I’ve been pondering a chicken coop and chickens for a while. But they’re a pain.
Chickens are not a pain. We have 18. I live on 2 acres in Massachusetts. They’re the easiest animals I’ve ever taken care of. They eat practically anything, are very cold-tolerant, and are easy to protect in a simple coop. We get 10 to 12 delicious eggs a day.
We don’t have a rooster (you need permission from neighbors that are within 400 feet of your house) but don’t want one anyway. Every few years we just buy some new chicks at about $2.50 a pop.
My wife is an engineer and likes to collect data. She’s logged in a notebook the color and weight of every egg we’ve collected. We’re over 8,000 eggs in 5 years.
It’s been great with our three kids too. They’ve been learning about caring for animals and see the results. Getting the chickens was one of the best decisions we made. I highly recommend it.
A lady I work with has her own chicken coop and she has been selling me eggs for $3 a dozen for several months. Initially that was high but now its acceptable. Plus I like brown eggs and I have a steady supply.
Corn BU $6.835
Soybean meal 50# bag $21.39