I pay toooo much for 1 dozen eggs........?

Question

I want to get some chickens but know nothing about caring for them and when to take the eggs. Can anyone tell me what to do or where I can go for help? I don't even know where I would buy some......

I'm in San Diego, CA.

Answer 1

Raising chickens is very easy. The first problem you will have to overcome is ensuring that where you live (in San Diego) doesn't have an ordinance against raising chickens. Usually if you just raise a few hens (no roosters), it isn't usually a problem - but check first.

To obtain chicks, the various Farm Supply Stores usually have chicks for sale in the spring (starting about February - May). They will also have chicken feed.

Housing doesn't need to be anything elaborate, just somewhere where they can get out of the rain. They like to perch off the ground - but not necessary. They will return to the same pen/perch every night if you let them out. They can fly a little, but only when something is after them. They prefer to stay on the ground.

Hens will start laying at about 4 months of age. And they usually lay an egg every day (actually every 27 hours). They don't need a rooster to lay eggs. A rooster is only needed if you want fertile eggs. Usually 1 hen per household resident is sufficient.

Answer 2

We had chickens when I was a child.... you MUST also have a rooster... so there is the expense of buying the chickens and the rooster... then the feed (feed corn can run over $50 a BAG and you will need man bags per year)....each chicken may lay from one to 3 eggs per day....some may not lay at ALL... you MUST build them a shelter (commonly known as a chicken coop).... it must have protection from the weather on all 4 sides and have plenty of stray (hay) for nesting and bedding AND circulation.... you must CLEAN the coop regularly and deal with that fiesty rooster every time you go to retrieve the eggs. I was pecked hard CONSTANTLY when I went in the mornings to get the eggs.... so with all that expense (birds, building materials, hay, feed oh and VET BILLS), and then the cleaning and the work involved in caring for the birds and retrieving the eggs... it would be SOOOO much cheaper to just go get a dozen at the store when needed...

Answer 3

Chickens are filthy and escape artists. If you're living in a city environment they'll most likely end up wandering all over, possibly getting hit by cars or picked up. And they could be taken away from you because most home owner's associations forbid them.
If you live in a more rural setting, you will need a coop or something for them to roost in, a fence to try to keep them in (not that it will help much) and food for them. You will have to Google that. But feed supply stores will sell whatever it is they need.
Keeping and caring for a couple chickens will not be cheaper than buying eggs as you will have to pay money and waste time building them somewhere to live and putting up the fence and feeding them. You can take the eggs from them as soon as they lay them, but they may not lay as many eggs are you think. Some might not lay any. And not every chicken will lay them every day. Some will though.
Roosters can be very, very aggressive as well. So if you have one of those, be prepared. But you don't need a rooster to get eggs.
Chickens can be fun, but they're also a pain in the butt. They will claw up your garden, poop everywhere, get on your roof, get into everything...Escape. The works. Ha.
You can usually buy them at outdoor flea markets in rural areas. Sometimes natural/alternative gardening stores will sell chicks, but this will really waste a lot of your time as chicks are very easy to kill and require tons of care. It would not be worth it to raise chicks if you are just trying to save money on eggs. It will be a long time before they're old enough to lay eggs. And you might end up with a pack of roosters.
Plus most of the time they're not exactly cheap to buy. At least not the chicks.
Just buy the eggs.

Answer 4

Its cheaper to buy eggs at the store. If you got chickens you would need to build them a chicken coop & buy feed for them, plus hay and stuff to clean the coop up. You get the eggs after the chicken lays them. You put your hand under the hen to see if she's laid any. Depending on how many chickens you get you may only get an egg or two a day..... My grandfather had about 30 chickens, and on a good day we only got 5 or 6 eggs. Just buy the eggs at the store!

Answer 5

Chickens can give you eggs sure, but take into consideration the cost of feed, cleaning solutions for the coup and the chickens themselves. The time consuming energy it takes to raise them and care for them. If where you live will let you have them. You may think it's an easy solution, but it's not. I raised them for many yrs. and finally gave them up after the last one passed. I wouldn't let any one kill one for food because they were my pets and for eggs. As pets they were awesome. My rooster was like a vicious attack dog if someone were to get to close to me. I was his. And I had one that was mongoloid, you could tell just by looking at her. She'd lay her eggs all over the place, even one time in the middle of the road. I live in the country so that was okay. Her, I worried about. She'd walk in circles to get where she was going and the children around here all loved her. She loved being held and petted. So if you're really serious about this, think long and hard before committing to it. It is a nasty job cleaning up after them, though they can be worth it to the right people.

Answer 6

You need the room, first of all. San Diego probably has ordinances concerning livestock in city limits as well. If you do manage to get the chickens and enjoy "farm fresh" eggs, you will never buy them ever again.

Answer 7

theres too much work and money into the whole egg laying buisness. it wouldnt be worth it unless you are doing it on a massive scale. chickens need alot of feed and care and a good rooster to do the deed. and to top it off it may take 6 to 12 months for them to start laying. hope this helps

Answer 8

By the time you feed and care for the chickens, it will cost less to buy the eggs.

Answer 9

I think you get them at a feed and grain store. My grandmother use to raise chickens in her back yard during WW2. She just made sure that they had a hutch to sleep in at night. She fed them table scraps and something called mash.

I think you also have to look into your zoning these days to see if it's legal to have animals like chickens in your area. You also need to make sure you don't have predators in your area oh and by the way, you only need one rooster--the rest hens.

They have to have soft nests. Milk crates filled with straw was what my grandmother had.

Good luck.

Answer 10

WALMART HAS CHEAP EGGS.........YOU CAN ALSO DRIVE TO JULIAN AND GET A FLAT FOR CHEAP BUT YOU'LL PAY FOR THE GAS TO GET THERE...


IF YOU BUY CHICKEN'S YOU'LL PAY MORE MONEY...ON BUYING THE CHICKEN'S......... FEED...CHICKEN COOPS...ECT...ALSO DEPENDING WHAT ZONE YOUR LIVING IN....IN SAN DIEGO...I LIVE HERE IN POWAY...AND MY ZONE ALLOWS CHICKEN'S I ALSO HAD CHICKEN'S,AND A ROOSTER..THAT CROWED EVERY MORNING...BUT THE NEIGHBORS COMPLAINED..SO I JUST GAVE THEM ALL AWAY... I WAS PAYING
30.00 TO 40.00 A MONTH JUST FOR THE UP KEEP ON THEM...ALSO YOU'LL GET MICE,AND RATS...WHICH IS ALSO A MAJOR PAIN......