10 Tips for Raising Chickens Economically

How to start raising chickens? How much do chicken cost? Well, in order to get an answer to these questions, you should ponder the tips which I would be sharing below. Poultry is surely one of the most profitable businesses if it is done using the right sets of tools and techniques. Moreover, raising the chickens in any setting can also be considered as a pastime. So, if you plan to start a chicken flock, then there are some initial costs you would be required to pay in order to get things going. This initial investment includes all the startup as well as maintenance costs. But here it is also a fact that chickens and egg laying are less expensive in comparison to the other domesticated animals. Thus it is clear that chickens can be raised pretty economically, but it all depends on the type of breed you wish to select. In other words, if you plan to have some expensive and rare breeds at your farm, then things might get pretty costly for you. Most of the people can begin by keeping 4 to 20 chickens at the farm, the cost of which would be around US$ 50 or may be less. So, in order to keep the costs to the minimal, below are some useful tips that might come in handy about raising chickens cheaply. The same applies when you plan to raise chickens for eggs or raising backyard chicken.

1. If you plan to get the chicken through the mailing order, but the numbers of chickens you want are less than the minimum limit, then it is best to share your order with some person. So, from the very start you would be able to save some money in cost of keeping chickens.

2. Before you plan to drop some large sums of cash on those cocky and fancy tractors you come to see in newspapers and magazines, you should think about having an inexpensive coop for getting the job done with the minimum levels of investment. When building or purchasing a coop, try to go for the simplest one that would come to fulfill your requirements. In other words, it should be efficient enough in offering some protection and space to the animals, nothing more than that.

3. If you want to have some egg laying hens, try to add an order of a few pullet chicks and after that fill the remaining sections in the box with the meat type chicken in order to have a minimum quantity. Then it is best if you raise all of the birds together in order to free some space.

4. For those who plan to have meat birds, most of them would come to order cockerels, as they grow rapidly and also come to be larger in size in comparison to the other chickens. In some of the breeds, the cockerels are also cheaper in comparison to the pullets.

5. There are some people who love to butcher the chicken one at a time, but in terms of making an economic sense it is better if you go for the butchering process in the form of batches. It is because you would be using quite a lower amount of electricity and you would also not need to buy some more feeding ingredients and nutrients.

6. Day old chicks should be purchases, as they are quite economical in comparison to the eggs. Moreover, you would also need not to pay some extra costs on the purchase of the incubators and on the electricity on which the incubator runs.

7. Try to place an order from the hatchery that is quite near to you, as the farther the hatchery, the more the money they charge for the transport.

8. Try to get the chicks vaccinated at the hatchery as it is quite cheaper from them due to which you would also not need to purchase vaccinations for yourself.

9. Always prefer to buy the adult birds in the fall season, as at this time more and more people are trying to sale their young birds due to their excess. The adult birds would also come to be less expensive in the winter season in comparison to the months of the spring season. In the spring season the demand for the adult birds get very high due to which it is always savvy to go for the adult birds in the winter season.

10. At the time of purchasing egg laying chickens, always be wary of the hens that are older, as some people might try to sale those hens to you all because they have stopped laying eggs.

With all these tips in mind, you are sure to lower down the cost of raising chickens.