|
|
Post by WILL on Aug 17, 2012 15:00:51 GMT -7
Chicken feed is now almost $16 a bag here. It's getting WAY cheaper to just buy the eggs at the supermarket. Only reason to keep them at this point is in case of catastrophic SHTF. I can’t free range them because there's way too many chicken eating critters here.
This message was not sent from my I-Phone because I can't afford one.
|
|
|
|
Post by karatediver on Aug 17, 2012 15:16:45 GMT -7
My wife and I calculated it last night and for our area it is still cheaper to raise chickens than buy the eggs even counting the extra ducks and non producing young birds we are also feeding. But our egg prices may be higher than in your area. Do you use other items with your bird feed such as old bread items. When a loaf goes bad we throw it in with the feed. Helps stretch it out a little more. Another option if you live in a rural area is to let them free range a bit. The bugs they will eat can also add to their diet.
|
|
|
|
Post by alabamadan on Aug 17, 2012 15:26:49 GMT -7
I think that chickens have predetors everywhere, you just have to let losing one every now and again be a part of having chickens - at least around here. My aunt has chickens and has lost them all to varmints several times. She puts them up at night and she said that helps most of the time. However, she did say that once a weasel got in the coop and killed them all one night. My friend keeps chickens and said they only give him 1-2 eggs a day and it's not worth it.
|
|
|
|
Post by woodyz on Aug 17, 2012 15:56:02 GMT -7
Feed is up. Our chickens (19) just run loose, we have only lost one to a critter. We get at least 16 of the big brown eggs a day, and we can sell all we want to. Enough to pay the feed bill. We are supposed to be down to 5 hens but the people who want the others have not got them yet.
I have decided chickens don't fit in our SHTF plan. One the feed, two chicken noise equals somebody looking for them. We are going to do quail for our fowl. 5 to one one meat and eggs, but they are ready to eat in half the time and eat 1/3 as much feed getting there. We fed them kudzu and duckweed last summer and they did well on it, about half green and half processed feed.
The only problem I see is hatching the eggs, they won't sit. So you have to have an incubator an be able to power it.
|
|
|
|
Post by olebama on Aug 18, 2012 20:29:06 GMT -7
The quail won't sit eggs? Is that normal for quail?
|
|
|
|
Post by Dennis on Aug 19, 2012 5:07:10 GMT -7
I'm kind of thinking the same way Will. Bought some feed yesterday chicken scratch and it was 16.40 for a bag and last night when I went up to lock them in there house I notice one was missing. Got lots of critters around here that like my chickens too.
|
|
|
|
Post by cowgirlup on Aug 19, 2012 5:29:16 GMT -7
Realistically the garden isn't always worth it when you figure in all the costs. Or as if figured last week. I spent a few hours picking blackberries, got scratched all to heck, spent an hour making jam. And because i don't like a lot of seeds in the jam I juiced half the berries so I only got 4 1/2 pints that I could have bought at the store for $16.
But I do enjoy growing my own food so it's worth it.
We haven't gotten chickens yet but I have read enough that even without the increase in feed prices it might not save you any money.
Most of the people that let their chickens out up here do it when they can keep an eye on them. Our garden is fenced and when we get chickens I plan to rig it up so they can go in there.
Are you already giving them any type of srcaps? Apple bits, cobs from fresh corn and thing like that for them to pick at? plus they might draw in a few bugs for a little extra protein.
If I had chickens I'd be stocking up on supplies before they really spike in price.
|
|
|
|
Post by thywar on Aug 19, 2012 6:08:47 GMT -7
I guess my question here is in the 'old days' they didn't go to the store and buy chicken feed and they got eggs pretty much daily. So I think when I get around to having chickens it'll be to learn (I better not wait too long the way things are looking) how to raise them.. the cost of learning will be what it is. Although I think I'd like to see if I could do it with only buying minimal feed to start them. Granted, once again I'm talking out of my hat again as I've never raised chickens.
