Is raising your own Meat Chickens worth it? We break down the numbers!

[@ThePhilomathe]

As a math teacher I must say, you are doing an incredible job with your daughter. That right there is real math and literacy education at it finest. Congratulations man. 👌🏾

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Sweet I’m a teacher now ☺️. Just kidding, but I really do appreciate it. Real world practical applications I think helps them better get stuff and the reasons why we need to learn stuff. Thanks for watching and thank you for your work in the school system. My wife’s a school teacher so I understand how hard it is to be a teacher in today’s world. Take care friend.

[@jorgemeza5031]

👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@SaintTrinianz]

This is how home school is supposed to work. I home schooled from 1990 to 2005 and we had a regular curriculum with lots of real life applications.

[@robinfarrar3493]

ThePhilomathe Agreed! I wish more homesteaders would do a video about this for their crops and their animals. It can be difficult to get a realistic idea of the real cost and or savings of some of these things. To see it broken down like this from someone who has a proven process is a huge help for your own calculations when trying to decide if it would be worth it for you to do it too.

[@masterwong1133]

According to my maff teacher, she say maff is rayciss.

[@carriejaramillo1811]

It's not about the price. It's about food independence. (For me anyway.) 🙂

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Agreed! Especially during all this Covid stuff impacting the grocery stores. It’s been so nice to skip many aisles without concern of shortage

[@runhomie1013]

I feel the same way🤜🤛

[@outrageousacres]

I'm on the fence, I definitely appreciate food independence, however I do like saving money as well.

[@robinfarrar3493]

@@outrageousacres sometimes it’s both. An added benefit of the food independence side is that YOU raised it so you KNOW what went into it and how it was cared for. Grocery store stuff you can only hope you’re not being lied to.

[@kingscairn]

Very true - but $ budgets $ are still a fact of life especially now 3/11/22 ( thanks Joe / demorats ) - now, if you grow your own feed ( insert fireworks n stuff here )

[@kosycat1]

I'm vegan but I fully support people doing what you are doing! they look nice. good skills for your daughter to learn too

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thank you. I have a ton of appreciation for someone who can accept and respect someone who may do something different than them. World would be much better that way. Thanks for watching and hope you have a great weekend.

[@bunkerpeakoutdoors5717]

Jonathan do you not fully support people who buy their meat?

[@32khadijah]

And about how they know how and what their chickens are eating and how they are processed. All this stuff they are doing with our food that's causing all these diseases.

[@MrMorgan316]

@@bunkerpeakoutdoors5717 I think its that they have a much better life raised at home than in industrial meat farms which treat chickens horrible. I agree with that sentiment which is why I have my own chickens

[@bunkerpeakoutdoors5717]

@@MrMorgan316 someone deleted their comment i was replying to. I raise chickens as well

[@petestrangeproductions1699]

It's not about the cost. It's about the knowledge attained. Skills that will be needed. Look at what the child is learning.👍

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

That is a really good point. What seemed so odd to her at first now is normal and actually preferred. I don’t event force her to be involved, she chooses to and it’s actually more fun when she participates as we always end up with some laughs. Thanks for watching.

[@davemcavene]

Excellent video! I really enjoy seeing how others raise their own meat and the true value of it. We just got our pigs back from the butcher and we ended up with 400lbs of pork to add to our over 100lbs of fresh poultry we raised here and processed ourselves. I tell you it’s a damn good feeling to open up your freezers and see them full of meat you raised yourself. I love it. Keep up the great work brother

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Absolutely! When then Covid mess was going on, it was so great not having to panic like most people were. Quality and food security and big reasons to keep doing it. We’re almost out of our pork, so I am really hoping our breeding attempt works so we can get back on track for pig processing.

[@jenniferelkins]

I love this breakdown and the insights about the packaging. I also love that you went with the safe, conservative estimates on chicken prices because often people will go with the most outlandish cost to make it look like they are saving more and that just isn't genuine to me. Also thank you for giving the numbers with and without your equipment. It really helps to see the bigger picture if someone wants to do this once or make it a lifestyle.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thank you, I’m glad it helped. I try to provide some videos that answer many things I was unable to find. I try to be as transparent as I can. I appreciate you taking the time to watch. If I can be of any help, ask away. I’m not an expert, but I’ll try to share what I know. Take care.

[@unitedstatesdale]

Just the fact that your children are learning is priceless

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

It is awesome to see how much she likes to help at times and what she has learned. I appreciate the comment and for spending time with us.

