Economics of Raising Meat Chickens - Do Farmers Really Save Money?

Do farmers really SAVE MONEY raising chickens?

black fly larvae for chickens

In this week's blog, we wanted to breakdown the economics of raising meat chickens. We all know that factory farms have done one hell of a job to reduce the price of chicken meat. Whether or not we support their operations is a whole other topic. So if you’re raising chickens to save money, it really depends on what you mean. We don’t think it’s possible to save money if you compare it to the prices you see at the local supermarket, but if you compare your costs to those of a local farmers market and Whole Foods, we think it’s very possible. For this blog, we are going to dive into Rhodes family experience with raising chickens for meat but you need to keep in mind that a lot of this depends on which part of the world you live in and what your local free-range pasture-raised chicken meat costs. Let’s jump right into it the cost breakdown!

The breakdown (fermented feed)

57 total birds harvest          
75 originally purchased from thePoultryHatchery.com for a total of $184.25
261 LBS freezer-weight
4 1⁄2 LBS average weight
18 bags of “Grower Feed” 
$29.50 per 50 LB bag without shipping for a TOTAL of $531
$33.38 per 50 LBS bag 
$600.84 TOTAL feed costs
$12.82 cost for two bags of shavings from Tractor Supply
$22.42 worth of bags
TOTAL COST: $820.33
TOTAL FEED COST per LB: $2.03
TOTAL COST PER POUND: $3.14
Whole Foods Cost: $3.99
Primal Pastures organic pastured bird: $5.99   
Did they beat Whole Foods and the farmers market 

Heck yes! 

Whole Foods chickens cost about $3.99 per pound and the farmers market charges around $6 per pound! These guys crushed it at $3.14 per pound! But what about the difference in taste! Unmatched according to Justin and his wife! I bet they would have grown a bit larger if they’d supplemented their chicken's diet with FLYGRUBS

It’s clear that if you’re up for the challenge and you have the time, you’re going to produce a superior quality bird at a cheaper price (if you don’t include the time you put in). Thanks to Justin for the awesome vlog and being so opening! We love his channel! 

All the best, 

Emily

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