Chickens!

[Sinfonian]

Well, my wife finally conceeded and we are 90% sure we're getting chickens this spring. FINALLY! I've been pining over them forever and when my brother said he was definitely getting them, I really wanted to join him. All I have to do is finish all the outstanding projects around the house that my fatherinlaw left for me. I'm well on my way and am down to only a few outstanding concerns about chickens, the main being cost. Still unemployed after a year makes me very frugal, hehe.

Anyway, I'm discussing it on my blog, which I've started back up. Hope all is well folks and enjoy your gardens!

[Fred's Fine Fowl]

I hope it works out for you...

If you're trying to be [I]frugal[I] then the breed you select will play an important part in how much it will cost to feed them (">

So, consider their consumption vs output... (eggs) now that feed costs have doubled in the last ten years, while the market value of eggs had not increased, backyard chickens cost us more than they produce.

In 2002, I was paying $6.00 for a 50# sack of chicken feed. Thus the term "chicken feed" for something cheap right?

Now, a 50# bag of feed in my neck of the woods is $14.75 and my free ranging chickens have become somewhat expensive pets. During winter, it's all about processed feeds and this makes winter the most expensive time of year for poultry folks...

When spring finally arrives, all the birds dash out on range and do a wonderful job of foraging... (breed selection very important here)... this reduces my feed costs to approximately 1/3 of what I have to spend during winter months.

No great surprise, this is why Georgia and California used to be the location of the BIG Chicken barons back in the 20's and 30's

So, back to frugality... if you want low feed cost chickens, look at the light bodied birds and read about feed consumption. Also consider if they are going to be penned, or if you have enough safe range for them to forage daily? Penned and cooped up birds are of course the most expensive to keep.

Leghorns will produce more eggs on less feed.... Cochins will eat you out of house and home and sit around looking all fluffy and pretty. Super active breeds also eat more as they are consuming more energy dashing around.

Please let us all know what breeds you select and share how it goes for you?

For those of you who are wondering... a large standard chicken like the Rhode Island Red (dual purpose meat/egg) will consume between 1/4-1/2 lb of feed each day. So, if you are rearing 50 of those, expect to pay $7.00-$8.00 per day for feeding alone. Around $200.00 per month...

Conservatively, let's say you get three dozen eggs a day... from your 50 bird flock.
You have to get more than $2.00/dozen to break even. You "can" get $3.00/dz if the eggs are true free range and given organic feed. Problem? Organic feed in this neck of the woods is $17.00 for 50# and has a shorter shelf life.

All food/feed for thought (">

Fred (chickens make wonderful pets and garden companions)

www.FredsFineFowl.com

[gardengirl72]

Thanks for weighing in Fred. To add to that, organic chicken feed is very expensive now as well. The size of your flock should be considered. With a few chickens you can feed them kitchen scraps in the winter for a bit of a treat. Grit for the chickens isn't too expensive, but it is an additional cost. Fred, what is the correct amount of grit to feed chickens? I mix about a pound of oyster shells in with about a 50# bag of feed.

[Fred's Fine Fowl]

Hi Patti....

I don't mix grit or oyster shell into the feed directly...

I offer granite grit and oyster shell as a full time free choice material.

4" diameter pvc pipe mounted to the wall of your coop or other structure serves as a nice grit and oyster shell dispenser. Birds that need it will go and get it case by case.

Granite grit is very important if your chickens are cooped up in winter as they don't have access to pebbles they would come across when foraging.

The oyster shell is important as a calcium supplement... poultry layer rations will have a statement on the bag as to weather or not additional calcium sources are necessary.

[Sinfonian]

First off, thanks Fred and Patti. I really appreciate the informaiton. I am trying to learn about raising chickens in an urban setting as part of the process.

I hadn't considered the cost per egg issue in tentatively selecting breeds. I am considering heavy breads like Rhode Island Reds, Silver Wyndottes and Buff Orpingtons for their prolific egg production, as well as their availability locally from a quality hatchery. I should have mentioned that I am considering 3 or 4 birds as I have a small back yard and two young boys that are still using it to play. I will read up on feed consumption.

We have relatively mild winters here in the Pacific Northwest, so I expect them to have foraging time in a covered chicken tractor around my yard 95% of the year, with more supplementing from kitchen scraps that would normally go directly into the compost bin.

Another thing I will definitely research is the 4" PVC pipe delivery system for the always offer grit and oyster shell. I'm sure it's easy to build if I see one.

Thank you both for the advice. I look forward to continuing to learn all I can. I've read Raising Chickens for Idiots and am working on Dummies... moving up in my education level. I expect to have it down well enough to give it a go come spring.

[Fred's Fine Fowl]

Don't forget to go to your library and check out a copy of the DVD Regarding Chickens :)

So many of your questions will be answered by that DVD... you can watch it while you eat supper yadda yadda...

I'll have to post a YouTube on the home made pvc pipe feeders, they are really easy to make and attach to the coop wall.

You're right, once you see it, very easy to build. Mounting brackets are also cheap and available at Lowe's or Home Depot.

Best of luck and glad the information has you thinking....

Fred

www.FredsFineFowl.com

[Sinfonian]

Thanks Fred, I am looking forward to the PVC feeder post/video.

As for the library, I checked both library systems I have access to and neither had your DVD. Shame, but way out here in Seattle we're not the enlightened bunch that we think we are.

I truely appreciate all the help here!

Richard

[Sinfonian]

Update, we've revised our breed selection yet again. This time it was due to the feed store arrival schedule. We want to get them as close together as possible to avoid potential acceptance issues, and definite temperature issues. Specifically, I couldn't reconcile having one chick at 95 degrees and one at 85. I figure if they're one week apart I'll just keep the originals at 95ish for two weeks.

Anyway, we are planning to get one of each of the following; Golden Laced Wyndottes, Welsummers, Barred Rocks, and Buff Orpingtons. They arrive the last week of March.

Yes, they're heavier birds, but my brother wanted dual purpose birds, so I got these for after they stop laying.