I don't think you have to worry there. Each bird cost $2.13. When they mature, you can get an egg a day or every other day. That adds up. I'm using all organic feed, and it is pricey. With medicated (oil of oregano) feed, you should not have the problems of commercial feed. Protien levels should be 22% for starters. Wal Mart feed runs 18%. These differences add up. Lower protein means more antibiotics. High protein for starter chicks will mean less or no antibiotics.

I would rather a bird/egg without antibiotic residue. This will keep you healthier longer as well.

Tom
nobleknight
class 01-15-05

I am raising chickens and rabbits. It adds work to my day but it is work I enjoy. Money is not the reason that I do it tough because frankly it is not cheap. What I am looking for is quality.

Mother Earth News magazine has some great ideas for keeping chickens. You can build a fully enclosed chicken coop which is surrounded top and sides with wire. You build the frame to incorporate some type of wheel set- up and you can move the entire coop very easily to different spots on the ground. You leave it in one spot and let them graze and then maybe in a week or so move it to another spot. No worries about critters getting at your egglaying feathered friends.

The only down side IMO is damn roosters. Those SOB's never shut up. They crow in the morning, at night and any old time and they are loud. I wonder if you could muzzle those little beaks? :)

Tom, it sounds as if chickens are well worth the investment and I agree with you with going organic. I get farm eggs out here and can't even eat a store egg anymore.

some "linkies" (as Klapton would say)
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/2007-09-01/Easy-Backyard-Chicken-Coops.aspx

I can't find the link about the movable coop. It is made of wood and has small wheels on it. Its pretty slick .Its in one of my mags at home so I will look for it tonight.

Kola

I saw what Kola was talking about on a "green homes" remodeling show. It is simply constructed. It is a long "A" frame cage, with a ridge pole extending to the outside of the cage. The part of the ridge pole extending outside the cage is what you lift the coop up with for moving. The wooden coop part is on opposite end of the coop as the ridge pole lifting handle. At the furthest end of the coop is where you put the wheels. Everything except the coop area is covered in chicken wire. The object is to let the chickens eat the grass and bugs through the bottom of the coop. After a period of time the coop is moved to fresh pasture, and the chickens have left the former grazing area, full fertilized. It has to be small enough to be moveable, usually around 15 feet long with the coop formed on a 3, 4, or 5 foot triangle frame. It also isn't for a large number of chickens. Hope this make sense.

www.backyardchickens.com
Just about everything you could ever want to know about chickens on the forums there. I have had chickens for over a year now. In a small scale operation for family eggs and meat it is more expensive to do it. The only way it is cheaper is if you can sell your excess eggs and meat to make your own free (if you don't count your own time). It is worth it to me, just so I know what is in my food.
Tom

Thanks everyone for taking the time to read and comment on the chickens. It seems to me almost everyone I speak to has a chicken memory. Isn't it a wonder that a whole generation has lost out on raising such a simple bird for their own table. Now, we are amazed someone has chickens.

I am amazed at how big the chickens grew in one day.  I do not think they would fit back in the box they came from.  By the end of today, I could see feathers growing from the wings.  In four weeks, they should be ready for the outdoors.  Here is a picture of what they look like: http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/product/buff_orpingtons.html

I have a lot of room to let the chickens roam.  I fenced in an entire acre of land for fruit trees.  I'll let them do their business to encrich the soil.  I do not want to lug around a coup.  It sounds real fun, until you have to do it in hot/wet weather.

I do hope more people look into being as self sufficient as possible. 

Tom

nobleknight

class 01-15-05