[@autistpatrol2493]

from one farmer to another: start feeding your flock snails and pumpkin seeds as supplements for your commercial feeds. It will *dramatically* cut feed costs for your flock and allow you to raise a bigger flock without as much inputs. Snails. The snail meat is for both broilers and laying hens, while the crushed snail shells are a obvious source of calcium for laying hens. Snail shells are an alternative to crushed oysters shells (a mixture of oyster, mussel and clam shells). crushed snail shells can be combined with crushed chicken egg shells for diy chicken grit too! You don’t even have to raise them or anything, a few beer bucket traps works for flocks under ~60 Hulless Pumpkin Seeds are adored by chickens, pheasants, quail and even pigeons. great source of protein and fat with 84%-88% digestibility. If you compost your byproducts (offal, feathers, heads, feet, necks, etc) and mortalities: non-legume Seeds Crops are a great way to recycle protein. You can do sunflower seeds, canola seeds, etc but I like hull-less pumpkin seeds because you can harvest in the fall. if you have a quarter acre to spare for them you’re looking at ~1,800 plants and a yield of 300-to-500lbs of pumpkin seeds. replace up to ~1/3 (30%) to about ~1/2 (50%) inclusion rates, if you care about maximizing mass and weight gain in 10 to 13 weeks time but if your flock is free range, you do really even have to worry about maximizing each individual bird to industrial/factory farmed weights.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thank you for the detailed information and explanation. There’s always things to learn. Appreciate it.

[@gking8787]

Thank you for this, I’m considering getting chickens just for our family.

[@ninaberry577]

What a thorough breakdown of prices and ROI ! Awesome video and I love how you invite your daughter to be a part of this process! Love it :)

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thank you and thanks for spending time with us. She’s my little buddy and I love having her tag along when I’m doing things.

[@victorherreraguzman5014]

It's great to see your daughter helping you. It does create a bond and she will highly develop her math skills. Thanks for sharing your experience my man

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thank you, I really enjoy when she helps. Thanks for watching too 😊

[@AdrianJamaal]

I really appreciate the people who really break down the numbers.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

I hope this was helpful.

[@plips71755]

Great job guy! It’s super you are bringing your daughter along on this and sharing with others who don’t have a clue because they haven’t been raised in a farm or even had grandparents they visited in the summer. We are losing so many skills as in huge amounts of knowledge. It’s in books in the library, public, state, etc and though much is online, there is huge volumes not scanned online yet. Look at the National archives, university, extension service, USDA, … there is lots of material on everything. Small business Administration. It goes on forever, BUT here is the issue, people have to read it instead of taking advice from wannabe experts. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel.

[@FastEddy396]

Just wanted to thank you for sharing. Most importantly, that good dadding. Your daughter will have wonderful memories with you. Best-

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thank you. I enjoy it when she helps out. Sometimes she’d rather do kid things, but I get lucky sometimes and she wants to be my help. We appreciate you spending time with us. Take care.

[@plips71755]

Also, if you raise eggs, or sell pasteurized frozen chickens etc, you have the tax advantages against other income. And if you make any part of your operation business just raising eggs, you can get your states retail sales license ( which allows you to collect and remit sales tax) but also sales tax exemption certificate which lets you buy everything used for the business wholesale which can cut your cost tremendously.

[@DWJ92]

I’ve been telling my wife and others I wanted to do this instead of buying from store just to know what I’m eating. Thank you for the video also I wife sent me this

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

I wish you best if you try it. The biggest mistake I think people make for their first time is they get way too many. Id suggest 10-20 max for your first batch. To me that’s a good manageable number.

[@midnull6009]

...keeping chickens is not like keeping a pet tho. And TIME is a big factor as well.

[@CROengineer]

@@midnull6009 me and my family had chickens all our lives and honestly its less work than having a dog for example and cheaper too

[@benjaminvanlandingham5568]

No matter what shows uo...It makes me happy to see dad get kids involved

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thanks, it’s is more fun when they help out. I’m lucky to have great kids who like to learn new things

[@lancedavidson5940]

Awesome info man, nice to see your daughter involved learning the right way, hands on, instead of numbers on a piece of paper with no purpose and not knowing what those numbers represent

[@J1WE]

Well that $30 savings will turn to over $120 when you start hatching your own. Minus any extra feed over the time to raise

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

This is very correct. Eliminating cost of the chickens themselves does make a big difference.

[@justjamie22]

Fantastic break down!!! We can't wait to start raising our own poultry!!!

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thanks buddy.

[@nickf8028]

Video about chickens turned into a video on how to home school a child. Great job on both!

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thank you, I’ve learned if you allow them to help they tend to be more accepting of this lifestyle. I wish at times I didn’t work full time and could do stuff like this all the time. Thanks for watching.

[@firstnamelastname2552]

I've always wondered what the cost difference ends up being. I think it's also worth mentioning the space needed, the daily tending, and the time it takes. All of that needs to be factored into the end result.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Those are all good things to factor in. Fortunately one can raise a good number of birds in a small area it just depends on your preference for management. I like to give mine lots of room to roam.

[@vinceaaron8921]

the time involved would eat up any savings. the main reason for raising your own is being able to have control over quality with cost being down the list.

[@simdoughnut659]

@@RockyCreekHomestead curious do you slaughter and process your chickens yourself, do you send them out to be processed, or do you have someone come to your home on processing day? I'm only asking because around here processing adds anywhere from $3.50-$7.00 to the cost of each bird if you don't do it yourself or have the equipment (which also figures in) to do it yourself. If you're raising water fowl for food you're going to be hard pressed to find anyone willing to process them for you.