|
|
|
|
Post by WILL on Aug 19, 2012 7:32:48 GMT -7
Realistically the garden isn't always worth it when you figure in all the costs. Or as if figured last week. I spent a few hours picking blackberries, got scratched all to heck, spent an hour making jam. And because i don't like a lot of seeds in the jam I juiced half the berries so I only got 4 1/2 pints that I could have bought at the store for $16. But I do enjoy growing my own food so it's worth it. We haven't gotten chickens yet but I have read enough that even without the increase in feed prices it might not save you any money. Most of the people that let their chickens out up here do it when they can keep an eye on them. Our garden is fenced and when we get chickens I plan to rig it up so they can go in there. Are you already giving them any type of srcaps? Apple bits, cobs from fresh corn and thing like that for them to pick at? plus they might draw in a few bugs for a little extra protein. If I had chickens I'd be stocking up on supplies before they really spike in price. So true. I garden and have the chickens at this point for insurance against TEOTWAWKI and as a hobby. Yes, we feed them table scraps. I do keep about 250 pounds of feed on hand. It does spoil, so I rotate and can't keep much more. |
|
|
|
Post by WILL on Aug 19, 2012 7:34:24 GMT -7
I guess my question here is in the 'old days' they didn't go to the store and buy chicken feed and they got eggs pretty much daily. So I think when I get around to having chickens it'll be to learn (I better not wait too long the way things are looking) how to raise them.. the cost of learning will be what it is. Although I think I'd like to see if I could do it with only buying minimal feed to start them. Granted, once again I'm talking out of my hat again as I've never raised chickens. I believe they grew corn for the chickens in the old days. They love dried/cracked corn. For calcium they used ground up oyster shells. |
|
|
|
Post by woodyz on Aug 19, 2012 8:09:16 GMT -7
The quail won't sit eggs? Is that normal for quail? There are domestic Quail and wild Quail raised domestically. We have some of both the domestic breeds are mixed and matched to create the best meat product for the money. They are bigger, mature faster, lay 300 eggs a year and don't mind being caged. Their eggs are removed daily and they haven't sit on a nest for 50 generations. The wild Quail, like Bob Whites are smaller, take 1/3 as long to mature, will only lay 100 eggs a year, are jumpy in cages but will sit a nest. They are about five generations from wild. |
|
|
|
Post by woodyz on Aug 19, 2012 8:31:09 GMT -7
I guess my question here is in the 'old days' they didn't go to the store and buy chicken feed and they got eggs pretty much daily. So I think when I get around to having chickens it'll be to learn (I better not wait too long the way things are looking) how to raise them.. the cost of learning will be what it is. Although I think I'd like to see if I could do it with only buying minimal feed to start them. Granted, once again I'm talking out of my hat again as I've never raised chickens. They were grain fed supplemented with what ever they could catch. Today chickens are given the feed store feed because it has vitamins and stuff to make them grow and be big and strong dinner. If you leave chickens feed all of the time, like the guy you buy the feed from is telling you to, they will eat all day. Way more than they need to be dinner. A good rule of thumb is to put out feed and let them eat. When they loose interest and walk away from the feeder take the food away, they are full. If you have them penned you may want to measure what amount they ate then walked away and give them only that much twice a day. Water, water, water is the most important thing. they need lots of fresh water all of the time. 20 babies will drink a gallon a day, twenty layers will drink five gallon a day. We had a batch of Quail start hatching while I was on so here is a picture of them. Real dark ones are Jap, real strip ones are Red Mountain.  There are new baby ducks and new rabbits too.   We have some Bob White about two days behind these. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2012 8:31:44 GMT -7
True, chickens are getting expensive to have at this point in time, but if you can keep any amount of feed on hand, maybe it would be worth it to simply keep a trio of hens and a rooster on hand. It will give a few fresh eggs a day, and prices will go down. The amount you feed will be less, costing less, and you will be able to hatch new chicks from your stock should SHTF. And not have to worry about finding replacement stock. It will also give you a chance to try a few different things for growing our own feed.
Maybe try planting some Amaranth and millo or millet, when teh seed heads are ready, you can harvest it for your birds, chop the greens up small and feed them as well. Start a worm bed and feed a handful of worm s a couple days a week. Chickens are omnivourous, and love meat...most folks do not know this. If you have something get freezer burned or can get meat (not fat) scraps from alocal grocery store or meat market, those tidbits can be boiled, ground up and fed to the birds with their feed as well as divided and frozen for future use. Wait to turn them out in the yard about 1-2 hours before dark, they will stay close and be easy to watch and protect from predators. Only turn them out if you are going to be outside to watch them.
Be careful turnign chickens in teh garden. They love the bugs, but chickens LOOOVE colors and will peck at all your veggies, especially tomatoes!!
I no longer have big chickens, I just have some bantams. I can keep 3 of them to 1 big chicken. I am not a big egg eater, but I use them for baking, so my egg useage is not very large. I also use to use a couple of Cochin bantams for hatching quail eggs when I had bobwhites as well as chuckar eggs. The only real problem with Banties is that their eggs are so small, and if you want to eat chicken, it takes at least a half of one per person for a meal.
|
|
|
|
Post by thywar on Aug 19, 2012 8:47:19 GMT -7
Dang WoodyZ you're on a roll there..
|
|
|
|
Post by woodyz on Aug 19, 2012 9:05:10 GMT -7
If you want to put fowl into you garden use geese or Guinas they won't eat the crop but will eat the bugs.
The exception for the geese is sweet corn. As long as it is covered with shuck they leave it alone, but if it shows yellow they can strip an ear in a hurry.
We have decided to keep a couple of duck hens and a drake in our SHTF plan because we can get the hens to hatch any egg. Duck, Quail, Chicken, whatever. If they are sitting they will hatch whatever is under them or maybe guinas they will also.
|
|
