EGGS!!!!

[Carol Dee]

I did not know this could happen. Dark chocolate brown eggs lighten over time because the color comes from a coating that disappears with age.

Crazy thing is these birds are fairly young, hatched last spring!

 

[baymule]

Neat back story about the Iowa Blue chicken. I have heard about them, they sound like a good farm chicken. I do love my chickens, how could anybody not love chickens?

 

[Nyboy]

My nephew who is not a animal lover was talking about getting chickens today. He found out organic eggs are selling for $8.00 a dozen in town. He thinks he can get 100 chicken let them feed on free bugs and just collect eggs. I had to blow many holes in his new business.

 

[ducks4you]

I KNOW!!! When you start learning about chickens people try to sell you on "free range," like it's cruel and unusual punishment to put them in a safe run. I think people watch the movie, "Wizard of Oz" and see the chickens in the yard. Also, it's easy to over buy and crowd them and then they fight and some die. Sure, people did it/do it, but it takes 4-6 months for pullets to be fed before they lay, and it's pricey today to buy hens, plus you don't know if they are healthy like you do about your own. I have a coop that it supposed to be for 15 birds, but it's really only made for 12, and that's with the 12' x 30' run. They need to have enough inside space too.
I can ignore the barn cats, count pony noses in the summer by just graining them, but I cannot let a day go by and not feed/check on my birds/collect eggs. I just did a loan closing with a couple 3 miles up the road from me and they were arguing about getting chickens, bc she didn't want to have to feed them.

 

[seedcorn]

A friend wanted chickens. He had that "Little House on the Prairie" moment where he thought he would get free eggs, friers whenever he wanted. Did a cash flow for him, convinced him cheaper to buy from someone raising them the way he wanted. Build house, pen, buy hens, feed, equipment, etc,, not cheap. As I explained frying older chickens is an acquired texture and taste if you are use to KFC.

 

[baymule]

A friend wanted chickens. He had that "Little House on the Prairie" moment where he thought he would get free eggs, friers whenever he wanted. Did a cash flow for him, convinced him cheaper to buy from someone raising them the way he wanted. Build house, pen, buy hens, feed, equipment, etc,, not cheap. As I explained frying older chickens is an acquired texture and taste if you are use to KFC.

haha, my first egg only cost $360!!

 

[Smart Red]

Mine was a bit cheaper as I used mostly recycled materials for the coop, but it was mine and that made all the difference to me.

 

[seedcorn]

Do it as a hobby, as a life style decision but it is never a financial decision as there are usually people that will sell them below cost of production. Or at the least value their time as nothing.

 

[catjac1975]

My nephew who is not a animal lover was talking about getting chickens today. He found out organic eggs are selling for $8.00 a dozen in town. He thinks he can get 100 chicken let them feed on free bugs and just collect eggs. I had to blow many holes in his new business.

I would think my eggs average out to $8 a dozen at my cost, for all the time they do not lay any. Organic grain is very expensive. Chickens cannot live on forage alone.

 

[ducks4you]

Have you seen any of the BYC posts about $3K eggs? That's what happens when newbies to building use power tools to build and have to go to the ER.
I stopped counting what my eggs cost!! I know that the feed is $10.00/50 pounds, more or less, and that they go though over 50 pounds of feed/month, for which two months this winter I got NO eggs, now 2-3/day. Many people would think that there are BAAAADDDDD $investment!