Topic: Chicken costs

[Macca]

Was just after some answers as to how much it costs to keep chickens, i was thinking of keeping 2 or 3 egg layers initially:
Do they eat much?
How much does a sack of corn cost?
How much do chickens cost approximately?
Any other hidden costs?

thanks

[teresa]

Ok,
I use layers pellets as main food its about £6.00 a sack.
I have never measured how much they eat.
Mine have extras like porrage oats and all greens even weeds from lottie and what we dont eat or the dogs the chickens eat it.
 As they poo on top of nest boxes( flat roof ) I collect it and it goes down lottie.
Cost of Point of Lay Pullets can vary by the breed, at a smithfield market 3 Marams cost me £16 which was good for POL then we picked up 3 mixed ones ( brown/black and a white) for £5.00 no one wanted them.
If your going for layers go for RIR they are the better unless you like the look of the fancy ones.
I have plastic water and feed containers to be able to clean propely.
Hay or straw for the nest boxes and straw or woodshavings for the floor of the henhouse.
I do get lice powder for them its sold for pidgons but they do have a run on soil which when dry they will do dust baths to rid of lice.

I could not buy a fresh eggs so I got hens PM me if you want any other details
Teresa

[autumn leaf]

Housing can be quite an outlay initially. Our first hen house had a built in-run and was suitable for 6 hens (so the brochure said).  The house was above the run which meant that the hens had an overall run of about 7-8 feet.  It wasn't long before we thought that they would appreciate being able to forage about outside the run and we began extending it with poles, netting etc.  Eventually we settled for making a compound with 5ft high mesh panels which we netted over (I stitched the predator netting into each square of the mesh with fishing line to ensure nothing could get under the net).  This set us back quite a bit but gave our hens a safe 20ft x 20ft compound to scratch in.  We also let them out into the rough area at the bottom of the garden when we are about.  Our biggest problem is getting someone to collect eggs, throw corn for them etc when we want to go away.  We've solved the opening up and closing down problem with light-sensitive automatic door openers/closers - as you will have guessed by now, chicken keeping can get expensive depending on how you want to do it but I think it is worth every penny - even when they go broody and stop laying for weeks.  You just can't beat that magic feeling of finding eggs in the straw.

[Andy H]

ahhhh just wish we had room for them...

[jaggythistle]

 

 If anyone is interested in making there own coops I have a book you can borrow
 it has plans from a broody coop right up to a 30 bird coop even has arks in it
  too...... just drop me a private message its gettin dog eared mind it has been
  well used and well borrowed.  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Jesse]

As said before the cost of the hen house and/or run is the only expensive part, unless you make your own, which we did but you still have the cost of materials. The hen house OH built is now too small, we started with three hens, the house accommodated them well, but now we have such demand from friends and family for their delicious eggs we're increasing our layers so need more space. We've got a cheap childrens playhouse (£80) which will be converted to the new hen house without too much trouble. The run that comes with most houses are okay but personally I like to see the hens with more space. If you use the run you can always let them roam the garden for a couple of hours each day to make it more pleasant for them.

Bag of layers pellets costs around £6 and lasts approx  3-4 months (3 hens), and they eat all sorts of scraps from the kitchen. A bag of mixed corn (only given as a treat in the afternoons) lasts about 6 months. They do eat a little more during the winter as there's less greenery for them to eat, and during the winter months I asked at the farm shop for any scaps of greenery, they gladly gave me the outer leaves of cabbages that they would otherwise have thrown away.

I use straw for bedding, a bale of straw costs £2 and lasts about 2-3 months, depending how regularly I clean out the hen house. If your hens perch at night and you put newspaper under the perch to collect any mess, all you need to do each morning when letting them out is fold up the newspaper and chuck into compost bin, cleaning out the hen house for me is done every 2-4 weeks, just a matter of putting down fresh straw, a thorough clean is done every 6 months that involves scrubbing out and spraying with poultry shield (stops mites, lice etc.)

Hidden costs would be things like vet's bills if you're like me and take your hen to the vet when it's sick (new owner, worried when hen was looking sick after having her for a couple of weeks, cost I think was £12). I de-worm my hens every 6 months, but some people say there's no need. Lice powder, poultry shield etc but that lasts quite a long time. I can't think of any other costs, don't think there have been any.

Well worth keeping hens, I wouldn't be without them now.  :D

[linesman]

After initial outlay of coop and run +pullets when you taste the freshness
of the eggs you know it was well worth it.
Daily costs are by far cheaper than buying so called supermarket  "FRESH" eggs.
MY ADVICE IS JUST GO FOR IT

ps they also make great friends

[dustyr]

Your most expensive outlay will be the house and netting with suitable posts.
Always make or buy a house that is bigger than you need - you'll end up with more hens than you think once you've started.
I like to have my poultry houses off the ground, on a frame about 2 foot high - this helps to keep vermin away.
As a beginner go for point of lay hybrids - my Hebden Blacks have been laying non-stop since Christmas and cost about GBP 6 - 7 each.  I've just sold some pure bred Light Sussex for about GBP10 each - which was cheaper than the going rate for pure bred hens.
Bantams lay well, small eggs, but need less space.  We have a decorative breed - Belgian d'Uccle which free range in the garden and lay a good supply of eggs for cooking.
I prefer metal drinkers - they last much longer than the plastic ones which crack after time.  A feed hopper is useful to feed the hens ad lib - they know when they're hungry.  Organic layers pellets are available, but are more costly.  Little mixed fowl corn is rated as organic.
Best of luck, and if you need any more help get in touch - we've had hens for eggs and showing for over 30 years.
Dusty

[Jesse]

I forgot to mention with regard to buying hens, you could get some ex-battery hens, they're cheap, you'd be helping rehome some hens which would otherwise be killed if not rescued, and with the recent outbreak of Newcastle Disease you would be better off because they more than likely would have been vaccinated.