Raising chickens
- Thread starter trefeet
- Start date
I looked at it very briefly. It didn't seem like there was anyway it saves money. Between the cost of the coop, chickens, feed, any vet bills (didn't get far enough along to know if you have to do shots or medicine), factored in loss due to dogs, snakes, foxes, etc., and the resulting number of chickens you'd have to raise to break even would be really high. I think it's more of a hobby for most people - unless you live on a farm and can support like 5 dozen chickens.
I have a few chickens.
Do not go overboard with the number of chickens you get. 3-4 are plenty.
No roosters since you have small kids. Some roosters are mean and will spur you. Rooster will also drive you crazy with their incessant crowing.
You will not save money.
Do not go overboard with the number of chickens you get. 3-4 are plenty.
No roosters since you have small kids. Some roosters are mean and will spur you. Rooster will also drive you crazy with their incessant crowing.
You will not save money.
I briefly looked into it as well. There are many people around us that raise chickens and sell eggs for $2-$3/dozen. I just buy their's. Cheaper than the store, fresher, and no headaches of dealing with raising chickens...
62Nole
Seminole Insider
My parents do it have about 15 chickens right now. No chance you save money they eat a ton of feed, a surprising amount actually. Its kind of fun and the kids enjoy it but other than that its kind of a pain.
I figured it’s more of a hobby. Yes In Tallahassee in the city I think you can have them. I do think it’s prob a break even at best. Sort of like gardening some years your veggies turn out great and it’s fun and other years it’s a complete waste of time and money.
Here in Brooklyn if I met someone raising their own chickens, I'd say they've reached Peak Hipster.
We got people out here rooftop foraging and making maps of edible trees in their neighborhood. Smh.
We got people out here rooftop foraging and making maps of edible trees in their neighborhood. Smh.
I've always thought it sounded interesting. I had a garden for about five years before we moved into a townhouse, and we never saved any money. It was interesting to do, and some years we had a lot of really good tomatoes and cucumbers and other things we wouldn't have had otherwise that made it worth it. Other years I didn't do so well, and we didn't even have enough to enjoy to make it remotely worth the cost or the work.
I feel like chickens would be the same way, and seems like it would be very rewarding when it was going good, but in the garden, if I got tired of trying to fight a particular plant or set of plants through a disease, or it just wasn't working, I would just pull it out and be done with it. I can't imagine with chickens, if you have one that's continuously sick or has a problem or not producing, it's not like I'd be comfortable just walking out and wringing it's neck and throwing the carcass in the garbage or something. That factor would probably prevent me from ever doing it, even though it sounds like a cool hobby.
I feel like chickens would be the same way, and seems like it would be very rewarding when it was going good, but in the garden, if I got tired of trying to fight a particular plant or set of plants through a disease, or it just wasn't working, I would just pull it out and be done with it. I can't imagine with chickens, if you have one that's continuously sick or has a problem or not producing, it's not like I'd be comfortable just walking out and wringing it's neck and throwing the carcass in the garbage or something. That factor would probably prevent me from ever doing it, even though it sounds like a cool hobby.
Reminds me of the Seinfeld with Kramer and Little Jerry:
Cosmo Kramer: I bought a chicken.
George Costanza: Allow me. Why?
Cosmo Kramer: Cage-free, farm fresh eggs.
Jerry: Allow me. What are you, an idiot?
Cosmo Kramer: I bought a chicken.
George Costanza: Allow me. Why?
Cosmo Kramer: Cage-free, farm fresh eggs.
Jerry: Allow me. What are you, an idiot?
Do the chickens have large talons?
Reminds me of a good friend of mine that was in the wildlife program at FSU (ended up transferring to uf for the better program but remains a nole). Anyway he found a pecan tree on Landis Green and would climb up there at night to pick the nuts. One time he climbed up during the day and people were laughing at him like what da hell is this loony doing. Well fast fwd a few days later and they were all gone. Someone must have noticed what he was doing and scavanged the whole tree. He was po'd.
He would find edible crap everywhere. One time he had a whole backyard kegger chanting his name as he scaled up a neighbors fence and was hanging by a limb to get some kinda weird exotic fruit that he identified waiting in line for a beer.
Yep, I keep a chicken farm in the back yard. Smells like urine and the neighbors stopped talking to me but I save at least $10/month in eggs.
That’s why the French invented Coq au Vin, to deal with the tough meat of the older birds.
That doesn't really change the factor at all. Ok, is this better?
I can't imagine with chickens, if you have one that's continuously sick or has a problem or not producing, it's not like I'd be comfortable just walking out and wringing it's neck, plucking it's feathers, gutting and cleaning it, cutting it up, cooking it, and eating a chicken that had been diseased.