[@brent3611]

The quality of the meat is considerably better then typical store bought meat also

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

@@simdoughnut659 I do process myself. The first year I hand plucked and the second year I saved up to buy a plucker. For the last two years I’ve done 30-40 per year. I do them in two separate batches or 15-20 each. There’s no one local that processes poultry where I’m at. I also process sometimes by skinning which doesn’t take anything but a knife.

[@mycatilovehim]

Hey man thanks for sharing. As a kid who plans to have their own farm one day, this really puts things into perspective!

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

I’m glad it was a help to you. Thanks for watching and best of luck with the future farm

[@DeadlyHippo]

Love that you took the extra time to involve your kiddo in the process. Good stuff!

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thank you. I enjoy it when she helps out. She’s taken to this far better than I’d expect. Appreciate you watching.

[@mattoonwrestler]

10 months later chicken isn't so cheap! Glad I found this video, I'm debating on chickens or rabbits for meat

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Very true. Rabbits are a great option as well. We have 3 and have breed them twice. Very easy to raise and reproduce. Id say you couldn’t go wrong with either.

[@keithlewis8238]

Do both or find a friend to do one and you can trade. But rabbit is pure protein no fat

[@theblissgarden]

let’s do both😊

[@patriciajohnsonson8639]

I admire your ambition. It is a lot of work to do what you did with your chickens. Raising chickens is not cheap. Your chickens look great, both alive and processed.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thank you. I try to raise them as best I can with why we have available. If it allows us to save money as well that’s great but my main goal it to provide a good healthy quality product for my family. Thank you for the kind words and for watching.

[@alexjones519]

It’s great to have a feed mill nearby. When I did this last year I paid 38dollars for one bag of organic Newcountry feed.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Wow $38 would make it hard to make a profit. Breaking even at least gave you a homegrown product that didn’t break the bank. The feed mill definitely does help me save money.

[@screaming_quagga]

Very nice video! Thank you very much. I saw your backyard layout and I said that's Phoenix for sure. We lived out in that area at one point now in Tucson.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thank you. We’re far from pheonix 😂. We’re in VA

[@MrManueleh]

The importance of oversight. You learned a valuable lesson for the price of a chicken. I would hazard a guess that your chickens are healthier than store bought. That is a value that would be hard to calculate.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Agreed! Appreciate you watching and I am confident the quality and health of these chickens are better than most grocery story chickens.

[@SCc8154]

Great information! At the start of the video I was afraid you were going to say it wasn't worth it. Thank you for breaking down the numbers for us.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching.

[@woodlanditguy2951]

Raising your own meat (if you are able) is almost ALWAYS a good idea. The meat tends to be better for you, you are insuring your food supply and it's good to not be dependent of a supply chain. The last few months we have seen chicken disappear from the stores so now is a great time to point out the value of having your own supply.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

As time has progressed and that has happened in the world, it definitely has further verified my reasons for doing this. Thanks for watching and appreciate the feedback.

[@robertkat]

I go to Costco get a roasted chicken for $6.00 . Same price as a big Mac.

[@scottvertelle286]

You got a point Kroger, Meijer all sell rotisserie chickens for $6-7

[@ronhagle2409]

Seriously, well done! I have a brother from another mother in Arkansas who raised 40 of the same birds for me and my family. I paid 5.00 a lb and am very glad to have done so!!. We had created a dish and called it "Sweet Arkansas love" for my Piggs and Twiggs smoked foods business while we had visited them a couple years ago. I had since then tried to recreate the dish and have not been able to...until we went back to visit and had no problem doing so....as it was the chicken itself that made all the difference. I had tried 4 different local so called "organic" chicken and just could not get it right. What a difference it makes and I could careless that it cost more, sooo worth it! Thanks for sharing and really, nice work on this video!

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Now I want to try some sweet Arkansas love 😆. I do believe there a home raised chicken seemed to produce a much more flavorful bird. I mostly began raising my own food to improve a skin condition but since have found so many reasons why it’s beneficial. Smoking the chickens is my favorite way to cook them. I really appreciate the kind words and thanks for spending time with us.

[@LatinDanceVideos]

That’s a great experience for your kid. Awesome parenting. Thanks for sharing.

[@tolduso42]

Its worth it to me for sure, because I know exactly what I’m feeding my family. And my granddaughters wont “develop” early, from all the added hormones! We barter and exchange with friends also. And the overall cost isnt bad at all! 🥰

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

The health reasons is actually my #1 reason. Raising and eating my own food significantly reduced my psoriasis. Many people would ask about the cost so I thought I’d try to break that down as well. It’s amazing what all goes into modern food sometimes. Thanks for watching and thanks for bringing another reason why this is beneficial to my attention. I hadn’t thought about that part especially with raising my children. Take care.

