Whether it’s for fresh, nutritious eggs and delicious roast chicken dinners or the natural fertilizer and pest control they provide, there are plenty of reasons you may want to have a flock of chickens on your property.
According to a university study, an adult standard hen eats about 84 pounds of feed per year. Bagged feed at a farm supply store currently costs about 35 cents per pound, so feeding one hen for a year will cost close to $30. The number of eggs each bird lays varies depending on her breed, age, and your management choices, but you should get 200 to 250 eggs per year. So, in the end, you’ll spend between $1.40 and $1.90 on feed per each dozen eggs. This expense is further offset by the added value of using the hen in your stock pot after her egg-laying days have passed.
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Not convinced? Learn more about the benefits of backyard chickens by following the links below.
More on Backyard Chickens from MOTHER EARTH NEWS
- Backyard Chicken Basics
- How to Raise Chickens in Your Backyard
- Processing Your Backyard Chickens
- Laws and Regulations for Backyard Chickens Forum
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