- Jan 19, 2015
- 43
- 13
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Okay, so I was at a feed store in another city and they were desperately trying to get rid of some 2 week old conrish x chicks. I had thought about doing this at some point and the price temptation got the best of me, so I made them an offer of $20 for all they had left. I ended up with 50 chicks. Not bad.
So, I have had them for a couple weeks now and let me tell you, these things plow through food! I have gone through four 50 bags of food so far and they are about maybe 1.5 pounds. Now I thought these things were suppose to get to 5lbs in six weeks. That means they would half to put on another 3 to 4 pounds in the next two weeks. I doubt that is going to happen. I am figuring maybe another 3 to 4 weeks.
Anyway, I got to thinking about feed cost. I did some math based on some info I got of the Nutrena website that said that it would take 9lbs of feed to raise a cronish X chick for 6 weeks and 5lbs of weight. By my calculations, at $14 a bag (what I am paying for chick starter/grower) that would be $0.50 a pound, based on Nutrena's numbers. I am just not sure if my calculations are correct.
Here is how I calculated.
$14 ÷ 50lb = 0.28 cents per pound of feed.
$0.28 X 9lb (of feed) = $2.52 total feed cost per bird (based on 5lb bird at six weeks)
$2.52 ÷ 5lb (meat) = $0.504 per pound of meat.
Just wondering if I did that right?
I know my cost will be different. Since I got them at two weeks old, that cost was included in the cost of the birds when I bought them. But it also means that I don't have to feed them for the full 6 weeks and that even if I have to feed them for an extra week or two, the cost in the end will about the same as if I raised them from day one.
Since I did not plan to buy them when I did, I am running to catch up here with my original plan of raising them in a chicken tractor on my wheat field. I have been building one over the last week (storms have caused set backs) and am getting close to getting it ready. It is project I have been designing for some time and I am using 90% repurposed materials to build it. When it is done it will have on board, solar powered, automatic watering and feeding system, and eventually a predator deterrent system. Here are som pictures of my process. I am also making a step by step video for those who might want to build their own.
So, I have had them for a couple weeks now and let me tell you, these things plow through food! I have gone through four 50 bags of food so far and they are about maybe 1.5 pounds. Now I thought these things were suppose to get to 5lbs in six weeks. That means they would half to put on another 3 to 4 pounds in the next two weeks. I doubt that is going to happen. I am figuring maybe another 3 to 4 weeks.
Anyway, I got to thinking about feed cost. I did some math based on some info I got of the Nutrena website that said that it would take 9lbs of feed to raise a cronish X chick for 6 weeks and 5lbs of weight. By my calculations, at $14 a bag (what I am paying for chick starter/grower) that would be $0.50 a pound, based on Nutrena's numbers. I am just not sure if my calculations are correct.
Here is how I calculated.
$14 ÷ 50lb = 0.28 cents per pound of feed.
$0.28 X 9lb (of feed) = $2.52 total feed cost per bird (based on 5lb bird at six weeks)
$2.52 ÷ 5lb (meat) = $0.504 per pound of meat.
Just wondering if I did that right?
I know my cost will be different. Since I got them at two weeks old, that cost was included in the cost of the birds when I bought them. But it also means that I don't have to feed them for the full 6 weeks and that even if I have to feed them for an extra week or two, the cost in the end will about the same as if I raised them from day one.
Since I did not plan to buy them when I did, I am running to catch up here with my original plan of raising them in a chicken tractor on my wheat field. I have been building one over the last week (storms have caused set backs) and am getting close to getting it ready. It is project I have been designing for some time and I am using 90% repurposed materials to build it. When it is done it will have on board, solar powered, automatic watering and feeding system, and eventually a predator deterrent system. Here are som pictures of my process. I am also making a step by step video for those who might want to build their own.