With the economy, are any increasi8ng flock size?

[Lunachick]

Quote:
Right! My cats pay by their cuteness

If they're extremely cute for a little while in the morning each day (no problem) then it's worth it for me to buy their food plus snacks and cat nip.

My chickens are the same way, Cute = Food.

My critters teach me very well.

Plus I only have 3 chooks, but will add 3 or 5 chicks this Spring. Still very affordable and worth it to me.

 

[CARS]

Last spring ('08) we decided to only buy broilers and no new layers because of the rising cost of feed. Now (Jan '09) we are paying the price. I am still feeding my layers but they aren't laying anymore because the 2 and 3 year old hens are molting all at once!

So, I am still doing chores, buying feed, and cleaning coops but I have no eggs to offset the expenses.

 

[Sasquatch]

My hens will be a year old in April. Once their productivity drops off, they'll become dinner and be replaced by this years chicks. Mine aren't pets per se.

 

[keeperofthehearth]

I'll be adding to our flock, for the most part, by hatching out our own chicks w/broodies. We do plan on buying "just a few

" EE's from our local farm store to mix into the gene pool. We found out last year that our extra roo's made a mighty fine Chicken Stew. Yumm! We also plan on raising ducks this year, probably Muscovy, for meat.
Our grain prices have actually dropped fm last summer. They were pushing $12-13 for 40lbs of 16% crumbles and have dropped to $8-9 for 40lbs of 16-18% with cracked corn only $6.50 for 50lbs. I buy the cracked corn and add BOSS and some nice bird seed and get a really nice chicken scratch. The girls don't waste it like they do their crumbles. I am sooo tempted to put them strickly on whole grains. . . well, that's another topic. Sorry!

 

[asher]

I am, but not for eating purposes (just egg). There is a processing plant due to open here this Fall, though and I'll definitely begin raising our own meat then.

 

[swampducks]

I had been planning to buy some Dark Cornish because they are supposed to be good foragers. But I'd have to order the usual 25 birds and I don't need 25 birds. Spending $50ish for birds of which I'd have to cull at least half isn't as economical as just hatching some eggs from my current crop of GLWs and Buckeyes and raising them.

Still, the fact they make good foragers could help a teeny bit with the feed, at least in summer.

I have to find out whether DH thinks it's a good idea or not. Off hand I can bet he'll say no. He's the one who builds my coops, etc. That hasn't been cheap!

 

[OPIE]

I have started increasing my flock from 11 BO 's to 25. I am also continuing hatching to sell the extra birds in the spring. People are looking for chickens now and will be more come spring and I will sell them, hens and roosters They will see what they are buying so there wont be any surprises. And they wont take as long for them to start laying for there new owners. Well thats my plan of atttack anyway.

 

[coffeemama]

Our chickens really do nothing but cost us $$-I am expanding the flock though. If I lived on some property and could free range enough to cut back feed costs, I'd raise them for egg production and sell at the farmer's market. Another family there sells Free Range eggs for $4.50 a doz!

 

[Wifezilla]

I just saw a craigslist ad for free range duck eggs for $6/dozen!!!

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

Yes, I'm increasing, but I lost most of my flock on Thanksgiving, so I have a ways to go just to get where I was, numbers-wise. I am lucky because folks are already placing chick orders for this spring and I've got regular egg customers too. But even if they didn't pay for themselves, I'd still have chickens.