Living sustainably is one of the goals on the homestead, and one way to do that is to be wise with your money. However, I have also learned that the two go hand-in-hand. Living sustainably is one way to save money. Now this is not a lesson on how to budget or manage your money. Nope, instead I want to go over a few tips I have learned for how to save money while raising chickens! Chickens are often the gateway animal to homesteading, but they don’t have to drain your wallet. Don’t get me wrong, spending money on your homestead flock and spoiling them (in a healthy way) is great, and I do it too. However, raising your flock sustainably can help cut some of expenditures associated with raising chickens.
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#1. Free-Range Chickens
I have found that free-ranging is one of the best ways to cut feed costs. There are two main ways that free-ranging saves on feed. One is that while the chickens are out free-ranging, they don’t tend to hang around the feeder eating. Occasionally one of my hens will go get a bite to eat from the feeder, but usually they like to spend all the time they can out free-ranging and foraging for their own food.
The other benefit is that your chickens are consuming bugs and weeds while they are free-ranging. That means they eat less feed but still get good nutrition (protein from the bugs, vitamins from the weeds). There are even some breeds of chickens that will forage for nearly all their own food if given the chance!
If you are still on the fence (no pun intended) about free-ranging your homestead flock, check out my comparison of whether or not to free-range your chickens.
An extension of this article is available for free! If you would like 10 more exclusive tips for saving money while raising chickens, get this downloadable PDF for free!
#2. Table Scraps for Chickens
Can you give chickens table scraps? Yes! That is, as long as your diet is healthy that means your flock will be getting healthy table scraps. Our ancestors did it, the pioneers did it, we can still do it. However, we have one element of change to consider. Some of the foods we consume now are probably not as wholesome as the ones the pioneers had back then.
With that in mind, be wise about what table scraps you give your flock. Along with the guidelines about what is safe and not safe for chickens to eat, also consider the nutrition that your flock is getting from the scraps. Table scraps will only save you money if they are still providing nutrition to supplement your flock’s diet with.
If the table scraps are just empty calories, then your flock will be filling up on foods that don’t give them the nutrition they need to stay healthy and productive. You will either see a drop in production or your flock may have to eat more feed to make up for the lack of nutrition despite the extra calories from table scraps.
If you eat healthy and in season, your flock will eat healthy too. The best scraps to give your chickens include leftover fruits and vegetables and meat scraps. That way your chickens are getting additional food that is still nutritious for them.
Also make sure both you and your flock are eating seasonally! Growing, buying, and consuming what’s in season at the time is a great way to eat sustainably.
#3. Upcyle for Your Flock
You know all those fancy coops? All those pretty coop amenities? And all the accessories you can buy for your chickens? Yup, those are wallet drainers. You can build a just as cool and more functional chicken coop out of upcycled materials for a fraction of the cost. Look around your house, visit the scrap yard, sort through your dad’s junk pile. Upcylable materials abound!
The breeding coop for my Svart Honas is made out of scrap lumber and metal. I’ve also seen some pretty cool coops and enclosures made from pallets too. Just keep in mind the basic principles of coop building (especially predator protection) and you should be able to put together a functional coop out of re-claimed materials.
Other aspects of the coop and also be made from upcycled or natural materials. Here are a few of my favorite ideas:
- tree branches for perches
- logs and stumps for interactive elements in the enclosure
- old buckets, mail boxes, or wooden crates for nesting boxes
- convert a plastic tub into a DIY feeder
- make nesting box curtains out of old sheets
Do you have any other ideas? I’d love to hear them!
#4. Bring Free-Range to Them
If you decide that free-ranging is just too risky for you, or you live in an area where free-ranging is impossible, you can still help cut the costs of feed by bringing free-range to the chickens! Weeds from around the yard or garden scraps from the homestead garden can be tossed into the enclosure for entertainment and a healthy snack.
*Note: Please make sure that the weeds you give your chickens have not been treated with chemicals or pesticides!
I love pulling up handfuls of weeds that grow around the edge of my yard or between the rows in my garden and giving them to my chickens on days that I can’t free-range them. I would literally fill a 50lb feed bag with weeds and then dump it into my flock’s enclosure. They love it!
Utilize those weeds and garden scraps to save money on chicken feed! The weeds are nutritious and add variety to your flock’s diet. Extra greenery provides nutrients that help supplement the nutrition in a complete chicken feed.
#5. Ferment Foods
I feel like I under-utilize this method of saving money while raising my homestead flock. Fermenting chicken feed is soooo good for your chickens and your wallet! It increases the nutrition in the feed (your chickens can eat less and still get enough nutrients) and fermenting nearly doubles the amount of feed you start off with (feed that would normally only last one day, lasts for two days!).
I ferment a daily ration of feed twice a week for my flock. I would love to create a method so that I could ferment all of their feed for every day of the week.
Fermenting chicken feed will decrease the amount of dry feed you have to buy for your chickens without compromising their health. Not only does the feed expand as it ferments, but its overall nutritional value also increases! Your flock can eat less feed while still getting the daily nutrition they need.
Learn more about fermenting and why I love it in my post on Making Homemade Fermented Chicken Feed.
#6. Grow Sprouts & Fodder
Growing sprouts and fodder for chickens is another method I under-utilized for saving on the feed bill. I’ll admit, I’ve only grown sprouts for my flock and have not tried fodder. But I have read lots of articles and know of people who grow fodder for their flocks and save lots of money!
You can sprout just about any seed, grain, or legume for your chickens. My favorite legume to sprout for my chickens are green lentils. They are super easy to sprout and are a high source of protein.
