The True Cost?

[nribs]

Can anyone give me a rough guide as to how much istcosts to keep Hens, im looking at 4, i know the rough price of the house and run, i was wondering more about per week on food bedding etc, i know there is an obviouse cost but I would hate to underestemate and find that once i have them the cost would force me to give them up.

[davefromthechipie]

run/house from £100 - up
Bedding about £10 should last 3 months ?
food about £7.50 for 4 birds about 5 - 6 weeks ?
food /drink units about £5 each
chickens from 50p each ex batts to about £25 for show birds point of lay


is starting with eggs that are about £7 for half dozen
incubator £70 and up ( there are ones on ebay for 25 but they termo relay from them isnt that great.

worming stuff isnt cheap at about £17 for 6 months use
all i can think of at the moment
dont let that put you off selling eggs for £1 -1.50 will bring you in over £16 a month
chickens can pay for themselfs its just the run/house but you could always make one yourself free using pallets i did one its on my blog somewhere

[Eyren]

I did the sums a while back on the Omlet (eglu manufacturers) forum:

According to the Omlet guide, an adult hen will eat about 120g of pellets a day, so that's 360g for three hens, or about 2.5kg of feed a week. A 20kg bag costs about seven quid, so that's less than a pound a week for the three, or approx 30p per chicken per week. Obviously it will work out a bit more expensive if you buy smaller bags or organic feed, but that's your ballpark figure. You'll probably want to buy a few extras like mixed corn, grit, poultry spice (a mineral supplement, not a kitchen ingredient!) and so on, but I think you'd be hard pushed to spend more than 50p a week per hen over the course of the year. Considering you could be getting six eggs per hen per week, and given the cost of eggs in the shops, you'll actually make a profit

As for bedding, it depends on what you use, how big the run is, and how much of the time the chickens spend in there as opposed to free-ranging round the garden. You would really have to work that one out for yourself, I'm afraid - or at least give us more details so that someone with a similar setup could give advice.

EDIT - my figures and Dave's are very close (he reckons 31-37p a week per hen), so I think you can take that as gospel!

[Eyren]

worming stuff isnt cheap at about £17 for 6 months use

What the heck are you worming them with, Dave? I use Flubenvet about four times a year, and a twelve-quid tub is big enough to last forever! Not sure if you can still get it online, though - I know they started limiting sales in the last year or two.

PM me if you want some - I have a 240g tub that'll expire in a year's time, and only three bantams to worm...

[dozey1]

Hi, I got 4 ex bat hens in October, i get through about one large bag of layers pellets (£10) every five weeks, small bag of mixed corn (£4.00) every 4weeks, i give mine a box of meal worms from Wilkinsons which last me about a fornight (£2.49) just a treat.
I buy a bigbag easi bed at (£8.00), Big bale of straw form factory shop at £4.49 and a large bag of dust extracted wood shavings for £10.00. These last me approx 3months. I do pick up the poo every night and remove any wet paper. i also give them odd bits of scrap veg, spahettie/rice and also treat them to the occasional porridge mixed with sultanas. Hope this helps i don't know what anyone else does. not a lot for all the eggs i have got.

[RichmondHens]

It's cheaper to keep bantams than full size hens (I keep both). Bantams are better foragers and mine certainly eat far less pellets than the big birds. Of course, how you keep them depends on what they eat. I f they are out free ranging all the time, they need a lot less than if they are in a run. It's very easy to overfeed a hen ( a problem a lot of people make) - they can be v greedy and fat birds do not lay many eggs! Good quality layers pellets and plenty of space to free range is about all they need. Corn is not necessary except in v cold weather - a couple of handfuls as a scratch feed late pm before they go to bed. Bedding wise, if they roost on perches, which you can train them to do if they are not doing it naturally when you get them, then a little shavings sprinkled under perches is enough to absorb moisture from droppings. You get through less this way.

[Nicos]

I know the wormer is expensive- but there's TONS of it! Last you years-
mine was £14.50 with a shelf life of 4 years- and I bet, using it twice a year as directed, I won't even use 1/3 of it by the time it's out of date!
...so not as expensive in reality- esp if you can share a tub with a couple of peeps!

...oh- just read Eryen's post...there you go!

I'd have sent you some - but wouldn't want it confiscated at customs by the sniffer dog!!!!!

[Eyren]

It's cheaper to keep bantams than full size hens (I keep both). Bantams are better foragers and mine certainly eat far less pellets than the big birds.

True! That's why I quoted Omlet's figures - if I told you how much my three bantams eat, it would be very misleading! They're very fond of their greens, so they eat a lot of grass as well as any tender veg trimmings such as carrot tops, plus the odd bit of leftover salad, fruit, boiled rice and suchlike. In the winter I give them chard, which they adore!

[Nicos]

I don't know what other peeps think- but I had read they cost about the same as if you were buying eggs form the suprmarket- except that your chooks will have had a healthier life and your eggs will be fresher and much more tasty.
Mine free range- so don't eat much else now the days are getting longer!

[davefromthechipie]

Food was based on the 25kg bag I know sometimes my local supplyer just has the 20kg ones and for some reason its the same price

What the heck are you worming them with, Dave? I use Flubenvet about four times a year, and a twelve-quid tub is big enough to last forever! Not sure if you can still get it online, though - I know they started limiting sales in the last year or two.

PM me if you want some - I have a 240g tub that'll expire in a year's time, and only three bantams to worm...

Iv been using Verm -x It has to be used once a month but has no withdrawal period .like everything organic it costs abit more . thats not why i got it but its all they had in the shop at the time

[MaureenHall]

I think I'd go with those costings too, though to me it seems that the further south you are the more expensive the feed (depending on brand/type etc). I only pay £2.50 for a bale of straw and about £5.50 - £6 for dust extracted wood shavings. I sell any surplus eggs at £1 for 6 so the girls pay for themselves (and the chicks too) and I get the pleasure of mucking out the coop, getting up at stupid-o'clock to let them out in the summer, playing with them, talking to them, telling them all my problems (they're good listeners) and generally feeling very proud of my "girls". Can you tell I love them to bits?

[Snadger]

My worming costs me nowt..........I just feed them loads of dandelion leaves (which they love)

[RedThorn]

I spent about £20in total on the following 20kgs pellets, 20kg mash, 20kg bag of corn.
£2,50 on straw

Three months and still going although the corn is getting low. They free range so much, they don't eat as much as I thought. Oh and beware, if you have perpetual spinach or chard... you won't have it for long! OH cooks them pasta and rice for treats too about 4 times a week. Oh and the odd grape is very much appreciated too

[Eyren]

Oh and beware, if you have perpetual spinach or chard... you won't have it for long! OH cooks them pasta and rice for treats too about 4 times a week. Oh and the odd grape is very much appreciated too

I have to have all my veg beds fenced off with bird netting, and even then the little blighters have been pecking the spring onions through the mesh!

They also love tinned sweetcorn (I buy the "value" stuff for them, only about 17p a tin) and have been known to indulge in a little tinned tuna now and again (well, they are omnivorous!).

[RedThorn]

I have to have all my veg beds fenced off with bird netting, and even then the little blighters have been pecking the spring onions through the mesh!

They also love tinned sweetcorn (I buy the "value" stuff for them, only about 17p a tin) and have been known to indulge in a little tinned tuna now and again (well, they are omnivorous!).

Busy ordering the stuff to fence mine off as we speak
had and I say had 3 P/Spinach and 5 chards! ... lol Will try the tinned sweetcorn Cheers