Are chickens worth it?

Having backyard chickens allows you to bring your family closer to the process of growing and producing their own food. Sure, you can get that through a backyard vegetable garden, but chickens allow your children to see up close and personal the intricacies of food production.

Is owning chickens cost effective?

To answer simply, the maximum cost to raise chickens in your backyard will be about $69/month, for a flock of 5 hens, kept for 5 years. This includes the birds, feed, bedding, a brand-new high-quality coop, and miscellaneous costs like medicine, pest control, and feeders and waterers.

Is it a lot of work to raise chickens?

Be flexible- Things will not work out exactly as you plan them. Chickens are much tougher than many people would have you believe. Chickens were taking care of themselves long before they were domesticated and even today's domesticated breeds can still take pretty good care of themselves with a minimum amount of help.

What are the cons of having chickens?

Is it cheaper to raise chickens or buy eggs?

But is it cheaper to buy eggs or raise chickens? It is cheaper to buy eggs than it is to raise chickens for eggs. It costs between $150 to $300 per year to buy a dozen eggs per week from a grocery store and around $500 per year to raise chickens that will produce a dozen eggs per week.

CHICKEN MATH: Are Backyard Chickens Worth It?

Why you should not keep backyard chickens?

They will sample all of the plants and eat the really delicious ones. Chickens will also scratch mulch just as far as they can and leave dust bath craters in the flower beds. If you want to keep chickens and have a nice garden then you are going to have to put up a fence to keep them out.

How many chickens do I need to get a dozen eggs a week?

On average you need 3 to 4 hens for a dozen eggs a week. This is because most hens lay around 5 eggs per week, give or take, once they reach laying age.

Do chickens attract rats?

Do Chickens attract rats? Rats are not attracted to chickens. However, they are attracted to chicken feed, and love stealing a freshly laid egg. Rats are also attracted to nice, warm, cozy places to live, especially if there is a reliable food source nearby.

Do chickens make a mess in your yard?

When the chickens poop in their coop it is easy to gather it and add it to your garden or compost, but when they have free roam of the yard they will not only poop on your deck and walkways but they will also scratch your mulch onto your walkways in search of worms and grubs.

Are chickens noisy at night?

All chickens make some noise at bedtime but chicks and young birds can make quite a lot of noise before bedtime.

What do you do with chickens in the winter?

Can chickens live through winter?

Chickens are well-adapted to survive even very cold winter weather. Their feathers provide excellent insulation, and the birds can fluff their feathers to create an even warmer coat. They may even tuck their bills or feet into fluffy feathers to keep those bare parts warm.

Is it hard to take care of chickens?

Owning poultry is an easy task as long as you have everything required to keep them happy and healthy. Hens will not only supply you with fresh eggs daily without even having to leave the house, but they also help compost your scraps into nutritious soil for other fresh fruit or vegetables to grow.

How much does it cost to feed chickens per month?

On average, it costs $0.15 to feed your chickens per day, with organic feed costing at around $0.60 per pound. For a flock of 5 chickens, you will likely spend less than $30 a month, if you feed a 16% layer feed found at local farm stores. For organic feed, you will spend more – about $150 per month.

Do you save money raising chickens?

If you're raising chickens and don't need fertilizer, you won't benefit. But if you're growing your own food, having chickens to fertilize your property saves you money that should be included in your personal breakdown of chicken economics.

How much does it cost to feed a chicken for a year?

If you plan to feed a flock of 25 laying hens, expect to spend $1.50 to $4.75 each day, or $547.50 to $1,733.75 per year, assuming a price of $12.50 per 50 pounds of layer feed. What is this? Unless you purchase point-of-lay pullets, you'll also need to calculate the cost of raising chicks until they begin producing.

Can chickens stay in a coop all day?

So yes, chickens can stay inside their coop all day as long as they have everything they need for the entire day, including light. If your coop does not have windows you can put in lights and a timer, but that often requires running electric and many people don't want to do that outside.

What are the pros and cons of having chickens?

Can you let chickens roam free during the day?

A completely fenced-in yard allows chickens to free-range during part or all of the day, which has definite advantages and disadvantages. Pros: Birds will gain health benefits of added diversity in their nutrition, high levels of activity and more space to do all the things normal chickens do.

Do chickens attract snakes?

Why are Snakes Attracted to Chicken Coops? Contrary to popular belief, snakes are not attracted to chicken coops because of the chickens. It is more likely that they stumbled upon your coop while looking for any of the following three things: FOOD — Rodents (rats, mice, etc.)

Do chickens attract roaches?

Chickens don't attract roaches, but their coops can. It depends on several factors. First of all, cleaning your coop regularly will help to prevent roaches from moving in. Roaches are drawn to the scraps, the chicken feed, and the dirty bedding.

Will foxes get my chickens?

Unlike other predators, foxes leave little evidence of an attack, but they will just as cleanly pick off your chickens as any other predator. Part of what is so cunning about a fox is that it is assessing your home, coop, run and free-ranging areas for some time before it actually attacks.

How long do fresh eggs last?

A general rule, unwashed eggs will last around two weeks unrefrigerated and about three months or more in your refrigerator. If you're experiencing an egg boom, it's smart to refrigerate any unwashed fresh eggs you aren't planning to eat immediately.

How many chicken should you start with?

Chickens are extremely flock-oriented, so a good starter flock size is no fewer than three chickens. You should collect about a dozen eggs from three laying hens. A flock of five or six hens is a good choice for slightly larger families.

How can I make money with my chickens?