Chickens

Reality of Expenses for Raising Backyard Chickens

This morning, during my daily check of Pinterest, I came across a Pin that was explaining the expected cost of backyard chickens. I checked this out because I frequently find tips that I use on a regular basis with my own flock. However, I was extremely disappointed at the lack of/dated information and sometimes bold lies!
They had the expenses for starting your flock. Brooder requirements, the chicks themselves, feed, and coop costs. These seemed pretty on point. Then they gave the estimated amount of eggs vs. cost of eggs purchased at the store. This was a bit laughable. Depending on your breed, this time of year, if you light your coop etc. you may get 4-7 eggs per bird per week. They had the cost of store bought eggs at $1.25 a dozen! I don't remember the last time I found eggs (even the standard caged white eggs) for $1.25. Currently I'm finding them for $2.75-$3.00.
After laughing at this a bit, I moved on to the next section of this post. Annual expenses. I was completely floored. The cost of feed seemed about right, again depending on whether your flock free ranges during the months without snow, which mine do, my flock of 15 go through a 50 lb. bag of feed every 3 weeks for $15 a bag. Then we had the bedding... $10 for straw annually! Wow! Are these urban chicken farmers growing straw in their backyards! Or are the poor birds only having their bedding changed once a year with no new bedding added to the soiled bedding?
Another shocking expense missing was... everything else! Yes chickens are fairly easy to maintain but they do have their needs. So what about injuries that need to be taken care of, or calcium if your eggs aren't coming out with the hard shells that these urbanites are looking for, or maybe some scratch to help them through the winter, or cleaning supplies for that coop that will surely need a scrub down after a year with no new bedding?
Thankfully my husband and I are able to sell some of our extras which helps to cover a few expenses but by no means does this mean that we are coming out with extra spending money. As soon as I saw this post I could hear my dads voice in my head with one of his many lectures (all extremely useful btw) on the reality of finances and expenses.
Point being, I couldn't imagine not having our chickens. They will give you plenty of entertainment, delicious eggs and (if you do it the way we do) amazing sunday dinners. However, they are not cheap or profitable with a small flock, nor are they as easy as putting a coop in the back yard and collecting your breakfast every morning.

Sprouts for Your Free Range Flock in the Winter

I've always known that I wanted to supplement the greens my free range flock gets in the summer, during the winter months. I searched for sprouting seeds for quite a while and everything I found was either a $50 bag or a $5-$8 pouch that might get me one tray. I couldn't justify paying more for their sprouts than I do on a homecooked dinner for me and Nick. Ultimately, I got extremely frustrated and put it to the side for awhile.

And then, through the magic of Pinterest, I found a post that fit perfectly! (I unfortunately did not pin this pin, so if it is from your blog, I thank you! and would love to give you credit!) Anyways, the solution to this problem is the dried bean section at your grocery store! 

I purchased a bag of lentils for $1.29! Half of that bag filled the bottom of this 9x13 baking dish (I've determined that the papertowel shown in this picture is not neccessary). I filled the bottom with about 1/4 inch of water and checked daily to see if it needed more. Generally, I added more every other day.

Within 2 weeks I had this full batch of sprouts for my flock. If I could read a chickens mind, it seemed to me that they thought they might never see green again! I also have some rolled barley that I plan on starting and will let you know how that goes! But in the mean time, the lentils are a definite and you can play around with whatever you think might work out! 

Momma Knows Best: Letting a Broody Hen Brood

Last spring when Nick and I decided to order our chicks, I made sure we had everything ready. A brooder box with 2 heat lamps, a brooder thermometer, plenty of pine shavings, chick starter feed, chick grit, nutri-drench, I had an arsenol! I wasn't going to let anything happen to those babies! I checked on them constantly! I adjusted their lamp if the thermometer read the wrong temp for their age in weeks, I checked their butts for pasty butt, and I held them to make sure they bonded with me.

After all of that, it was time to move them to the coop. I was a little more than nervous, after all of that work to keep them alive! I kept the heat lamp on at night until they adjusted to outdoor temps, I locked them in the coop for 3 days to make sure they knew where "home" was, and still held them so they didn't forget that I was momma. 

Well I guess it worked because they're all still here. I'm not sure how I feel about the "bonding" as they still don't like to be held, unless something is wrong, but they always come for snacks! But then came "Chickie Momma." Just before Thanksgiving she decided that she was not leaving that nesting box, so I obliged and gave her 7 eggs. Through her 21 days of sitting, she never wavered and put up with me, her "momma hen" checking on her multiple times a day to make sure she was ok and getting up at least once a day to eat, drink, and poo. The temps dropped and it snowed and she was fine. The week before Christmas she hatched 4 fluffy yellow chicks and has been an excellent mom. She covers them when they're cold, shows them where to find the best treats, checks them for pasty butt, and taught them how to get in and out of the coop.

The chicks are 6 weeks old now and even though, in a brooder box, they should have steady temps around 75˚F they are bouncing about in the snow and as I said "Momma Knows Best" she shelters them when they've had a little too much fun in the snow. 

So, is a brooder box really necessary? Unless a broody gives up on her babies, or you're getting your first clutch of chicks, it is definitely much easier to let a broody do her thing!

Attempting to Keep Richard and His Ladies Warm!!

The unpredictable weather of Northwestern Pennsylvania has struck again! Yesterday morning our temps were 52˚F. Today they are 14˚F with a chance of 12-14 inches in the next two days! If you look closely you can see that the chickies have decided NOT to come out and play today!

Unfortunately for them the wiring to our heat lamp was damaged this fall and won't be repaired until hubby gets home from work today! (Thank goodness for an electrician in the family!) Fortunately, I have no plans of going anywhere today and can check on them periodically through the day.

To keep them warm (well as warm as you can get in 14˚ temperatures) today I've given them a few special treats. This morning we started out with a big dose of scratch! This takes more effort for their bodies to digest and will cause their body temps to rise. And for lunch a hot bowl of oatmeal! This will also take more effort to digest, but who doesn't like a bowl of something hot on a cold day?

As for the water, for now, we'll have to do it the old fashioned way. Carry out more warm water as it freezes. Ugh!! Thankfully I have two buddies that will venture out into the cold with me!