Chicken Math and Journal Update

If there was an award for the most blog posts about the cost of raising chickens, I bet I'd get nominated. Seriously. But remember at the beginning of the year when I said I was going to get more serious about keeping a records journal? Well, I've been sticking to it and today while I had my knee propped up with the ice pack (brrrr) I distracted myself by doing a little chicken math.

First I added up the cost of all the feed we've bought from Jan.1st to May 31st. Then I counted all the days in that time period. I did some fancy division and discovered that our cost per day for chicken feed was $1.50. Then I averaged up all the eggs we've gotten from our 3 laying hens. Two! We average two eggs a day. That means those eggs are costing us 75 cents each!

Now, does this upset me? NO!!! Because I also know that in that time frame, I've fed 10 chicks-free after store rebate- that are almost to laying age (except for the 3 roosters in the bunch which will get a ticket to freezer camp) and 5 Silkies.  I'm hoping to sell Silkie eggs and chicks now that they are beginning to lay regularly.

That handy dandy journal has been so helpful! All in one place I have breeding dates, planting dates, amount of daily harvest, what I've bartered, what I've sold, what I need for next year, AND what I need to give up. Whew! What a great thing!