Chickens?
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What say you? Yay or Nay.
Eggs are $5/ dozen around here.
Youngest says she will care for them. I build the coop, with motion sensor lights and other "security" to keep the coyotes and other predators at bay. Possibly get a Rooster to help with the security duty and for breeding, etc.
Our city permits this activity.
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A few things...
- They'll be organic eggs, so figure cost comparisons accordingly.
- Wouldn't worry about sensor lights, etc., as much as I would worry about a good fence - top and sides, with the bottom of the sides being six inches under the ground.
- Rooster? Damn things crow at 0400 sometimes. And some can be mean. Either of the above can make yaller gravy and don't let them forget it.
- You might can get chicks cheaper locally, but I've always had good luck with McMurray. https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html If you're after egg production, I like Red Stars (brown eggs) and White Leghorns (white eggs). Or you might decide you want a dual purpose breed, for both eggs and meat. And you might consider an assortment of chicks, so that you get several breeds.
- Remember, chickens are hogs with feathers. They'll eat darn near anything, including what you may not want them to eat, if you free range during the day. Chicken tractors are a good compromise.
Above all, have fun. Chickens can be enjoyable, frustrating and downright comical, but they're rarely boring...
“Cry havoc and let slip the DOGE of war!”
Those who cheered as J-6 American prisoners were locked in solitary for 18 months without trial, now suddenly fight tooth and nail for foreign terrorists’ "due process". — Buck Sexton
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Raising your own chicken on a very small scale, be it ultimately for meat or egg, is a money spending hobby, not a money saving pursuit. Nothing against hobby, of course, I just don't expect material net savings from hobbies compare to buying commercial goods.
Regular eggs are a bit below $6.50 for two dozens at a local Costco. And I expect it to come back down retry soon (say, within three months).
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Raising your own chicken on a very small scale, be it ultimately for meat or egg, is a money spending hobby, not a money saving pursuit. Nothing against hobby, of course, I just don't expect material net savings from hobbies compare to buying commercial goods.
Regular eggs are a bit below $6.50 for two dozens at a local Costco. And I expect it to come back down retry soon (say, within three months).
Raising your own chicken on a very small scale, be it ultimately for meat or egg, is a money spending hobby, not a money saving pursuit. Nothing against hobby, of course, I just don't expect material net savings from hobbies compare to buying commercial goods.
Regular eggs are a bit below $6.50 for two dozens at a local Costco. And I expect it to come back down retry soon (say, within three months).
The Costco eggs won't taste as good.
At least they'll be easier to peel...
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Homegrown chickens and eggs taste a whole lot better than anything you'll get in the store, but yeah, you are unlikely to save much money.
My Russian friend used to keep them and he had so many eggs he’d sell them at work. They tasted a lot better than store bought ones.
Eventually he lost all his chickens to a Fox or raccoon and it kind of knocked him sideways so he didn’t want to start again.
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A few things...
- They'll be organic eggs, so figure cost comparisons accordingly.
- Wouldn't worry about sensor lights, etc., as much as I would worry about a good fence - top and sides, with the bottom of the sides being six inches under the ground.
- Rooster? Damn things crow at 0400 sometimes. And some can be mean. Either of the above can make yaller gravy and don't let them forget it.
- You might can get chicks cheaper locally, but I've always had good luck with McMurray. https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html If you're after egg production, I like Red Stars (brown eggs) and White Leghorns (white eggs). Or you might decide you want a dual purpose breed, for both eggs and meat. And you might consider an assortment of chicks, so that you get several breeds.
- Remember, chickens are hogs with feathers. They'll eat darn near anything, including what you may not want them to eat, if you free range during the day. Chicken tractors are a good compromise.
Above all, have fun. Chickens can be enjoyable, frustrating and downright comical, but they're rarely boring...
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Maybe I should look for a local farmer who sells eggs. When I was cycling, I used to see signs at various farms. They were always half price of grocery store eggs.
Maybe I should look for a local farmer who sells eggs. When I was cycling, I used to see signs at various farms. They were always half price of grocery store eggs.
Good idea! You know they have a surplus too. Also eggs can stay out at room temp for days or weeks I think? My BIL has some at his home, they have lots of land and lose a few to coyotes but overall it’s pretty easy to set up, feed, and collect each day. Still it’s a chore so I wouldn’t do it for minor cost savings.
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Maybe I should look for a local farmer who sells eggs. When I was cycling, I used to see signs at various farms. They were always half price of grocery store eggs.
Good idea! You know they have a surplus too. Also eggs can stay out at room temp for days or weeks I think? My BIL has some at his home, they have lots of land and lose a few to coyotes but overall it’s pretty easy to set up, feed, and collect each day. Still it’s a chore so I wouldn’t do it for minor cost savings.
