement, no different than an extended cruise, no different than a very expensive hobby. Most folks that undertake these types of pleasures for mere pleasure's sake never mention the costs to folks....one can't calculate the benefits of these types of things in mere dollars and cents.

I hope I've conveyed my meaning there....to me it is vastly different to invest in something that you have saved the money for and you have dreamed of having, simply because it brings you pleasure vs. something you jumped into, didn't weigh the costs, didn't plan well for and were surprised about the final price tag...and then told all and sundry about the $2000 egg you were eating.

To some it would be no different, I'm aware...but to me, one is a calculated and planned for expenditure that you saved for specifically....sort of like a car, vacation, home. I can't imagine anyone complaining about the cost of something like that...or even bragging about the cost. It just simply IS and it is good to YOU because it is a dream you have had. The other seems like a foolish quest with the final surprising realization that you have invested a ton of money into something and got an egg in return!

 

[bald egg]

My coop is way over the top for what the chickens need. It does look nice,it is convenient, has lights, a heated waterer, lights on a timer and a large capicity feeder. The run has a tin roof and is predator proof. But, when the weather is nice I can spend a full hour throwing BOSS in lawn chairs with my 12 year old twins or have one on one time with any of the three kids or my wife. How much did it cost... WHO CARES. It is a hobby. The chickens are funny and give me eggs and I share them with my family, friends and neighbors. Plus I had a project that earned my Boy Scout a Carpentry Merit Badge. Like all projects I found an excuse to purchase a new tool. Pretty cool!

 

[annaraven]

I think, Beekissed, when people report how much they've spent, it's like talking about how much you've spent on any passion, hobby, or whathaveyou. It's a way of calibrating and moreso, a way of getting some feeling of solidarity with others who are silly enough to spend way too much money for their hobby, and maybe even get a little reassurance that they're not crazy for spending money on something so silly as chickens!

Like I said above - as long as my chicken "hobby" is cheaper to startup than *one year* of my DH's cigarettes, I'm fine. Even if it's more expensive than it would have been if I were trying to go as cheap as possible.

We're also spending money on putting in solar, a new furnace system, CFL/LED lighting, etc etc, on our new home. The chicken coop and run is just part of our investments to make this new place feel like home. We're okay with that, even if we do sometimes joke or whine about the cost.

I understand that you prefer to think of your chickens as an animated food crop. That's okay. If I lived on a farmstead, I'd probably be going for meatbirds as well - and they wouldn't be treated the same way my egglayers are. If I were still on foodstamps, I would have gone strictly low-end, scrounging level - BTDT. Since we're at a relatively decent level (for now) of family income, and DH is totally not at all handy, we had our contractor do the run for us and bought our first coop. The run is a faraday cage of safety, and I know that he also inspected the electrical at the same time. (The former owner was a DIYer and we keep finding things that are not up to code.)

So yeah - we could have gotten away cheaper. We chose to spend the money to have it done well and don't regret that.

 

[Beekissed]

Yes...I can see that!

I believe you are right!

And, yes, my chickens are an animated food crop....and maybe just a little more. I am getting rid of them in the spring and it will break my heart to see that empty coop and a green yard full of...nothing. I love to watch them, talk to them and see them having fun. I will miss that dreadfully.

 

[NonnasBabies]

Quote:
Why are you getting rid of them???

 

[My6Chicks]

We haven't calculated our total cost (a bit afraid), but I suspect it is about $2K. The primary costs are coop materials, run material, wiring and a rental of a ditch witch, lighting, IP coop cam, food and supplies. The cheapest expense are the chicks themselves ($13.50). All of the labor was free (I don't charge myself).

I agree with the other posts that everybody's situation/desire/goal is different, and you might be able to build a coop/run for very little money. You will need creativity, access to free material, building skills and a desire to have that type of coop/run. For me, I rather work with new straight wood than with crooked wood. So, you will find costs ranging from $250 through $2500+. Every coop is great, independent of their costs.

I believe there is one universal truth that the value and enjoyment of owning chicks far exceed the current and all future costs. This is my truth. Let me know if you agree...