tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5112012123245586761.post2914095300445185185..comments2023-06-06T10:21:36.882-04:00Comments on City Sister Country Sister: ChickenomicsCity Sisterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11474047622089407153noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5112012123245586761.post-10968106270992138692012-05-17T11:39:54.799-04:002012-05-17T11:39:54.799-04:00I never can tell if we break even or not on our ch...I never can tell if we break even or not on our chicks. My dad asks all the time. I should send him here. I'm just stopping by to invite you to our new DIYlinky over at www.littlehouseinthesuburbs.com tomorrow morning. Come? I'm SO nervous that nobody will come to my party!Deanna Caswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14667810054059540883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5112012123245586761.post-77301358565026225872012-05-14T18:24:25.518-04:002012-05-14T18:24:25.518-04:00This post was interesting and I love the title Chi...This post was interesting and I love the title Chickenomics. It would make a great title for an article or book. It puts it all in perspective.This is My Lifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13872298873345437188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5112012123245586761.post-12812514974153883502012-05-14T14:32:31.625-04:002012-05-14T14:32:31.625-04:00We have gotten 10 chicks this spring, and are real...We have gotten 10 chicks this spring, and are really looking forward to the fresh eggs! My family eats TONS of eggs. We get them delivered from our CSA farm, and probably go through 3-4 dozen/week. I am hoping that the 10 we have will give us enough eggs for our own use as well as selling some to my mom and a neighbor. We shall see! I think we are going to need some type of heat lamp in January/February, we live in Maine - aka seriously cold in the middle of winter :-)Heatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12261179479821073705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5112012123245586761.post-71009182179499613292012-05-14T09:44:30.922-04:002012-05-14T09:44:30.922-04:00Ours are free range so we buy little to no feed fo...Ours are free range so we buy little to no feed for them, so no cost there. I think that one very important aspect for me and my family is knowing what goes into the eggs that we eat and knowing how the chickens were treated that laid those eggs. Having 3 small children I also really enjoy having chickens around for pets and it teaches a tiny bit of responsibility to the older two kiddos as they have to take care of any needs the chickens may have as well as assist in collecting eggs. Around here Organic eggs go for up to $4 a dozen, with Free Range being even more difficult to find. Add the cost of driving to the farmers market ( both gas and time) and including the enjoyment as pets and for us it's an easy decision.Rachel Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02349620560633134247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5112012123245586761.post-13873625590428625712012-05-14T09:19:54.828-04:002012-05-14T09:19:54.828-04:00If you figured in the eggs we consume it would be ...If you figured in the eggs we consume it would be about 52 dozen (x$3 for $156) We unfortunately can't free range since we live in a neighborhood where the neighbors wouldn't particularly care for chickens in their yards (when they get loose that's where they tend to go.) We do give them all of our scraps and garden stuff, grass when we mow, and during the summer they go through about 25lb/mo of feed, and in the winter when we only have kitchen scraps (and occasional restaurant scraps if they save them for us)they tend to go through a lot more..about 75lb/mo so average 50lb/mo or one sack ($16) So I do agree with you that we could factor the ones we consume in, but at the same time, I wanted to see if they paid their own way.City Sisterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11474047622089407153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5112012123245586761.post-75851432759780534612012-05-14T09:12:36.230-04:002012-05-14T09:12:36.230-04:00There are so many benefits of homegrown no matter ...There are so many benefits of homegrown no matter what it is. I love knowing when my kids go eat out of the garden, it is completely safe for them.City Sisterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11474047622089407153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5112012123245586761.post-75776868077449801632012-05-14T09:11:43.611-04:002012-05-14T09:11:43.611-04:00Last year we counted eggs and feed costs, and may ...Last year we counted eggs and feed costs, and may get back into that again. I definitely agree that the eggs are worth it no matter what...you can't get orange yolks and taste like that anywhere else.City Sisterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11474047622089407153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5112012123245586761.post-91952119997953205022012-05-14T09:10:15.065-04:002012-05-14T09:10:15.065-04:00If we had a family of 8 I think we'd be sellin...If we had a family of 8 I think we'd be selling a lot less! We'd love to have a rooster, but can't due to noise ordinances.City Sisterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11474047622089407153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5112012123245586761.post-55236997703839714572012-05-14T09:00:11.159-04:002012-05-14T09:00:11.159-04:00Interesting accounting, however I noticed that you...Interesting accounting, however I noticed that you only counted the eggs you sell as income and not the eggs you consume. So, I think your chickens are a bit more profitable than you think. Also, you can decrease feed costs a bit by either free-ranging your chickens or feeding them scraps from the kitchen and garden. Our girls are allowed as much feed as they want, but when I'm able to give them the leaves from the finished broccoli plants or a pile of watermelon rinds, their consumption of commercial feed goes way down but egg production stays up. Love your blog, by the way!Betty @ Little Farm in the Big Cityhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10472847704293168839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5112012123245586761.post-91646562457162042072012-05-14T08:38:00.636-04:002012-05-14T08:38:00.636-04:00We get about 18 eggs a day and give the majority a...We get about 18 eggs a day and give the majority away but it's still worth it. There's nothing like being able to feed your family foods that you know are 100% safe and pure and from an animal that is happy and well taken care of. And yes, the eventual compost for the gardens is a great benefit too! :)Janhttp://www.thenerdyfarmwife.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5112012123245586761.post-10583032200041577892012-05-14T08:17:35.031-04:002012-05-14T08:17:35.031-04:00Good chicken-accounting! I've only gone so fa...Good chicken-accounting! I've only gone so far as to keep records for number of eggs laid for a year, then just this year started counting eggs AND feed costs. I have a feeling that the numbers won't be much in the black though, but it's still worth it. Eggs for eating, eggs for incubating, the occasional rooster dinner and THE best form of free entertainment! Oh yeah, and all that fertilizer!Carolynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14436557172029575513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5112012123245586761.post-57839318562781446072012-05-14T07:58:13.112-04:002012-05-14T07:58:13.112-04:00Hi, I'm Anne, and I just came over from the ba...Hi, I'm Anne, and I just came over from the barn hop. Good idea for a post. I've wondered the same thing myself. I don't take in "boarders" myself, just keep our own flock of 13 hens and a roo. That gives us enough eggs for our family of 8. In the high-production months, we sometimes get more than we can eat, but we give some away then. I figured they cost us about $1/day. If I did like you and found a way to make money from them, we'd be doing alright.Anne Birdsonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02834796541721743227noreply@blogger.com