![]() ![]() Yes, you can keep a lot of this stuff VERY simple when you are first starting out (a hanging feeder you DIY from a 5 gallon bucket, or a simple bowl for water). It also includes stuff like electricity to keep those heaters on. This, of course, is the cost of feeders, waterers, brooder lamps or plates, bedding, enclosures to keep your birds safe and out of the weather, including electric fencing if necessary, treatment for any medical or parasite issues that come up etc. But it’s important to recognize that your time DOES have value! ![]() Most homesteaders are never gonna count their labor in their calculations. How many minutes a day do I spend feeding birds, cleaning coops, collecting eggs, packaging eggs? You get the idea. Then pull out the stop watch on your phone and actually keep track. If you had to pay someone to do what you do, what would that cost you? I always use my local minimum wage + 15% (which is the absolute minimum you’d have to legally pay someone, with added taxes, if they were actually your employee). Let’s break chicken math down to the three basic considerations labor, overhead, and cost of goods sold. But backyard chickens are not a business venture. I made this chart for my own flock so that I’m not over feeding the birds. (Thriving Farmer is a farm business podcast that breaks down how to run a successful farm business while also enjoying a good life. Michael Kilpatrick of Growing Farmers and the Thriving Farmer podcast argues that raising birds for eggs AS A BUSINESS is very often a losing proposition, unless you have a whole heck of a lot of them. But is it really possible to save money by having your own chickens? Egg prices at my local grocery store, Walla Walla WA, Jan 11, 2023. ![]()
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