Chickens in the Backyard

The Cost Of Fresh Eggs

Please, check with your local ordinances before purchasing your chicks. The neighborhood I live in allows up to three in the yard without a rooster.

Free Range Egg Prices

I talked about raising chickens a couple of years ago in an article and last season I bought and raised three fine hens. Unfortunately, they slipped through my fence and disappeared on me. I never did track them down. My current set of birds is under lock and key and an ever watchful eye. There are things you need to really understand about raising chickens and I will try to list the most important ideas here.

Raising these birds were challenging, but rewarding. They needed me to feed them twice a day, provide fresh water, and clean cage droppings on a regular basis. You must be ready to spend a few minutes several times a day to keep your flock healthy.

The times I check the prices on a dozen eggs at the store tells me I am doing the right thing. Free range, brown eggs are up to $4.62 a dozen. That is pricey protein and ridiculous when you realize you have space and dedication for raising your own egg laying birds.

When you figure the cost of eggs, it becomes clear that homegrown eggs are cost effective if you account for the cost of the eggs, the cost of storing them, the time it takes to shop, and the unknown factor of how these birds were raised.

The initial price of the chicks is under $3 for a basic laying hen. The feed runs around $17 and will last about a month. They take a twice a day routine to feed, water, and maintain. I feed mine when I wake and when I get home from work. Generally, 5 pm and 5 am are good times to tend the coop.

Build Your Own Coop

The birds are going to need a safe, comfortable environment. The floor needs to be secure and so do the walls and roof. The unit I built has a top that secures with a hook and eye catch so that my cats cannot lift it easily. They are up off the ground so that creepy things cannot easily enter the coop area. This chicken coop hutch cost me around $60 in materials to build. It took one afternoon and bit of cursing and elbow grease to build it.

Not that it makes a difference, but I should point out that I am a small female with no knowledge of wood working skills and I was able to build this easily. Moving it was the biggest issue I faced. Determination says a lot about getting things done. A screw gun, skill saw, and a few ideas on paper made this idea a reality. This is light enough that two people may move it easily for clean up under the coop occasionally. I will eventually share the plans for this coop. See my author site for occasional updates: www.mariaburgess.com

 Chickens Produce: Eggs, Fertilizer, Calcium 

The bird's droppings are high in nitrogen and can be used to feed your garden plants a necessary nutrient. I would let the waste compost for a week before adding to the garden bed. I do dump the water dish in different areas of the yard as I clean the feeding area for the birds. What is the cost of fertilizer and soil amendment? I pay $9.99 at the local nursery for a bag of dirt that contains 15% chicken manure. Chemical fertilizers can be cheap or very expensive depending on the brand and purpose.

Back to the real cost of eggs. Three hens yield an egg a day early in their laying career. That's a dozen eggs every four days. Tag that with the current cost of eggs and this is a $4.62 return on your investment. The feed is minimal and a bag lasts about a month with three birds.

I love animals so the idea of having these birds in my critter family made sense. The notion of fresh eggs also hit home for me. It is a deliberate plan of action for my preparedness lifestyle. Having necessary protein at ready access is worth all the effort. The sweet faces on the birds sealed the deal.