It is really frustrating when you find out that your eggs are costing you way more then they should, so here are five ways that you can save money with your chickens.
1- Fermenting food
Not only is fermenting their food beneficial to their health it is also a great way to cut back on the amount of food that they consume. For more information on fermenting your chicken feed check out this post here.
-2 Scraps from you local grocery store
If you are looking for an easy way to cut back on the costs of feeding your chickens then this is one of the best ways! All you need to do is ask someone if they have any food scraps that you could have for your chickens, and most of the time they are excited to give you them. Not only is it a great treat for your chickens but it also will definitely help them to not consume as much grain! If they give you anything that your chickens can’t have then that is no problem because you can just throw it in your compost.
-3 Free-range your chickens
While this might not be an option for everyone it is still a great way to cut back on your feed costs. When your chickens free-range they are able to find a lot of bugs and food for themselves, so then they don’t need to eat as much food. If you aren’t able to free-range your chickens then you could possibly supervise outside of their coop for a little bit every day (this is what we did before we were able to free-range them.) Just make sure that they know how to come when called so that you can get them back into their coop easily.
4- Start your own mealworm farm
Chickens absolutely love mealworms, but they do come at a cost so to save some money you can easily start your own mealworm farm! For more information on starting a mealworm farm check out this article here.
5- DIY as much as you can
Another great way to save money with chickens is to DIY as much as you can! You can find many plans online to make your own coops, and fences. You also can make homemade coop spray, toys, and use natural substitutes for things that you would buy at the store. For example you can make your own electrolyte mix for your chickens instead of buying it from the store. Not only will this help to save money, it will also ensure you that your chickens aren’t being fed bad ingredients that are in most electrolyte mixes!
There are many ways that you can save money with chickens, so let me know some of your ways that you save money with your flock!
The 1912 Homestead 