does anyone make a living, keeping chickens?

[Sandra M]

Yes my place has always been a smallholding it is 100 years old and was the farm house then they sold some of the land off and 3 more houses were built which are all smallholdings. Every one here has chickens cockerals and other animals.

[Tony H]

Hi all since this thread started I have done a experiment with my two chucks that are in quarantine, As I used to sell pet food on the market I have some of those shop scales that work weight into pennies, the average cost for 1 hen over 7 days worked out like this:
wood shavings : initial set up and 1 clean out =0.07p
Straw : =0.02p
sterilising: =0.01.25p
Food layers/corn: =0.60.125p
that works out at approx. : = 0.72p per week per hen

The average cost of 6 eggs is £1.10 per 6, so if the girls you are boarding lay you 6 eggs in a week that's another pound for you.
Our rabbits worked out at approx £0.96p per week
As stated its only an average and all prices are wholesale, but hope this gives you an idea. of Corse you will other minor costs but per hen shouldn't be that much, so if you work out that 1 hen costs you £1.00 per week then you should be fine. As for selling food I used to sell Corn/layers/wild bird /Rabbit food at £1.00 per 900gram bag so making a profit after bagging cost and food cost of: approx.£15.00
per bag but selling a 20kg bag only works out at £3.00 per bag profit,
Bagging up a bale of shavings into pet shop size bags gives you £13.00 per bale same s straw. But don't forget when you price up to factor in fuel and selling cost .
I used to add 120% on the cost of a bag of food then divide that into bag weight =, that then gives you your selling price per kg

[HazellB]

The above is a great starter guide, HOWEVER it doesn't include even half of the actual costs of hen keeping.

I too sell pet foods, and make a nice living from it, so I feed my hens cheaply. I also buy their feeders, waterers and bedding cheaply. But I can still easily recon on each and every hen costing me £50 during it's life above the basic costs.

Worming, housing (plus repairs to houses), niggles like food being unavailable and having to drive elsewhere to get it, broken eggs, egg boxes, vets, keeping the hen into old age (I do, however long that might be), buying the hen in the first place, advertising, etc. etc.

Hate to say this, but after a quick glance at the thread I'd say your not going to have the lifestyle or living that you would like. I'm sorry, but if it was all fairly easy we'd all be doing it .... and far more fall flat on their faces than make a penny out of this sort of plan.

Please don't expect miracles, just try and enjoy having a go at making money. Find something else you can do from home to provide actual wages (as I did) and look at the hens as pets who can sometimes pay for themselves but mainly just make you happy to be around

[Freeranger]

I'm interested that the average cost of 6 eggs is £1.10. If you look in a supermarket, the average cost of quality eggs (freerange/organic/happy) is nearer the £3, so I think you could up the margins a bit.

[aishakali]

I'm pretty sure 6 free range eggs are 99p in Leedle. Haven't bought any for ages so they may have gone up but they have always been cheaper than Tisco.

[Tony H]

By us they cost between 99p to £1.50 for six

[HazellB]

By us they cost between 99p to £1.50 for six

Same here. Mine sell at £1.00 and even with a range of photos of them living in a massive area and my customers knowing I keep them as pets, for life, and that most are rescues I can't get away with charging a penny more.

At the end of the day there is a low top price anyone will pay more than occasionally.

[aceface]

i ask people to donate they never leave less than a pound i leave it up to them to choose the eggs and leave their money as long as there is no waste of eggs and the girls have benefitted by having the run i dont mind although if im honest i would be disappointed if anyone suggested they leave less than a pound i would feel ever so slightly insulted on my girls behalf

i dont know how much eggs are in shops it is at least 8 years since i bought them from a shop i used my little smallholding man who used an honesty box bless him if i pass i always leave him worms and a couple of pounds for the girls i feel guilty i dont buy the eggs from him anymore hes a lovely chap and sells little plants and seedlings too which i buy and his chicken poo is free you just have to takyour own bag

[Tony H]

(which i buy and his chicken poo is free you just have to take your own bag )
lol sounds a good old type of person

[Wellington Boot]

Tony, that is so useful, it more or less exactly matches what I had worked it out as, so its great to know that my sums are right. And thanks to everyone for the egg info.

I've no laptop at the mo, so I'm using my phone, but I'll replay more later.

Thanks again.
Nikki

[Richard]

Hi

There are other benefits as well; using the eggshells to roast and feed back as Grit and of course the Compost you get from them, assuming you have a growing Garden.

If I have enough eggs over I sell for 70p, but I know people are going to give me a £1 !

The 'loss' in keeping Chickens is the time really.

Richard

[Wellington Boot]

Hello everyone,

Sorry I've not been posting much lately, my youngest poured coffee into my laptop, so I'm stuck using my phone to browse the net. Its rubbish.

Anyway, I wanted to give you a quick update:

I've spoken to the council (a lot) and they have said that I can apply for a certificate of lawful use, which costs £200 and if that's refused i'll need full blown planning permission, which is almost £400, but if I do it without permission, and someone complains, then the worst that would happen is, that they'll tell me to apply for permission. So we are doing that.

The mortgage company don't care what I do, as long as it doesn't effect the structure of the house.

The insurance company said it will probably put the premiums up, they are going to get back to me today and let me know by how much. If its too much, I'm going to shop around.

Rentokil have been out and done a preliminary survey and given me a quote for an ongoing contract, to cover all pest control.

My husband has agreed to set the company up for me, register it, and be my accountant. We are going to combine this with the house that we rent out, that way I can off set profits against the mortgage repayments.

I'm in the process of getting a website designed, and I've made a Facebook page, and put an advert on findpetbording.com.

I'm waiting to hear back from omlet about their trade accounts.

So, things are happening. Watch this space.
Nx

[sarabee]

you have been busy! Well done, I look forward to hearing how it all progresses and I wish you lots of luck although hard work tends to be more reliable than luck.

[Mo]

I've made a Facebook page, and put an advert on findpetbording.com.

Go on then, give us a link.
And how about a link in your signature, I'm sure you've got enough posts here to qualify (not sure what the rules are - but I think they are to stop the people who come on just to get free advertising)

[Freeranger]

Good luck with it all. Your organised enthusiasm sounds like the right approach, and I wish you well. Please give us a link, and let us know how you get on - whether your first thoughts turned out right, and what you've had to adjust to. Always supportive of hard work and enterprise so more power to your elbows.