Cost Of Raising Chickens

In our new economy, many people are looking for a
way of cutting cost and living a simpler more
self-sufficient lifestyle. One of the things
that many people are considering doing in order
to save money is to start raising chickens. One
of the things that people are curious about is
what it will cost to raise chickens if they
decide to have their own small flock.

There are many variables to consider when
talking about the cost of raising chickens. The
number of chickens is one variable, where you
live is another variable, and the type of
chickens you decide to raise is another
variable. Even with all of these variables to
consider you can still come up with a basic cost
for raising chickens.

The first thing to consider is the chicken coop;
this will be your largest expense. Even if you
build the coop yourself, it will still be your
largest expense. Premade coops are rather
expensive but they save you the trouble of
building your own. Another thing to consider
with the coop is if you need a mobile coop or a
stationary coop, and the size of the coop will
affect the cost. The larger the coop the more it
will cost, and mobile coops cost more because
there is more to a mobile coop. A mobile coop
would be used for those that live in urban
areas. For the sake of the article, we will put
the cost of the coop at $500.00 dollars. You
should purchase the coop before you purchase any
chickens.

The next cost will be the chickens themselves.
For a typical family three to six chickens
should provide more than enough eggs. If you get
newborn chicks, they will cost $2-$3.00 each.
That is $18.00 for six chicks. The next cost of
raising chickens is the brooder for the chicks.
A brooder is just a place for the chicks to stay
and be warm. They will only need the brooder for
a limited time so do not spend much on a
brooder. A brooder can be a cardboard box with a
heat lamp or other type of lamp that will keep
the chicks comfortably warm. You should be able
to set a brooder up for free; most people will
have a box and a lamp around their home.

You will also need to purchase starter feed for
the chicks. You can get 50 lbs of starter feed
for less than $20.00 and depending on the number
of chicks you have it will last for months. None
of the starter food will be wasted because you
can feed it to the chicks until the food is
gone. Containers for the food and water will add
another $8.00 to the cost of raising chickens.
You will also need to provide your chicks with
bedding material, most people use wood chips
that cost $12.00 a bag. A bag of wood chips will
last for several months. This is all that you
need to get your chicks ready, but there are
some other expenses you may have depending on
your situation.

Once you have the chickens to this point, the
cost of raising chickens is low. If you can let
your chickens roam and feed themselves, you will
have very little cost when it comes to feeding
them. Even if you have to purchase feed, it is
relatively inexpensive. Your chickens will need
occasional supplements but they are also
inexpensive. When all cost is considered, the
money you will save raising chickens will
outweigh the cost of raising chickens.

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S. O'Connor is the owner of
http://ChickenHousesPlus.com located in Archer,
Florida. In addition to raising healthy, happy
chickens the company also provides fertile
chicken eggs, egg incubators, and Amish built
chicken coops. Customer service is available via
Live Chat.

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