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To bawk or not to bawk, that is the question at our house right now. In a few weeks baby chicks will be invading the local seed and feed stores. Fluffy yellow armies of chickens are preparing for battle and my defenses are weak. I really want to grow me some chickens this year. I checked in with the feed store a while back to ask about acquiring chicks and the nice chick man encouraged me to arrive early and often because this year is a chick year, everybody wants some. It seems we’re not alone in our plans to start growing our own food and foul. I have been laid off for a while now and there is a fear in the back of my mind regarding what we’ll do about food if things get tight. Economics are a big part of why we decided to clear extra land and plant a larger garden this year but that isn’t the only reason. There are plenty of other reasons to grow your own food.
Exhibit A: fresh food is yummy, B: gardening is good exercise which you can’t avoid or you starve, C: pesticide-free food is better for you. It was easy to decide to grow lettuce and pumpkins and beans. Those things are easy to grow and life won’t cease if your green thumb goes brown.
The chicken decision is a difficult one because raising chickens for eggs isn’t exactly cheep cheep and if we screw it up we’ll be MURDERERS, which weighs on my soul in capital letters.
There’s a lot to think about before deciding to raise chickens and if you’re trying to live on a budget, chicks turn into dollar signs real fast. First, you have to buy the chicks, the food, the feeder, the waterer and then you have to buy more food and of course straw. You also need to keep the babies warm with a heat lamp, and build them a house and a run and install cable, otherwise they get cranky.
If we do all that right and we don’t end up with a dozen roosters, we still won’t see any fresh eggs until the fall when production will immediately slow due to the cold of winter. According to all the research, by next spring we should be rolling in eggs. Enough to sell if we want to, but probably at a price just high enough to break even. Which makes you wonder how farmers do it and why raising food to feed the nation is so piteously unprofitable in a land where dollars are king. Obviously the economics of egg production are not in our favor. The cost to produce a dozen eggs is just about even with buying the organic farm raised eggs I buy every week. So, why? Self- sufficiency is one reason and the knowledge that our food is fresh and free of pesticides and raised in a healthy way makes me feel like a better person. Besides, I must admit, I once pushed two grocery carts through the store because I couldn't stand the idea of the free-range eggs being carted alongside the rotisserie chicken-- so I can accept that my "animal rights" feelings may take over my practical side.
I still want to grow chickens, even though it won't be the money-saver many people think it is. I want to raise them and grow corn for their winter feed. I want to know that I'm not supporting a system that mistreats animals to make a profit. It means something to me that I support family farms with the food I buy and it will mean something to me to grow my own food and share it with my friends. I want a lot of things regarding these chickens, I can't wait to see what I learn.
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