costings

[sip64]

hi
im gonna get 4 chickens to start off with could anyone give me an idea to how much the food costs/bedding etc per week
thanks in advance

[shirlthegirl43]

Hiya, our 5 chooks get through a bag of Farmgate layers pellets (£6.27) every 5-6 weeks. Bedding is newspapers (changed daily) and wood shavings (small pet bedding from Tesco) in the nest box (changed about twice a week depending on who slept in the nest box). I buy mixed corn for £1.50 per 2 kilos from the greengrocer as buying larger quantities would not be practical.

I sold almost enough eggs over the last 3 weeks to pay for a bag of feed so with that and not having to buy eggs, I reckon they keep themselves!

[Snadger]

I am a comparatively recent convert to chook keeping and although there's no profit to be made with the amount I have, they are very cheap to keep and just about pay for themselves.
I have 13 chhoks laying from 8 to 12 eggs at present and munching there way through a 20Kg bag of layers pellets every 10 days. At roughly £5.00 per bag that works out at 50p per day. they do get mixed corn at about £7.00 for a 25Kg bag which lasts about 3 months and plenty of stale bread. They have just about wiped me out of greens from the lottie but i'll be better prepared next year.

If you work on 10p per day per chook, and if that chook lays an egg which you sell for 10p...........well I'll let you do the maths!

[MaureenHall]

Yes, just as Snadger says. It depends on where you are as to how much the feed costs, but Farmgate I think is about the cheapest and has no GM ingredients. You might want to cost in Poultry Spice (I paid about £2.99 for 450g) that lasts ages, Louse Powder (can't remember how much it was but I've had it over a year), Apple Cider Vinegar (again, can't remember the price), Garlic powder (as before!), worming treatment. All these aren't necessities, just "nice to have to hand" and most of them you can get at horsey places. I sell my eggs at £1 for half a dozen (dearer than Snadger) and the egg money does pay for the feed. You'll never be rich though keeping chickens

[sip64]

costs

thanks for the swift replies so my next question is where to obtain a chook house
ive looked locally and on the internet and i am quite surprised by the price of them i thought i could get one for about £100 or less but no such luck
any help please

[CoraxAurata]

thanks for the swift replies so my next question is where to obtain a chook house
ive looked locally and on the internet and i am quite surprised by the price of them i thought i could get one for about £100 or less but no such luck
any help please

Enless you get lucky on Ebay, or at a local farm sale - try local papers, a ready to go house for less than £100 is few and far between, a small shed can be converted (sometimes local free-ads papers have them free if you collect) otherwise a lot of us have built our own.. Linda66 has truly triumphed at low cost construction of a Chook palace (see thread "palet chicken house") Its really a case of seeing what you can get...

if you have a freecycle group in your area you might find something..

[Snadger]

Buy a hut and cut a pop hole in it!

[MaureenHall]

The first one I got from Ebay and with p&p was just under £100. came flat-packed very quickly and (I think) came from Albany Pets (not sure though). The big shed-type as you can see is home-made from cheap shed panels that I got reduced at B&Q. It'll look really good once it's painted . I've added external nest-boxes to the big one since the photo was taken. Other people have modified rabbit hutches, dog kennels etc. Use your imagination and see what you can come up with. Basically you just want a warm secure shelter that's easy to clean, has somewhere for the girls to lay their eggs and somewhere for them to perch. The girls won't mind what it looks like

[Noodle]

When thinking about construction I would really recommend raising it off the ground. We didn't to start with and I nearly broke my back cleaning it out! Now the floor is about waiste height, maybe a bit lower and it's great! Stops rate living under it and the girls have some shelter fro teh rain - if they choose to use it!

[shirlthegirl43]

Mine sleep in what is basically an old sideboard. We took out the drawers and put felt on the top and painted it liberally with wood preserver. We cut a pop hole in the back and reinforce the doors (which are dodgy) at night with weldmesh held on with cable clips. It isn't great but the girls are cosy in it and it will do until we build them a 'proper' house and big run in the summer.

[CoraxAurata]

Way to go Shirl! Now thats recycling, My ducks were in an old wardrobe on its side, felted etc - when we up graded them Bonnie (Muscovy) was sneaking into the wardrobe (it had been moved to one side for a descision on its future) and building her nest... hatched out her babies in there too.....

[Flummery]

Home, Sweet Home eh Corax?

[hawthorns]

i have a eglu run for sale if anyone is interested. im in wiltshire

[Snadger]

I'm in the process of making a coop out of eight doors I scrounged!

An octagonal coop which will have a false floor 2 foot from the ground to give the chooks somewhere to shelter when it's raining (under the coop)

Just been to the lottie tonight to try and level it up as it was looking decidedly like the leaning tower of Pisa!

No doubt the old boys will be inspecting it so I don't want to lose my street cred (if I ever had any!)

btw.....I think Maureen and Lynda should go into the coop manufacturing business!

[MaureenHall]

now there's an idea Lynda You've got the tools, I can find a few nails somewhere ........................................