Anything you can sprout, you can also grow into fodder. Fodder is basically sprouts allowed to grow for longer. Both methods enhance the nutrition of the seed, grain, or legume and also increase its volume, meaning a small amount of seeds will produce a large quantity of sprouts or fodder.
Sprouts and fodder are also easier for chickens to digest compared to whole grains or processed pellets.
Just like with fermenting, growing sprouts and fodder for your chickens is a great way to cut back on feed expenses without compromising your flock’s health. You can give your homestead flock sprouts or fodder on a daily basis without worrying about diluting their diet.
#7. Add Natural Supplements to the Feed
Another way to cut feed costs is to supplement your flock’s diet with natural supplements. Adding natural supplements to your flock’s diet will prolong the life of a feed bag, increase nutritional intake, and keep your flock healthy.
However, you must choose your supplements wisely and use them with discretion. You must know how to properly supplement your flock’s diet without ruining the intricate balance of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals that are needed for survival and good productivity.
Here are a few natural supplements that can help save you money and that are safe to use on a regular basis:
- sea kelp– mix sea kelp into feed to increase the nutritional value of the feed
- dried grubs– a daily handful of black soldier fly grubs can help provide supplemental protein
- herbs– if you grow your own herbs they are a great frugal supplement to use for increasing the nutritional value of your flock’s diet
Tips for Saving Money on Calcium Supplements:
One supplement that you don’t have to worry about and that will save you money is crushed eggshells. Saving eggshells, drying them out, and crushing them is a great way to supplement calcium into your laying flock’s diet. You must still provide crushed oyster shells along with the crushed eggshells though, since eggshells move through the digestive process too quickly to allow enough calcium to be obtained.
Mixing crushed eggshells in with the supplementary oyster shells will make the oyster shells last longer though. I have found that I can make a bag of crushed oyster shells last about twice as long by weekly supplying my flock supplemental crushed eggshells as well. I always offer both the crushed oyster shells and the crushed eggshells (mixed together) free-choice for my hens to consume as needed.
#8. Invest in Quality Feed
Yes, quality feed may be more expensive. However, investing in quality chicken feed can actually save you money on the long run. When a flock’s chicken feed is nutrient dense, they can consume less feed and still the the nutrition they need to meet their daily needs.
Chicken feed that is full of empty calories or non-nutrient dense ingredients will not meet a chicken’s daily needs as fast as quality chicken feed. A chicken will have to consume more low-quality feed in one day compared to a diet of nutrient-dense feed supplemented with nutrient-dense snacks.
To gauge the quality of your chicken feed, consider these factors:
- Dust Level– Chicken feed that is dusty or contains lots of small particles is not good quality feed. Chickens won’t eat the dust particles but the dust particles still add to the overall weight of the feed bag, so you are paying for some dust when you buy that feed.
- Ingredients– Choose a feed with nutrient dense ingredients. Feeds that contain mostly scratch grains will be high energy feeds that lack in enough protein to satisfy your flock.
- High Protein– A high protein feed will fill your flock up faster. Even if the feed you give your flock is not considered high-protein feed, you may want to invest in healthy high-protein supplements for your flock instead.
- Whole Grain Feed– Chickens tend to waste less of a whole grain feed compared to a pellet or crumble feed. Even if your chickens still beak-out the whole grains, the chances are they will go back later and clean-up their mess as they forage through the coop or enclosure litter.
Feeding your homestead flock a high quality chicken feed will help make the feed bags last longer while still giving your flock a nutritionally complete diet!
#9. Promote Good Flock Health
The last tip is always the hardest one to decide on. Do I include this tip? That tip? Which one is more helpful? But I finally decided that my final tip to cut the costs of raising a homestead flock would be to keep your flock healthy. Healthy hens will save you money because you won’t have to invest in treatments or vet visits (if you even know of a vet who treats poultry).
Promoting good flock health can be done through proper management, good bio-security, and adequate cleaning. You can also use natural supplements and natural preventatives to avoid disease, illnesses, and injuries.
One of the biggest health issues to look out for and prevent in order to save money is the issue of parasites. Treating both internal and external parasites can cost a lot. Avoid and prevent these little buggers from draining your wallet by doing regular health checks and using natural preventative measures.
If one of your chickens does get sick or injured, try and treat the injury or ailment by using resources you have on the homestead. Keep a natural poultry first aid kit well stocked at all times is always helpful as is knowing the basics of poultry first aid.
How Frugal Do You Want To Be?
I want to end by asking this question: To what extent do you want to save money and still raise chickens? Raising chickens is not free, and there are only so many ways you can cut the costs without ruining your flock’s health and well-being. Be practical and considerate when choosing ways to save money.
Also, sometimes investing money is the best way to save money. I can think of quite a few poultry products that I have invested in and they have been well worth the money! For example, my Farm Innovators water heater base has saved me countless trips in the cold and may have even saved on water since I don’t have to keep un-thawing and refilling water founts. I was so happy with my purchase of one automatic chicken door, that I decided to invest in two, one for each coop!
Weigh the costs and the outcomes carefully when being frugal with your homestead flock expenses. Some expenses may just be worth it!
Hopefully these 9 tips for how to save money while raising chickens will give you a few ideas to help save your wallet. Raising a homestead flock naturally and sustainably is one of the best ways to be frugal while raising animals on the homestead. Work with both the land and your animals to raise them in a way that enables your flock to be as self-sufficient as possible. Knowing how to cuts some of the costs of feed without compromising the health of your homestead flock is also a great way to raise your flock frugally.
Don’t forget, for 10 more ways to save money while raising chickens, download a free copy of Raising Chickens: Cutting Costs! There are some pretty unique and helpful tips that I have tried myself!
by Alexa
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