[@tolduso42]

@@RockyCreekHomestead well, you blessed me, so turn about is fair.😉

[@LatinDanceVideos]

I’ve used a large soup pot for scalding chickens with a portable hot plate. Didn’t use a cone, just a block of wood and axe. Plucking after scalding was easier than expected. I can see if you are doing a large flock kill, a plucking machine would be worthwhile, I’m only killing 2-4 at a time.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Oh yea, If I’m only doing a couple birds I don’t wast the time breaking out the plucker. Hand plucking quicker and not bad. It’s a big help though when doing 15+ at a time. Hot plate is a great idea. I didn’t think about that.

[@SuperHank777]

Another awesome video!! Now to convince my wife! We are just starting with laying hens/chicks. She’s not on board yet with meat chickens.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Laying hens is a good starting point. If you decide to give it a try with meat chickens, I wouldn’t do more than 5-10 for your first batch unless you already have a plucker. Hand plucking took us a long time and doing 20+ that way was rough.

[@bobbalcom2658]

Well done. Everything he says is true. I started with cornish cross years ago and now I raise Leghorns for meat and eggs. I abandoned the cornish cross because when they're ready there's no waiting. With Leghorns I get more leeway on time to harvest them. To anyone that has never had a true farm raised bird and only store bought, the two are entirely different. A farm raised chicken is better than any chicken you've ever had in your lifetime. No joke.

[@4KidsandaFarm]

Great breakdown. We’ve only really grown chicken for ourselves…but we always consider the cost of raising them just part of our grocery bill.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thanks. That’s a great way to look at it. Everything adds up, so I think it’s great to break it down and make sure it’s worth it or if something needs to be done differently in the future.

[@bentol86]

Amazing! I enjoyed your vlog immensely. It is a pleasure to watch your work. Thank you so much for sharing. I wish you your continuing success. 👍

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to watch. Anytime you can be a little more self sufficient it’s a plus.

[@tamiesmith3303]

that is a wonderful breakdown! thank you!

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thank you very much.

[@cowboy2180]

Excellent, clear, practical information!subscribed from New Zealand

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Welcome, we’re glad to have you. Thanks

[@tisha1672]

I agree that this is a great breakdown. Cant wait for you to put together a processing area, dedicated to the chickens. 😆 Will you process the pigs too?

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

I am not quite ready to process the pigs on my own. My processor is very affordable and does a great job. With me working full time, it’s just easier right now to use him. Down the road when things slow down, I do plan to attend a processing class and maybe build the courage to do so myself.

[@kylelouer4323]

Trying to homestead on my little bit of land, we’ve got a bunch of layer hens, but I’ve really been wanting to raise some meat birds. I don’t have the freezer space which is really my only set back, but enjoyed the video and teaching the youngin some applicable math, with a good life lesson. Good stuff!

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

I’ve been at it now for 4 years and I just try to add 1-2 big goals a year. If you try to do it all at once it’ll overwhelm you. Everything costs too. This year I’m going to try to just harvest extra roosters we may hatch. If you part the bird out by it’s cuts and package that way, it tends to take up less space in a freezer.

[@carladams9345]

I would have liked to seen labor included. Even if just for yourself, you might consider keeping track of how much of your time you spend on raising and processing them. If selling chickens is something you would want to do in the future then a true cost of goods sold would be beneficial.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

I agree with that idea. Selling will be in the far away future. I need bigger space and better equipment as I’m really only able to raise 15-20 at a time here. That wouldn’t be enough to make it worth it currently. My daily efforts are about 20-30 minutes a day which does add up. Good perspective to consider if reach a point of selling.

[@davidlazerz8564]

@@RockyCreekHomestead Also would like to see initial infrastructure investment (housing/feeder/fencing/bedding/etc.) as that will heavily impact profitability margins.

[@pcdreams1]

you need to include your electricity(brooder)/water etc. But you're on the right track.

[@avermontlife]

We've started to grow some supplemental feed for our chickens and ducks this year, as both conventional and organic feed costs keep rising. Beets, hulless oats, spring or winter wheat, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc. You can use your cover crops like field peas and buckwheat after they've done their thing by donating them to the birds. We plan to not even thresh the wheat, just use it as a straw and feed in one. These crops don't take up much more room than we already devote to production veg, and we're looking forward to the savings. We also shove feed crops in when there is an open space here or there in a bed, and always give the birds kitchen scraps, as our old timers will attest. It's all about creating a full circle homestead for us.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

That’s awesome. It sounds like you have a great system or idea of how you plan for it all to go.

[@raymccarty4612]

Waiting one more week makes a huge difference

[@hernanecomh]

like it how you got you daughter involved in the business.. best of luck to you!

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thanks, she’s a great kid and I enjoy it when she helps.

[@hernanecomh]

@@RockyCreekHomestead It’ll help her develop character!

[@houndsmanone4563]

Good statistical data to know. I've considered raising several dozen meat chickens but I know absolutely nothing about raising chickens but I think you said you raised them for 8 weeks and that's huge compared to me raising my pigs for meat. Okay, I enjoyed a full-watch and am a NEW SUBSCRIBER and hope to learn how to process chickens from you or whomever you recommend to watch on KZbin to learn. Thanks and have a fine upcoming week. 👍🏽🤠2/19/23

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

We’re glad to have you and appreciate you joining us. I new absolutely none of this myself until a couple years ago when I jumped off the cliff and dove right into it. If you do it, don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions. It’s not always easy but it is easier than I think many people believe it may be.

