We affectionately refer to our chicken operation as “The Coop at Turtleback Lane” or alternatively, from my friend Doug at work, “Pointe One-Seven Farms” (because our house sits on a 0.17 acre lot).
The total cost of everything associated with the chicken setup (coop building materials, including two staple guns: a replacement for my friend Nathan’s gun that I broke and then one for myself since they are so useful, the chickens themselves, their feeder and waterer pails, feed, a book, etc.) was $240.
So far, we have gotten about 20 eggs. So our current cost per egg is $240/20 eggs = $12 / egg.
That is obviously nothing to write home to Aunt Mabel about, but now that we are getting 2 eggs a day, and when the third chicken starts laying, please God, 3 eggs a day, the amortization will really kick in!
I will keep you posted with a weekly or monthly Egg Report.
Tuesday, 28. August 2007
That is awesome Devin!
I am, in particular, impressed that you were able to track your expenditures so carefully.
Lest any other aspiring poultry keepers be discouraged by your investment- it is possible to do it much much cheaper. A lot of that cost is because we made the coop so beautiful!
Tuesday, 28. August 2007
Yesterday evening, our dear Eunice began to look quite ill, dozing on the floor of the chicken run and generally wilting among perky Gertrude and Lobelia. We thought she might not last through the night and were feeling quite sad. Then, when Devin went out at dark to close up the coop, Eunice energetically henhouse, leaving a very malformed egg behind. And, today, she’s shown no signs of illness. I guess sometimes, a girl just needs to get that bad egg out of her system before she can feel herself. You know what they say about “one bad egg…”.