Another One Bites the Dust and the Cost of Eggs from the Coop of Misfit Chickens.

It looks like Suzanne went to cross the road...literally crossed the highway...and ended up as an ex-chicken.  She seems to have suffered a direct hit by a semi. I could see her.  I'd gotten her off the highway before and WARNED her that this would NOT go well if she kept it up.  I was talking with a neighbor up on my porch and I could see cars swerving a bit.  Dang.  Then I could see a chicken.  Double Dang.  I hoped she would not cause an accident.  She didn't.  The neighbor and I saw a semi coming, after the chicken had been across the road and back to our side, and I said, "Ugh, just hit her" or something like that.  Shortly afterwards...no more swerving.  No more glimpses of a chicken in the distance on the highway.  Oops.  Then I noticed cars driving crooked a bit further down.  The neighbor, who has a bunged up leg so I walk her back down the hill when she leaves, was ready to go.  I walked her down and sure enough.  Chicken parts all over the highway for about 20 yards.  When traffic cleared I threw the main bit off into the ditch so people would quit swerving.  There was not enough coherent material to make a positive ID.  The hen did not actually suffer.  This was over before the nerve pulses made it from the point of impact to her tiny brain.  No head was located.  My sister did recommend making an ID with dental records.  Ha!  The remaining light red hen is clearly Bonnie, clipped wings.  That means this must have been Suzanne.  The Novogen breed lays well and is calm and easy to handle, but is NOT bright.  1 lost to raccoon.  1 from last year smothered herself under a tarp.  Another from this year just wandered off.  And now this.  They don't seem to be doing well as free range hens.  Then again, I do have the misfits and off cuts.  The runners and the garden accosters.  So my sample is not representative.

The bantys seem hardy.  I did lose one to a broken leg, but in fairness she was so old she probably had osteoporosis.  The other two are still about!  And still putting out eggs. As are the other 5 remaining hens.

Here's the current chicken list, then on to egg costs:

Fabio
Clyde
Bonnie...the last light red novogen.
Pru
Pearl
Porky
Flossy
Flo
Gertrude ("Gert")...the newest youngest novogen who is bright red.  They fade as they age so you can kind of tell who is likely to still be laying.

As for the egg cost:

I get 0-7 per day.  7 was a banner day.  Usually 3-5.  Let's call it an average of 4 per day, 28 per week.  This might change with the lower hen count at the moment.  That's 2 1/3 dozen a week.  I spend 12.50$ for 40lbs of feed and 3$ for some oyster shells.  They feed seems to be lasting about 3 weeks (for 8 hens and 2 roosters) at summer rates. Might have to feed more in the winter.

That's 1$/week for oyster shells and $4.17ish for feed per week.  $5.17 input (all components of the coop are free or were bought ages ago for other reasons and the amortized investment is around 0) per week.

 5.17/2.33333333 is about $2.22 per dozen eggs.  Not bad.  Local free range eggs are going for 3$/dozen or more. Organic at the store $6/dozen.  Local free range at the store about 5$/dozen.  Farm eggs from the farm, that I would have to drive to get, $4-5/dozen.  Since these are my own and got straight from chicken to pan, or stored in the shed unwashed and unfridged, the convenience and lack of driving add to the value for me.   I am able to give away about a dozen a week so that's nice.

Seems worth it.

The feed is local, non-GMO, and the hens kicked up their laying-power when I started this vs trying to mix my own.  So I get to support a local farmer.

This is where I'm getting my feed:

http://www.lazydaeranch.com/

They drop it at my work so there is no added fuel cost or anything.

I wonder if they want their bags back?

My current feed-barn is a single metal trash can I picked up years ago at a yard sale for about 3$ and have used for a variety of things. I could use a 2nd and 3rd storage option for winter so I don't have to haul 40lb bags up the hill too often.  We'll see if that happens.

The chickens eat around the property all day so they may need more feed in winter and I will likely cull the flock down to the best layers with the most cold-hardy traits before then.  Maybe keep the big cock (heh heh) because his bulk adds to the heat in the coop. We'll see.  He's a bit of a dick with a big comb which may be bad during winter. The small cock (heh heh) with the flat comb may be more likely to survive winter.