[@bigtime37ja]

Always enjoy your videos. Thank you. No need to hit the meat market at the grocery store and you know what the bird was fed and how healthy it was before processing. GREAT little helper you have there too. Very nice hand writing. Looking forward to more of your videos.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thanks buddy, it sure is nice having the confidence and security in our food we raise.

[@luckyson7594]

This was the first video of your channel that I have watched. I’m really impressed with the info. We recently bought five chickens for eggs and I imagine we’ll want meat chickens one day so I really liked this video. Thanks

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Congratulations on the new chickens. Egg layers are great. Starting with them will prepare you well for if you decide to branch out. If we can ever be of help, don’t hesitate to reach out. Thanks for watching and we’re glad to have you.

[@stevefromthegarden1135]

Nice breakdown of the costs. I bet the areas where the chickens were at looked mighty green after you got all that rain. The next challenge would be having enough freezer space to hold all of the frozen chicken but that comes down to proper planning more than anything. :)

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Freezer space is definitely something to plan for. We eventually purchased a second freezer as we continued to increase the amount we raise. Thankfully we got an upright freezer for the second one. It’s so much easier to access food in versus our deep freeze

[@franciscoayala1062]

Im glad that I found your Chanel with your Poultry. Do you have a picture of how do you Range them. For me is not only the Cost but the quality of food we can have for our families. I was just wondering how much place/space did you need for them. We are looking into it as well. That’s why. Many Blessings for you and your family and thanks for sharing. Going to check your Channel now. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Welcome and we’re glad your with us! I see you later commented on a video that gives an idea of our set up. I started out running them in mobile tractors, moving every 1-2 days, but now I raise them within a set of premier one poultry netting. Sometimes I move the netting and sometimes I don’t. Just depends on where I’m running them. If on grass I move them when it’s thinning, if I want them to clear overgrowth then I just leave them. I hope this helps and I thank you for hanging out with us.

[@RealMugenSatoru]

Great video i really love it i plan on buying my own land and being completely self sufficient when i get out of the military i watch alot of these videos this was very informative quick tips i have learned but not tested yet myself is raise your own chickens so that cost is eliminated later on and use composte piles for better feed which is compost such as manure with a mixture of wood shaveings or multch and about 20% of food scraps that your family throws out like excess veggies and fruit then let your chickens at it there will be grubs, worms, bugs, and scraps for your chickens to eat you take a slight hit about 15% to egg production but it makes it basically free to feed your chickens and from what i have learned your chickens will still grow at a normal pace.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

I have seem similar concepts and it seems to work. Perma Pasture Farms seems to be doing something similar with what he’s calling his chicken tractor on steroids. He’s doing a great concept of allowing the chickens to create compost while eating scraps etc.. One of the big reasons why I started this KZbin / social media platforms was to learn from others. Appreciate you sharing your insight and wish you the best of luck as you begin your homesteading journey.

[@Isabel_fit]

I love these cost breakdown videos! I am not a homesteader just yet but I’m hoping my husband and I can start next year once we buy some land ☺️

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

That’s great, I wish I began so much earlier. I hope you’re able to find a great piece of land. Best of luck with the search and don’t hesitate to reach out if questions come up. Thank you and take care!

[@RobA830]

I bought my first 25 broilers for 15cent a piece the other day I'm so excited

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

😮 that is a smoking deal!! That is awesome. I hope everything goes well. Are they Cornish cross?

[@coppcar]

Excellent parent right there!! Liked and subscribed! This is the hope of our country. Training children in the way they should go and when they are old, they will not depart from it. May the Lord God bless you folks richly. I wish I lived near you. We would get along really well.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thank you. She’s a great kid and I enjoy her helping when she does.

[@raincoast9010]

There are so many benefits to the way you did it, it's not just about the money. It was great that you included your daughter in the activity.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thank you. I love it when she helps me out. Homegrown is the way to go for so many ways. Thanks for watching.

[@country4lyfe365]

Great video. Very informative. Great looking family . thank you God bless. And may chicken reign supreme lol. Chris . Indiana.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thank you. It’s a bit of work but so worth it in the end.

[@CalvinMcGee-k1z]

Thanks for the info it answered a lot of questions thanks great job

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

👍 glad it was helpful. Thanks for watching

[@jims512]

That was a solid break down and insight. In addition to the points regarding food quality, food independence, practical education for your children, and the added bonus of some savings, you are simply doing something that I assume you enjoy. Almost no one saves money with their hobbies and almost no one questions it. Often it’s quite the opposite. Think about golfers as an example. You are getting all the benefits you stated plus some financial savings (albeit with some sweat equity, which is never a bad thing) simply by doing a hobby. Good job. Two of my buddies and I built two chicken tractors yesterday with one left to build and my 25 chickens will be hatched and shipped this week.

