On Saturday, we brought home six new laying hens — pullets, really, that will hopefully start laying in a few weeks. These particular birds are Rhode Islands Whites, like the Rhode Island Reds, I was told, just white. While they aren’t as cute as my sisters’ brown speckled Barred Rock mix hens, they will hopefully do the job just as well. This is a mini-flock for us, but will keep us in eggs very nicely with some left over to sell.

Our egg laying chicken operation is a frugal venture. My husband made the chicken coop from leftover plywood, lumber and fasteners. We’ll feed the hens laying mash as well as appropriate table scraps and whatever grass, leaves and bugs they can find as they free range in the spring and summer.

We paid $8 per laying hen and I calculate that with feed included, they will pay for themselves within the first few months and then be a net gain every month thereafter. As this article notes, it’s sometime hard to find laying hens for sale, especially in the springtime. I imagine it will be especially difficult this year. The farmer who sold us the chickens noted that after placing the ad, he has received more call than he can handle for the several hundred birds he has for sale. The woman who rang up my grain purchase at the feed store commented that there has been a big increase in sales for chicken-related items and it’s not even spring yet.

New to raising chickens? Learn the basics on our Chickens page on the main Frugal Homesteading site.

Chickens are fairly low-maintenance. I feed and water them once daily, and shut their coop at night after they’ve gone inside to roost. I’m weary of predators getting in there, even though the chicken yard surrounding the coop is fenced with chicken wire. As my oldest son grows, he will inherit some of the chicken duties and I imagine he’ll enjoying the responsibility of collecting the eggs.

Do you raise chickens? Are you interested in having a backyard flock to save money on eggs or meat?
Learn more here: Raising Chicken For Eggs And Meat: A Complete Guide For Beginners
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