True cost of starting a backyard flock.

[patandchickens]

Quote:
To me tools are a basic necessity of life, they're not just for the coop, you use them for all sorts of things. So why attribute their cost just to the chickens?

Anyhow, even if you are not previously a tool-ownin' kind of gal, tools needn't cost much (especially if you are not planning on using them for much else). Often they can be borrowed. Or for a few things it even makes sense to *rent*. Even if you buy new -- and I don't have many tools I got that way -- you can get a perfectly usable and adequate drill and either jigsaw or circular saw for well under $100. (THere'd be room left over for a staplegun too, as you mentioned, but I'm not sure why you'd need one for a coop, tho certainly they are nice to have for other projects). And that's in Canada, where prices run a bit higher than in the states.

Actually you can build a perfectly adequate small (reach-in) coop with nothing more than a hand saw, a hammer, and a cheap drill. If you need plywood cut you can get Home Depot or wherever you buy it to do it for you, first two cuts free, plus then it fits better in the car anyhow

Pat

 

[mulewagon]

Our coop was made of materials we had sitting around anyway - we were using the old dog kennel for storage. The fence did have to be built, and cost $500. But of course that was a choice, since I wanted to have a lot of chickens with a large area to roam. If I had chosen just 4 hens with a smaller pen, I could still have gotten plenty of eggs for the two of us, at a much smaller start-up cost.

We already had the diligent varmint-killing dog, too. As a matter of fact, our having chickens has changed the varmint-killing from an annoying habit to a prized skill. So getting the chickens has actually increased the value of the dog!

 

[heather112588]

-$15 for the birds (7 birds)
-$300 for coop and run supplies; countless hrs of labor
-$175 for misc supplies; feeders, waters, food, pecking blocks, medicines, endless hay

total: $490

 

[teach1rusl]

While we certainly didn't get by "on the cheap" with our coop/chicken start-up (we weren't trying to, as this is a hobby/pet situation for us, and Lord knows we've spent plenty on our other pets), I can see how it could be done. If you get right down to it, an old converted dog house stuck inside a perimeter of chicken wire w/metal or old wooden posts could do it. Old pans for water and feed... Really the only cost would be feed for the birds (and some may use scraps for a food source) and some chicken wire. With chicks a heat lamp might be needed, but often people get rid of layers past their prime for very cheap or free. Is it a safe set-up? Probably not so much. Is it an attractive set-up that would fit into most suburban settings? Probably not so much. This isn't how I'd recommend starting out, but it surely can/could be done.
For a reasonably neat/attractive, reasonably safe initial set-up, I would think most folks could get started with a small flock of chickens for $300-$500 (based on not having a lot of scrap available). Heck, I've looked into beekeeping, and initial set-up for that equipment is/was $$$ more than that...

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I agree that getting, housing and keeping chickens can be done as cheaply or as expensively as you want to do it. If you don't want to put in any sweat equity and you also have to have everything be the best, it's going to cost you. That's the same with anything, though.

You could get an already altered and vaccinated dog for free, from someone looking to rehome their pet. Maybe it's older. Maybe it's a mutt. Maybe it needs more training. It's still a really nice dog, you can love it, it can love you and you can have a dog to share your day to day activities with. You can also spend thousands of dollars on a puppy from a breeder, hire the best trainer to train it for you, pay to have it groomed, buy expensive designer collars, clothes, bowls and beds for it. Some people make different choices because they have to. Some people make different choices because they can and want to.

I think it's great that people from so many different backgrounds and in so many different situations can all have chickens. There are so many different ways to acquire, house and feed them, that anyone can do it. It helps if they're legal to keep where you live, though.

 

[frog522]

Quote:
Why couldn't a coop or raising chickens be called an investment? Investment does not have to imply monetary return. A person could invest in having chickens for personal satisfaction or enjoyment, even if raising chickens never makes up the cost of money and time they put in. What about having and raising kids? Isn't the time and money that parents and parental figures put into raising, teaching, and caring for a child considered an investment? Odds are, the child will never repay the amount the parent invested into his/her child. I guarantee you any parent would consider the resources they put into their child an investment towards the child's future. Same with coops and chickens, coop can be considered an investment towards the safety of a chicken or flock, longevity from reduced exposure to the elements, etc. Who says "investment" must imply a positive monetary return?

 

[HHandbasket]

Quote:
Could not have said it better myself!

 

[NonnasBabies]

I've honestly never understood why people always want to count their time and how much it would cost, etc. because their starting a hobby. I could understand if this is a business for you but not a hobby. It's what the title says "Backyard Flock", you can make it out to be what "you" want.

I love it when people think just because they spend a fortune on their coop that their girls are more "pampered" than others!!

I bet you mine are happier than those that are locked up 24/7 cause they freerange every single day!! But here again it's what works for the individual.

I probably ended up spending about $800 on mine. That's for an area that is 32 ft long x 21 ft wide. My coop is 16 ft x 5 ft 3 sided. I also have 2 seperate grow out sections in there that are 8 ft x 8 ft. All the roofing and alot of the wood was recycled. The landscape timbers that we used for the frame we got on sale for $2 a piece. There is a way to do a nice coop for not a whole lotta money.

I can also say this much since someone else mentioned horses! We spent more on just the fence for the horses than we ever spent on the chickens!!

My chickens right now pay for themselves. I sell the eggs and buy all their feed, scratch, BOSS and hay etc. with that money. I will never try to figure out how much the first eggs cost.

 

[Cargo]

I am glad this post started a lively discussion. Everyone has some great points.

It is definitely possible to build a coop and run for nothing but gas money, luck and time. Lots of time.

 

[galanie]

I spent around $200 on mine. I could have gotten by with spending only around $100 but I wanted to do it the way I did. I was able to use a lot stuff I already had laying around for the most part, and I already had the tools and fasteners. The finished product isn't beautiful (converted a really old one-horse stall) but it is functional and safe for them, and will last quite a few more years.

I am not counting the hours I spent. I am not working. I would not have worked at a job anyway if I hadn't been making a coop. Plus, as has been mentioned before, this is for a hobby, and for a hobby you never count the hours spent as an expense. That only applies to for-profit undertakings.

I don't think it's unrealistic at all to claim that a person can start with a flock of chickens for $200. It can be unrealistic though depending on circumstances. If you must have something really pretty then the cost goes up. If you have any other special circumstances to consider, the price goes up. If you are unable to free-range it will cost a more. And on and on. So perhaps saying a minimum of around $200 for a bare-bones shelter and run would be more accurate?