[@jims512]

If my primary focus was the financial side instead of all the other benefits, then I would simply work extra hours and weekends. That would make me much more money then doing all of this. I’m in it because of all the reasons we stated for my family as well as general enjoyment and the bonding with my friends. Working extra hours wouldn’t give me any of that but would only give me the added income. I would work more if I had to, but thank God I don’t right now.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thanks for sharing your plan, perspective and experience. Doing it alongside a friend the first two times definitely helped to build confidence and was a great learning experience together. Having the extra set of hands on processing day is a huge help as well. The appreciation I have for my food I raise or grow myself is so much greater than anything I buy. The sense of pride that I achieved it is very rewarding as well. I hope your experience goes well and you have a bountiful processing.

[@thefrenchgardener1865]

Thank you....you rationale about quality surpasses the profit idea......quality over profit anyday!

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Quality is definitely a prime reason. Thank you

[@christinehogue9477]

I don't do it to save money at the store....I do it so I don't have to depend on the store. At some point some of us will not be welcome in stores. Yep it does help. Thanks for information

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

This is great point. When grocery stores were short during peak of Covid it was quite peaceful knowing I wasn’t bothered at all. Well with the exception of the toilet paper crisis 😒

[@karlasantiago8692]

I averaged your weight of chickens to the cost of chickens in my area and for me 84 pounds of chicken meat would have been 584 with tax. So that’s amazing you have the opportunity to do this. My average cost of a whole chicken that weights 4 pounds costs me 7 dollars after tax in my area. I wish I could do this.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

That’s neat to hear what it is in other areas. I’ve learned feed costs can greatly vary from area to area which can greatly impact costs. It’s a lot of work on processing day but it’s been so worth it. Cost savings is nice, but knowing we have steady supply of meat is even nicer. These shortages in the grocery stores further made me realize this. Thanks for watching and appreciate the comment. Take care!

[@douglasrossini3533]

Fantastic, all the best from Brazil!!

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thank you. I’ve heard Brazil is a beautiful country. Welcome and thanks for watching

[@staceyculver4892]

Thank you for breaking the cost down! I truly appreciate that!

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Great, glad it was helpful. Thanks for watching and take care

[@billypirtle1443]

I have never bought chicken at the store in 50 years I am 61 been doing my own beef holes and chicken here on the farm these long all I get is can goods grind my own flour and corn mill also do some canning out of the garden.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

That is awesome. Keep up the great work. I hope I’ll be doing it into those years.

[@southernyards2152]

WOW!!! Now, in my third year of battling stage 4 cancer - to which God is blessing me to recovering - I started in 2021 lifestyle changes in living on His medicines🐓🥚🥬🥕🍎🍋. I'm beginning my Hen House & Run build now. Focusing on Egg layers first this year. I hope to move into meat birds once I've got the Layers🥚 going comfortably. Thanks for this💚 The store bought birds are loaded with chemicals and are raised poorly and cruel to say the least. To you and yours, God bless you💚

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Oh man I’m sorry about the diagnosis but it’s great to hear you’re recovering. I used to not think much of it but once changing the quality of foods I ate dramatically improved my psoriasis, I can’t help to wonder what else the food is impacting. I think your approach of egg layers first then meat chickens is a good plan. I’d also recommend when trying meat chickens, only start with about 10 or so. Even after doing them a few years now, 15 in a day is still a lot of work, particularly because I do them all by myself. If you need anything, just reach out. Thanks and take care.

[@southernyards2152]

@Rocky Creek Homestead Thank you so much for that💚 I don't expect replies to comments and truly appreciate your encouragement. I've been through a lot but wouldn't change it because it's really educated me on things we already know but do little about. It was refreshing meeting you through your video. My channel started out as LawnCare, but that's leading in a different direction now. More of a record. A journey if you will. Hope you might get minute to see one i did this morning. It's short. The Thumbnail is "Be The Change" The video is "Share Your Hope". I don't ask for Subscribers Or care about the views. I just hope to give encouragement right now to those who'll hear or might need it. My main goal is to be a good dad for my boy. His mom went back to (Her Mother) very controlling ...manipulative, after he was born in 2014. This is Hard on him. He's 8 I'm 58 I'm watching Carolina Coops right now for a Coop Build that will last, and almost Maintenance Free. From Central Alabama Wishing you and yours A great year ahead. Gary Cecil

[@tiffles699]

For the methods of sealing "poke the seal?" I almost always flip bags inside out, grab with hands "inside" and slide it up(veggies, pillows, meat at grocery store). Maybe a tactic to use.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Oh great. Thanks for sharing the information. I’ll certainly try it. I’m always willing to try new things.

[@kathysolomon7618]

Great video! I’m trying to get my husband to raise chickens. He was raised on a dairy farm and saw lots of chickens prepared for food, but he’s not on board yet.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thank you. It’s not too bad of a process. The chick brooder stage and processing days are the not so fun times. The majority of the time in between isn’t bad. Brooder stage isn’t great just because meat chickens poop alot, so daily cleanings are needed or they get pretty funky. Processing day is just a long day. For me I can manage one day of a lot of work for months of available meat.