Also eggs can stay out at room temp for days or weeks I think?
Yes, if you buy them in Europe.
Eggs have a natural bactericidal coating that prevents them from spoiling. However, in the US, eggs are washed, and that removes the coating, and the protection. I imagine the eggs that you harvest at home are fine, however.
I put my store-bought eggs in the fridge.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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Did some thinking and my daughter was trying her best to convince me to do it. In the end I decided to not do it. She promised (where have I heard that before?) she would do everything and we would not have to do anything except enjoy the eggs. Then I fired back with, who will take care of them if you go on vacation? That put an stop to it. lol
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Also eggs can stay out at room temp for days or weeks I think?
Yes, if you buy them in Europe.
Eggs have a natural bactericidal coating that prevents them from spoiling. However, in the US, eggs are washed, and that removes the coating, and the protection. I imagine the eggs that you harvest at home are fine, however.
I put my store-bought eggs in the fridge.
Also eggs can stay out at room temp for days or weeks I think?
Yes, if you buy them in Europe.
Eggs have a natural bactericidal coating that prevents them from spoiling. However, in the US, eggs are washed, and that removes the coating, and the protection. I imagine the eggs that you harvest at home are fine, however.
I put my store-bought eggs in the fridge.
Yep..
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Also eggs can stay out at room temp for days or weeks I think?
Yes, if you buy them in Europe.
Eggs have a natural bactericidal coating that prevents them from spoiling. However, in the US, eggs are washed, and that removes the coating, and the protection. I imagine the eggs that you harvest at home are fine, however.
I put my store-bought eggs in the fridge.
Yep..
Also eggs can stay out at room temp for days or weeks I think?
Yes, if you buy them in Europe.
Eggs have a natural bactericidal coating that prevents them from spoiling. However, in the US, eggs are washed, and that removes the coating, and the protection. I imagine the eggs that you harvest at home are fine, however.
I put my store-bought eggs in the fridge.
Yep..
They don't refrigerate them in Oz, either. You just keep 'em out.
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You can freeze eggs, but you have to scramble them. The typical ice tray will hold one dozen. Scramble, freeze, pop them out in a ziploc bag and pull what you need, when you need them.
Or...Water glass them.
https://backyardpoultry.iamcountryside.com/eggs-meat/water-glassing-eggs-for-long-term-storage/
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Raising Chickens for Cheaper Eggs Gets Expensive Fast
Donald Galliano, a police officer in Westwego, La., buying chicken feed and other supplies at Double “M” Saturday, says he has tried to dissuade more than a dozen family members and co-workers looking to start their own flocks. Mr. Galliano says the price of feed and coops has gone up along with egg prices.
Costs for chickens can vary widely, suppliers say. Feed ranges from 10 to 20 cents a bird, according to Tractor Supply. The company sells coops between $400 and $3,000. Other costs for the birds include heating and fencing.
Spotting a family eyeing the remaining chicks, Mr. Galliano stepped in. “Those are little a—hole birds over there,” Mr. Galliano said of the supposedly peck-prone Rhode Island Reds. Stephen Galmiche, whom Mr. Galliano was advising, said he still plans to buy some chicks soon.
Justin Kraemer, a content creator for a marketing firm in Newton, Kan., says the economics are particularly bleak at the moment egg prices are surging, since most backyard chickens take the winter off laying. Mr. Kraemer estimates his six are producing fewer than two dozen eggs a month right now—but he’s still spending $30 a month on food.
He’s also paying to feed and house an older bird that no longer lays eggs, taking a pass on the traditional farm method of turning a chicken into dinner once its egg production slows at around 6 years of age.
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He's right about the Reds. The roosters can sometimes be pretty mean. But if you like brown eggs...
For brown egg production, I like the Red Stars, which are a RIR cross. But like many heavy layers, they just don't live as long (for me, anyway).
But, geez, I don't know where they're getting coop prices. Use a piece of $40 plywood for the floor and three sheets of $10 OSB for the walls. Use scraps for the exterior nesting boxes and used tin for the roof. Chickens will happily roost on some tree branches cut to length.
Find some miscolored paint at The Borg and you should have around $100 in a coop that will last ten years or more. Most of that cutesy trash at Tractor Supply won't hold up. It's too thin. A 4x8 coop will handle six to eight chickens with little problem, as long as they have a good-sized run or you free range them a bit.
After that, it's down to feed. Chickens are hogs with feathers, they'll eat anything. Laying pellets are expensive. The old folks fed scraps (no egg hulls, don't want to give them ideas), let them pick some green and supplemented with pellets. If you couldn't afford pellets, feed them shelled corn from the corn crib or cracked corn (chops) from the feed store. Egg production is less without pellets, but the old folks had some fall in the pot every now and then, anyway.
