A new journey into homesteading "pic heavy"

[Chic Rustler]

Thanks for the info. Id be completely lost if not for the internet and good folks

 

[NH Homesteader]

We usually ended up around $2.50/lb when we raised cornish crosses. Which was fine with us because we raised them without hormones, antibiotics and in chicken tractors on fresh grass every day (thanks to Joel Salatin for this concept!)

Most of what I do here isn't cheaper than the grocery store, unfortunately. But it's worth it to me!

@Beekissed you should start a thread on broody management... Please?

 

[Chic Rustler]

Thats the truth. Nothing is cheaper on the homestead than the grocery store.

 

[Beekissed]

Thats the truth. Nothing is cheaper on the homestead than the grocery store.

Not quite. I can produce eggs here much cheaper than the grocery store eggs and of the quality better than one would find in any farmer's market. It's all about keeping costs low and good feed conversion, culling and breeding for excellent production.

When I talk about improving production of food on the homestead, I mean improving it while keeping costs very low. It takes a goal and the fortitude to see it through, but it can be done and has been done down through the ages by thrifty country folk.

 

[Chic Rustler]

Well so far (6 months in) im paying $100 a pound for rabbit and $20 per egg when the costs for hutches, coupes and cages are factored in. Hopefully everything will even out over time. Mainly its good for the kids to know responsibility and the value of hard work. Im sure ill learn some tricks along the way as well.

My main goal is to sit down for dinner and know everything on the table came from the property

 

[tortoise]

You can definitely cut feed costs.

Rabbit pellets can be rationed. At least your breeders can (should) be fed a measured amount of pellets daily and free fed hay. They will eat A LOT of hay. But you can grow your own (a.k.a. Lawn). My rabbits were eating about 1 Tablespoon of pellets per pound of body weigh per day, plus free feed hay. Get them onto the grass into a tractor and they'll mow and fertilize for you. I had 6 rabbits in 16 sq ft tractor and moved it every 2 hours - that's how fast they eat! If they are lying down, move them to a new spot and they'll get back to eating. Leave them without fresh grass and they'll eventually dig.

Chickens are even easier to feed because they can eat so much more! We feed our chickens

• primarily expired dog food we get for free, plus free range
• excess garden squash and pumpkins especially when they go soft or moldy in storage
• Kitchen scraps and compost
• Deer carcasses after we butcher

They get pellet chicken feed, bird seed or black oil sunflower seed, cracked corn. Plus ground egg shell for one flock and oyster shell for the other - can't tell a difference in shell quality between the two flocks. We barely use purchased chicken food April - October.

DH is a veterinarian so we have had access to chicken medicine and nutrition webinars. I've gleaned from those that the biggest nutrition and health problem in backyard chickens is low protein diet from eating primarily vegetable kitchen waste. Keep them in protein and variety and you can slash the feed cost.

 

[tortoise]

Very rough estimate is $0.70 per dozen eggs here.

That's assuming $15 per bag of feed (we usually buy on sale closer to $10), assuming 4 bags per month for 6 months of the year (we use less than that, but I overestimated because we get corn and BOSS sometimes), 10 eggs per day for 300 days.

Also add the cost of running heat lamps.

 

[Chic Rustler]

Thats about half the flock. Just an assortment of chickens. I feed them 22% start grow lay, mixed grain with roasted soy beans and table scraps. Tried free ranging them but they

 

[Chic Rustler]

Well it took alot of work but we finally finished mulching the garden and stuff is starting to take off. I snapped some pics but ill up load them later

 

[Chic Rustler]