[@davidcroteau7087]

Hopefully I'll do well with that $2. I was just looking at videos how to get my chickens to lay eggs and I'm putting my phone in my pocket trying to feed the chickens and taking care of the coop

[@SASQUATCHBROTHERS]

good work buddy , my dad would have been proud of you

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thank you.

[@luisanthony]

Add to this the intangible value of the life lessons you are giving your children, the independence and satisfaction of the accomplishment, not to mention the income from the youtube channel, your "profit" would be much higher.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Many life lessons learned for sure. It’s always a bonus when the other members of the family help and learn too

[@THEjoelweber7]

One thing I added in my figuring is the electricity for running heat lamps. For five weeks a batch of 25 costs me about $11.55.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Interesting. I’ve never saw a noticeable difference in my bill but I need to look closer to determine that exact extra cost. Thanks for sharing

[@brandyhamm7435]

I love how you have your daughter involved. She's learning and don't know that she is.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thank you. It’s always more fun when she joins in to help.

[@dfishman76]

Where did you get your labels made?

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

I ordered them from www.texaspoultryshrinkbags.com . I haven’t ordered their shrink bags yet as I still have a lot from strombergs site.

[@TmCkellar7]

This is the way I like to think when comparing things. Great breakdown!!

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thanks, glad you liked it. We appreciate you taking time to watch.

[@Bobcagon]

Your channel, along with others that inform us about raising our own food, is the reason I bought 25 broiler chicks and 3 Turkey for the first time. I honestly tell people the cost of raising to processing out strips the cost of what we can buy from the meat department at any grocery store by a factor of 3:1. With inflation running at what it is at this time, feed costs have been affected hugely. And you can’t rely on just grazing. However I also tell people that I do it based on my being so tired of eating tasteless chicken. I bought 1 free ranging broiler from a farm close by and the flavour in that bird was enough to convince me that the “factory “ raised broiler, although cheaper, was not what I wanted for my money. Not only that but I can sell to neighbours to offset costs. Thanks for posting your evaluations. We sell for $7.00/lb by the way.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thanks for sharing your experience and perspective. The quality is definitely better than many grocery store choices. I’m glad you’ve been able to produce your own. Congratulations and Keep up the good work. Thanks!

[@stephenx2857]

might try putting the word out on facebook or local groups. see if can rent out that plucker. sure other small farmers might have an interest in having the machine. maybe another small way to recoup a bit of money.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

That’s not a bad idea. Would be a great way for someone to offset their costs. I was lucky and had a lot of family members all provide me gift cards one Christmas which I put towards it and off set about 1/2 the cost.

[@michaelmoore861]

Were did u get your labels made at ? Great video

[@markbsb7176]

What you did forget to add is your time. You need to add that for your cost if you expect to sell. True breakdown. But again. Priceless.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

That’s a reasonable point. If I was into selling them, then that would certainly be a more important factor. Currently it’s just providing for my family

[@markbsb7176]

@@RockyCreekHomestead priceless. But fun and a learning experience. Doing it with the family. The time together the process you can’t beat that. Thanks for sharing and I wish you the best of luck with everything. Farming is NOT easy and many people do not appreciate the hard work that goes into it.

[@GoodandBasic]

Have you ever read "Flight from the City" by Ralph Borsodi? He was a big promoter of homesteading in the 1930s and your cost breakdowns remind me of his. Great to see that the numbers still add up after almost 100 years. (I recorded an audiobook of "Flight from the City" you can find on my channel if you're interested).

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

I haven’t heard of it but I am definitely interested now. I’ll have to check it out. I’m not much of a reader but audio books are definitely something I like. Appreciate you sharing it with me. Take care

[@rmartinie]

Good video!! 👍🏻 Love what you’re doing!! 😊 God bless y’all 🙏🏼

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thank you. It’s been an adventure. Appreciate you spending time with us. Take care.

[@glennvengroff7235]

My family and I do it Just for the knowlage of what they eat and how they live. Better life for them and us. Cost of feed is up now! But we will always grow our own and They actually taste like chicken. Great job!!!

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Very good reasons to raise your own. Feed costs are definitely rising and I don’t see them coming down anytime soon.

[@Sean-bp6xb]

Love chicken but with Swiss chalet sauce. Yum! Look it up if you don’t know. Maybe st. Hubert’s ! Yum lol! Watching from Ontario Canada 🎉

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

I’ve never heard of it had it. I found what I think your referring to online. I may need to try it sometime. Thanks for sharing and thanks for watching

[@hickoryhillinthebigwoods-r759]

You mentioned they were pastured chickens, but I wondered if any feed went into them and what the cost of feed was. I may have missed that.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

We do provide feed. We feed 1 scoop of feed, twice a day per 20 chickens. We fed a layer feed to these chickens as it is all that our local mill has and was a decent price. We averaged around 10 lbs if feed per chickens over the time at a cost of $90-$100 in total for all chickens.

