A question for those of you who raise meat birds

[Heather in the Kootenays]

How much per pound does it cost you from start to finish?

 

My friend and I take turns. She says that last year it cost $.99/lb. I just figured out that this year it cost $1.30/lb which is a huge jump. I'm wondering which number is more realistic. Were her's really cheap or am I an expensive chicken raiser.

[Carrie12345]

Do you have the same breeds?

Do either of you free range more often than the other?

 

I ask not because I have the answer, but because I'm seeking it. :D

[MommyX8]

Are you thinking just for feed?

 

I calculated that I spent almost $200 (chicks to freezer) for 14 birds. $100 of that was feed.

[Heather in the Kootenays]

Most of it was for feed. The chicks were about $0.50 each which isn't much.

[Heather in the Kootenays]

Her chickens had better pasture than mine. I'm surprised that it would make that much difference but perhaps it did.

[Tracy in Ky]

I'm not sure how much ours cost, but for this round of birds dh is keeping receipts so we'll have an idea. These won't be ready til the end of this month, so I should know something then.

 

However, at the following blog, Granny Miller has put up a post on how much it cost her. She did not butcher them herself, and I am not sure if she has included the butchering cost in her final total or not--I suspect that she has. We do our own butchering, so it will be interesting to compare costs.

 

http://grannymillerblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/chicken-day.html

[Heather in the Kootenays]

Those are much more expensive than mine. I wonder how much butchering costs.

 

Do post your costs. It will be interesting to see.

[Terri NS]

I don't bother costing mine, it doesn't matter to me because I don't raise them to be cheaper than the store, so I guess they are what they are. I buy organic feed and raise a heritage breed rather than the hybrid meat crosses so I would imagine it's probably more than the local supermarket. I have raised the hybrid birds before and they are finished quicker.

[Heather in the Kootenays]

We actually don't do it to be cheaper either. We're always curious though about how much it actually costs.

 

Next year, we're hoping to raise our own chicks from some heavy dual purpose birds.

 

The hybrids are almost creepy to raise. All they do it eat.

[Heather in the Kootenays]

We actually don't do it to be cheaper either. We're always curious though about how much it actually costs.

 

Next year, we're hoping to raise our own chicks from some heavy dual purpose birds.

 

The hybrids are almost creepy to raise. All they do it eat.

[Heather in the Kootenays]

That's odd - I'm not sure how I duplicated the message