Many people dream of raising chickens at home. They want a healthy, low-cost, and nutritious food source that they can handle themselves. And they want to provide a fun but low-maintenance environment that your whole family can enjoy and be a part of. However, not many people are sure of the costs of raising a flock of backyard chickens. This article will give you an idea of some of the higher costs you will see in raising chickens.
First, you need to set up a flock with the basics. These are basic costs that you should assume that you will start with. Feeders and drinkers are essential for any flock. Babies will need an incubator and a lamp if you are going to start with chicks. You would also need some chick starter food, if you go this route.
Otherwise, you can go for laying hens, which will be a bit more expensive than chicks, because someone else has already taken care of the first 6 months of care and growth for you. However, once you bring the chickens to the laying stage, you will find that costs are about to increase, so we will focus on these costs for you.
These are some of the essential costs that you should be aware of.
Your biggest spending money:
Unlike chicks, laying hens and their male roosters require chicken coops to keep them safe and protected from predators and to allow them a place to lay their eggs. Even if you freely source much of your chicken coop materials, this will be by far the highest cost of raising chickens. Plan to build it right, so it lasts a long time and does what you want. If it is well built, you can use your chicken coop for several generations of chickens.
For smaller flocks of 2-4 chickens, you can get away with small mobile chicken coops that will generally cost you $ 75 for supplies if you do it yourself, up to a couple hundred dollars to have a pre-built one. For larger flocks, 6 to 12 chickens, you should look for larger coops. You want a large cooperative that allows you to stand indoors. This type of co-op will cost several hundred supplies, and could even run into the low $ 1,000 range for supplies if you build it yourself or if it is already built for you.
Other costs:
In addition to the chicken coop, you will have other, more minimal ongoing costs. Feeding will cost you about $ 15 for 50 pounds of feed that will last about a month for a flock of 10-12 chickens. You will also use straw or wood shavings for flooring and bedding. This will change approximately every week and will usually cost you a few dollars for a month’s supply. Additionally, you will also need to provide chicken grit, scraps, vitamins, and calcium to keep your herd healthy. This should also cost you a couple of dollars for a month’s supply.
Poultry diseases:
In addition to these costs, you also need to think about the health and maintenance of your flock. In other words, if they get sick … how will you take care of them? A visit to the doctor can cost around $ 75 for a simple checkup, up to hundreds to do substantial work on an animal. Make sure you have a plan in mind before you have to face this experience head-on. Most backyard chicken owners simply allow chicken diseases to pass naturally, which could mean that some of their flocks do not survive. And that’s okay. Just make sure you have a plan for the situation.
One last consideration:
One final cost you may want to think about before getting into this situation is how your friends and neighbors can treat you. In reality, this is not a monetary cost, but rather a price to your mental health. Although chicken farming has become extremely popular, not only in the United States, but also around the world, there are MANY people who have a deep hatred for chicken farmers. And these same people will complain to you, to homeowners’ associations, to the city council, to the police, or to anyone they may complain to. It may be illegal to own a backyard flock in some areas, so make sure you are legally authorized to own it. And just keep in mind that not everyone is as excited that you have chickens as you are.
Although some of these costs may seem quite high, there is nothing more rewarding and satisfying than raising your own flock of chickens. The nutrition and benefits it brings to you and your family may be worth the hidden costs you just read about raising chickens.
