Friday, August 26, 2011

Cheap Way to Raise Chickens: Four Eggs for $96.65


Eggs! Finally! 3, well 4 after today to be exact.

Yesterday afternoon I ran out the the coop to make sure the gang had enough food and water. I had cleaned the pan and refilled the water before I notice an egg laying in the floor of the coop. I'm pretty sure I looked nuts screaming for hubby, dancing around, and jumping up and down. Thankfully we have no neighbors. I'd be the next YouTube hit. I was pretty excited to say the least. I reach in to get the feeder so that I can refill it as it was running low, and there were two more eggs on the other side of the coop on the ground. I was stoked.

The excitement passed and I finally came to my senses. Grab the camera! Dalton was all too eager to hold the eggs so I could snap a picture or two.

We've been trying hard to be frugal with our chickens, using anything we can find that is free, borrowing things, and making our own. So far we have spent $96.65.

Here is a break down of what we have spent so far on the items we had to resort to buying:

Tent Stakes $2.88/pk x 2 = $5.76
T-poles $4.09 ea x 5= $20.45
Wire $29.99
Feed $13 x 2 bags= $26
Pine Shavings $4.49 x 2= $8.98
Everything else= Free

$91.18
+5.47 tax
$96.65

Even though at the moment each egg we have found is running around $25.00 we are optimistic that we will break even eventually and have fresh eggs to eat to boot!

Anyone know how I can convince these girls to lay their eggs in the nesting boxes rather than on the floor of the coop? I already replaced the chips in the boxes and laid fake eggs in there. Anything else?

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Congrats! What a great feeling that must be! I'm still working on my coop, so no experience yet but I have read golf balls work too.

Good luck!

~Andrea

Jess said...

Haha! I remember gasping and squealing when I found that first precious egg too. :) Pure joy. My girls used their nest box from the beginning. If you've got fake eggs in there, maybe take those out and leave a real egg or two in the box for a day.

And, way to be frugal! It'll pay off.