What Do You Do To Lower Your Chicken Expenses?

[PioneerChicks]

Hi everbody! So recently I've been really into lowering my chicken expenses. I am looking for more ideas!

I dry and crush my eggshells and give them to my hens as a calcium source, and I just started a compost pile in the coop. I am on day 2 of fermenting my chicken feed. My chickens are currently free ranging in my 2/3 acre backyard but when garden season comes they will go back in the chicken yard. I feed them all my kitchen scraps. I plan on starting to raise Black Soldier Flies and maybe Mealworms soon. I am also starting to grow lettuce specifically for them.

Please vote on the poll and post below what you do and any tips you have for beginners!

 

[Left Spur]

Lower the expense is what all people wanted, i already do most of it, even their poop will go with the compose to the plant and the plant will eventually goes back to them, but become self sufficient arent that easy nowadays, i also hope i can do that, so when covi..ehm, terrible virus or things like that happened, i wouldnt need to compete and kill each other for wallmart packed food.

 

[Henry&Friends]

Im Tempted to say garden veggies specifically for them, but it’s because they eat everything in the garden regardless

 

[Percheron chick]

All or most all of your options should be automatic when keeping chickens. Chickens can significantly reduce our carbon footprint
by keeping household waste out of landfills plus eliminating use of pesticides and fertilizers. Eggs are secondary to the environmental benefit in my book.
I also buy bales of cereal grain hay (oat, triticale,rye...) and give it to the chickens. They pick out the seeds then i end up with bedding material for the coop.

 

[Mrs. K]

The easiest way and most efficient way to reduce your expenses is to reduce your numbers. I always worry when people start thinking they can reduce the feed bill by other means. The old joke, about feeding the horse everyday one straw less of hay, so that the horse gets used to it.

In my own experience, free ranging will really only reduce the feed consumption in May-July in western SD. The rest of the time, not enough protein. Even by August, most insects have become less of a protein source as they have reached their adult size.

Another way is not to waste feed, feed a certain amount each day, if feed is left over, feed less the next day, if it is bare, feed a bit more. Double bowling the feed will help, as the feed billed out, can be caught, and re-fed to the birds.

Mrs K

 

[aart]

Don't think most the things on the poll are very significant ways to reduce costs.

Making your own feed is complex and requires buying copious amounts of ingredients,
unless you have a very large number of birds, it's not going to save you and money.

Foraging might save on the amount of commercial formulations of feed,
but it also may reduce the numbers of eggs you get.

I'm with @Mrs. K ...fewer birds, and waste free feeders.

 

[AgnesGray]

My "other" is oat fodder during winter months. They love it!

 

[cleoandtheflock]

Money saving' ideas from Cleo's coop!

Have feeders that keep the feed in.

Composters specifically for your birds.

Table scraps!

Foraging and free-ranging in the warmer seasons are the best for them and your wallet.

Less birds is less food which is less money.

Those cucumbers that you can never find among the vines. But eventually find when they are HUGE and yellow. And especially inedible. The chickens love em.
Not a money saver but a tip.

 

[Vickischics]

Hi everbody! So recently I've been really into lowering my chicken expenses. I am looking for more ideas!

I dry and crush my eggshells and give them to my hens as a calcium source, and I just started a compost pile in the coop. I am on day 2 of fermenting my chicken feed. My chickens are currently free ranging in my 2/3 acre backyard but when garden season comes they will go back in the chicken yard. I feed them all my kitchen scraps. I plan on starting to raise Black Soldier Flies and maybe Mealworms soon. I am also starting to grow lettuce specifically for them.

Please vote on the poll and post below what you do and any tips you have for beginners!

I also raise Red Wiggler worms.
They love them!!

 

[Folly's place]

I try to keep a healthy flock! It's about good food, good safe housing, paranoid biosecurity, and not cutting the wrong corners. Poor diets can't be improved by adding random, more expensive ingredients, and crowding and poor housing, or keeping sick birds, causes bad outcomes.
Free ranging is great, if the birds have good stuff to find out there, and if disasters over predator attacks don't happen.
Pick the right breeds for your climate!
Just a few thoughts...
Mary