WARNING MATH:) Cost Of Raising Cornish Cross and Dual Purpose Layers.

[homesteadapps]

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25 here at 90 cents plus shipping : http://www.schlechthatchery.com/chickens.htm
If you find friends to go in an order for 100 , 70 cents plus shipping here : http://www.centralhatchery.com/pricelist.html

Thank you!

 

[TriciaHowe]

I pay $17 for alfalfa here......

$7 for regular grass hay and my whole corn just jumped to over $10 a bag!
Layer pellets are $15 (manna pro egg maker)
I don't remember what I just paid for flock raiser - close to 15 though.....

 

[msdoolittle]

I'm in the school of thought that I don't really care about the cost...I just don't want to eat that 'junk meat/eggs' that's in the store!

Plus, when you start hatching out your own, obviously, your costs will plummet. This is where we are this year now that our flock has matured. Since I sell the eggs (3/dz), the chickens quite literally pay for their own food costs.

 

[NYRIR]

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That's our plan as well.But finding people to sell to can be tricky sometimes.especially if you spend all of your free time with bird-brains!

 

[SteveH]

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That's our plan as well.But finding people to sell to can be tricky sometimes.especially if you spend all of your free time with bird-brains!

, but true .

 

[Tbird84]

Shoot, I wish hay were even close to that cheap here. Cheapest I bought last was $5 for 40-45lb square bales. $30 for a 5x5 round bale that probably shouldn't be considered for horses. Anything of higher quality is $45-50 for a 4x4 bale. Even straw was priced around $3 or more a square bale. However, I have seen how much the prices can change with going just 50miles in another direction. Their prices are probably average for their particular area.
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[homesteadapps]

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I will agree that the cost is not the driving factor to us either but I don't want to overpay for things either. If you compared the eggs grown on your own free range compared to the free range eggs in the store then your savings is even greater. Same for meat prices. And yes, you can compare the factory meat and egg prices and the free range and organic prices with your own to really see savings.

There are some things that you cannot even put a dollar value on: Family time spent together working with the animals and the satisfaction of knowing that you are producing your own food. In addition, every backyard farmer is taking a load off a the food system. And the taste of stew hen shredded chicken --WOW!

Hatching your own by incubator or letting the chicken do it themselves can save big money.

We sell our eggs for $1.00 to $2.00 depending on the season. Winter eggs cost a little more to produce because they are not finding as much foraging in the snow. We kid each other that the eggs and meat we eat are practically free because the eggs sold pay for the feed costs. We've found that once people find out you have fresh eggs then it's hard to keep up with demand for them.

 

[Salt and Light]

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I don't weigh my carcassaes so I don't know the per pound price. But, I do know that the per chicken price is right at $10.00 per bird. I've got $205.00 invested in 21 birds. Started with 27 but have lost several, which is another topic!

I don't grocery shop but I'm pretty sure you can a very large store-bought chicken for less than $10.00.

 

[Salt and Light]

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The problem MAY be that in your original post you indicated other's were posting "misinformation". To me, that's sort of a presumptuous post suggesting other's records are in error.

 

[homesteadapps]

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The problem MAY be that in your original post you indicated other's were posting "misinformation". To me, that's sort of a presumptuous post suggesting other's records are in error.

Your records may be very accurate but the costs and methods you use may not give the fellow 100 miles away the same answer. No presumption.

Definition Please:
Misinformation is false or inaccurate information that is spread unintentionally. It is distinguished from disinformation by motive in that misinformation is simply erroneous, while disinformation, in contrast, is intended to mislead.

It is misinformation to tell someone a definitive answer when you do not know any of their circumstances, in this case prices in their area. Their prices may be higher or lower than yours. You, me and others just can't answer that question accurately. Since the inaccurate information was unintentional then I think the choice of wording is correct. If the information is not accurate then it is by definition bad information.


It may be that costs in your area make prices higher so you answer is correct for you but not for all others. Why discourage a would-be chickeneer from even considering going forward? I show the calculation so a person with a calculator can figure this out for themselves and not depend on another person to decide for them.

My intent is to help them come to their own conclusion.