I got some chickens this past spring. We're getting 3 eggs a day now-will get 5 a day soon. They are so great!

But between the cost of their pen & coop, and their food, my husband says "Those are some expensive eggs!!"

I love the chickens though, they are beautiful, fun and the eggs taste so good!

Hi beache,

The pen and coop are capital cost - amortize them over the long term, as you do your home.

If you can find someone to pay something for them when you stop using them (or later), you can even recover (part of) the original cost. Even if some time after you laid out the original cost. And in dollars each of which will buy less.

Remember getting a sign on your egg carton in the store that said, "fresh eggs".

Have you ever asked the store manager/owner what the travel and owner chain may be between the hen and the checkout?

And how long it takes to get there?

Do you know how to tell a fresh egg from one that hasn't seen a hen for an extended period?

If the white runs all over the plate when you crack it - it ain't fresh.

If you live near farmers and occasionally travel near them - ask around what feed hens need, and buy the stuff direct.

Much less expensive (especially if the stuff you get in the store comes in small bags).

Enjoy your fresh eggs, kid.

ole joyful

Fresh eggs are truly a treat if you can tell the difference! Face it, some people can't tell the difference and that's fine, but when I go to a restaurant now and the eggs are all over the plate, I know they're old. And when I cook some at home and they stand up high, oh wow, that's nice!

I never used to be able to tell the difference, but now I can. So if you can, go get 'em and enjoy them. If not, don't feel bad, enjoy them, they're still good for you!

Ken

There's nothing like going out to the coop, getting eggs still warm from the chicken, and frying 'em up in a pan. I can't imagine how long the supermarket eggs have been in transit. I had a dozen of mine that had sat in my fridge for about 2 weeks because they were small and I was saving them for baking. Even at 2 weeks old the whites were still firm and high. How the heck old does an egg have to be to spread like water in the pan?

We get feed from a local feed store. For 5 chickens it's about $8.00 a month. Not bad.

Hi again beache,

If you go near farmers who raise the right ind of feed, buying from them'll be a lot cheaper.

If you can talk to some who raise chickens, they'll have some good advice about feeds, etc.

Good wishes with your project.

ole joyful

Oh how I miss my 4 hens. Mind you I chalked up the costs to my entertainment budget, not my grocery budget. And when they were in full production, I really perfected the souffle. Fresh eggs are a misery to peel as hard boiled though. Use your older eggs for that. When I can have hens again, I want to track down the farmstead recipe to preserve eggs during the winter. Issinglass I think was used. Must google that sometime.

Hi Sally,

I think that they used to sell it in the store as "water glass", if I remember correctly (about 60 years ago).

o j