[@PaulieGee12]

She writes better than I do. Excellent life skills are being taught here.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thank you. She’s a good helper. Thanks for watching.

[@lori8861]

Precious little one. You guys are doing a super job & creating memories! ❤️

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thank you. It’s been so neat to go back and see how much has changed in just a little over a year.

[@timgiles9413]

Awesome video. I'm looking to raise 52 chickens so my family can have one per week on average. Thanks for your numbers. New subscriber :)

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

That’s great, I’ve found 40-50 chickens per year seems to be a good number for us. We raise pigs for meat as well and purchase a cow from a friend who raises them so it all balances pretty well. Doing the chickens in 2 batches, staggered one month apart seems to work best for me. I hope your experience goes well and if I can be of any assistance, let me know. Thanks for watching and hanging out with us.

[@timgiles9413]

@@RockyCreekHomestead I never thought about staggering them that way, one month apart. I might do 30 then 30 more a month later. I wish I could raise a hog but I can't where I live. On Stoney Ridge Farmer, I watched him soak his feed (3 days) and that seems like a great way to feed. I've thought about raising rabbits for meat also. Your little girl is adorable :)

[@offgridgecko]

I'm working out how much my new hens cost me. $18 for a 50lb feed sack and they aren't eating hardly any of it. but I'll see as I go along.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

My hens go through waves of eating lots of feed and eating little. I assume it has something to do with how much their producing eggs or how many natural food items they’ve been able to find such as bugs and plants.

[@expensivetechnology9963]

Thank you for sharing your costs and being that mentor to us (and your daughter). I’m starting to ask myself if its feasible on my suburban yard. My front yard is Bermuda without any weeds (but it is regularly fertilized - so I’m going to say that’d be pasture-raised and non-GMO but it ain’t organic!). My back yard is nothing but weeds. So I’d have to work for a couple years to ‘create a healthy pasture with grasses that chickens enjoy and make them healthy BEFORE I’d be ready to buy our first brood. And God knows I’d be a wreck on slaughtering day. But one step at a time. :)

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

First time processing is tough. Nothing enjoyable about doing that part. Fortunately over time I’ve become more used to it. If you do decide to eventually, start small. 10 birds would be a good number. Baby steps aren’t anything to look down upon. Progress is progress no matter how big or small.

[@katiejorda.2268]

This is awesome!! I love involving our three girls in the process. We will process our 1st batch this weekend. Pretty nervous and excited at the same time. Way to go Madison for being such a big help and such a great little farmer.

[@dawnnewsted]

Great video. I know this came out awhile ago. Hopefully I'm not repeating a question you have already answered but where did you get your labels? What a great idea. Thanks

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Others have asked but it’s okay. I got them from www.texaspoultryshrinkbags.com/

[@powerlineman_77]

My wife and I just binge watched 5 of your videos, we love the channel! We are are wanting to switch to the shrink bags as we have always used zip lock bags in the past. Do you recall what size bags you used for your birds? Thank you! Keep up the great job with the content!

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

I believe they’re the 10”x18” from this link www.strombergschickens.com/product/heat-shrink-bags-broiler-size. I also have heard great things of the bags from www.texaspoultryshrinkbags.com/wwwtexaspoultryshrinkbagscom.html but I have only purchased labels from them. I hope this helps. Thanks for the support and spending time with us, we’re glad to have you.

[@MamaTDawgx3]

Great informational video.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Thank you. Appreciate you taking time to watch.

[@ninja5672]

A plastic funnel would help with inserting into a bag. Maybe just a flexible cutting board wrapped into a cone.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Ah man, I hadn’t thought of that. I may need to look into that. Thanks for the tip.

[@229glock]

You two look exaaaactky alike…very cute. Good info.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

I guess I’ll have to continue to claim her then 😆. Thanks for watching

[@robertroberson1720]

My wife and I are semi retired. We are raising chickens for eggs and meat. We have an incubator. We are trying to provide eggs and meat for ourselves, by breeding and hatching our own. We have also started breeding rabbits.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Awesome. Keep up then good work.

[@isapsa45]

Not trying to tell you how to do things but what I used to do and I will probably do in the future is I would make my label put it inside of a small Ziploc bag snack size and put it inside of the shrink wrap and that way it stayed intact and I can see what it was saying

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

No please offer these tips. I have only been doing this for a couple years and have learned so much from other people. I welcome any recommendations and appreciate your feedback. Thank you.

[@tunintunin3417]

Awesome little helper.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

She sure is. I love it when she helps me.

[@michaelram9426]

Today's prices on chicken makes me walk away a lot of the time. I have seen prices of $15:00 and $16:00 at Kroger, Aldi,Sam's, and Costco. Last year I was buying two chickens at Sam's for $12:00 to $14:00 . I want to raise my own but I live in the city were it is against the law . Keep keeping on.

[@RockyCreekHomestead]

Wow I hadn’t paid too much attention at our local grocery stores. I was at a local farm that sells recently and they were charging I think $25 for a 4.5lb bird. It’s a lot of work but I definitely think it’s worth it in the end, especially during these times