As you know, I’m tracking the cost of those beautiful, fresh chicken eggs I collect in my backyard this year. I’m not taking into account the cost of the chicken coop (because it’s already built), nor the chickens (they’re already purchased and raised), but I’m still curious about the daily cost of keeping hens in ratio to the amount of eggs they give me.
January started out pretty rocky. I lost a chicken and had extra chicken-sickness related expenses. My eggs ended up costing .47 cents each. Ouch.
I’m happy to report February ended on a much more promising note, although the number of layers has again declined by one. This time, however, I don’t have a sick chicken, but a mother hen who is sitting on a clutch of eggs (ready to be hatched on March 14th).
February’s egg totals: 154
Chicken related costs: $25.47 (this is for feed as well as some cracked corn for chicken treats)
Cost per egg for February: 16 1/2 cents each (MUCH better than the .47 cent start we had for the year!)
Average cost for the year: .33 cents each. We’ve still got a ways to go…but I’m encouraged.
In the meantime, Harriet, my broody hen, is taking a sabbatical to (hopefully) raise a batch of chicks, bringing my layers down to 7. They’re still doing a stellar job, though. They’re averaging 5.5 eggs a day. Not too bad for a day’s work in the hen-house.
And, for the first time this month, the girls actually paid for their own supplies from the sale of chicken eggs. Now, if I could just figure out how to get my cat to pay for his keep…hmmm.
