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Why I Would Raise Chickens

gatesnotes.com

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Re: Why I Would Raise Chickens

#121

Post by learc83 »

shireboy wrote: post #99

I am not poor, but did recently raise chickens for about a year, and did the math on how they fared as an investment. I would disagree they are "easy and inexpensive", though in a 3rd world setting with some luck it may vary. Here's a rough summary from my experience: -1 x Coop (self-made from scavenged wood, home store bought wood, wire, and hinges) ~$400 -5 x laying chickens ~$100 (Chicks are cheaper, but you pay t…

The article mentions that they make most of their money by raising and selling the chickens, not selling eggs. If you could sell your chickens for $5 a piece, as is common in West Africa, you could easily make a profit.

Not to mention $400 for a chicken coop is on the expensive side. You can buy a ready made 4 chicken coop for less than $300, and a friend of mine built a fairly sizeable coop for $200.

Re: Why I Would Raise Chickens

#122

Post by MustardTiger »

paganel wrote: post #69

My parents live in a village in Eastern Europe with less than $2 a day (I also chip in to financially help them), and they do indeed raise chickens, they've being doing that for the last 15 years or so, since they moved out to the countryside. Bill Gates is correct in his assessment, it's way more profitable to raise chickens than, say, cows. You need to have a bigger barn for cows, you need to do all the hay thing,…

>it's way more profitable to raise chickens than, say, cows

But you are pretty much comparing to the worst possible option there with cattle. Almost everything else is easier and has a better feed conversion ratio: chickens, turkeys, ducks, rabbits, pigs, goats, sheep, etc.

Re: Why I Would Raise Chickens

#123

Post by Houshalter »

bko wrote: post #3

> If you read this article, watch the video above, and answer one question below, I will donate—on your behalf via Heifer—a flock of chickens to a family in poverty. Giving a flock of chickens to desperately poor families sounds like a great idea that will pay dividends for many years. However, I can't help but be reminded of the many charitable programs that sound great but end up having very unusual unintended cons…

>I can't help but be reminded of the many charitable programs that sound great but end up having very unusual unintended consequences that often defeat the purpose or make it worse.

It might be that such stories are interesting and more likely to make the media/top of HN. I mean 100 charities could work just fine, and no one really cares. But a single story about unintended consequences is interesting and gets on the top of reddit and facebook etc.

Re: Why I Would Raise Chickens

#124

Post by majani »

gearhart wrote: post #84

Anybody else surprised by how much a chicken costs in Africa? $5 is £3.45[1] and I can buy a (dead, plucked, gutted, packaged, delivered to my door) chicken in the UK for £2.95[2]. I realise the local supply's much lower because my Sainsbury's chicken is grown in a cage in a factory somewhere, but nonetheless, I didn't expect that. [1] I presume USD is the currency in the video, since 5 of the local currency is £0.00…

one of the funny things foreigners notice when they come to my country(Kenya) is that there's chicken & chips shops EVERYWHERE. People absolutely adore chicken over here and are willing to pay over the odds for it, so the supply has adjusted their prices accordingly.

Re: Why I Would Raise Chickens

#125

Post by thevardanian »

Houshalter wrote: post #117
paganel wrote: post #69

My parents live in a village in Eastern Europe with less than $2 a day (I also chip in to financially help them), and they do indeed raise chickens, they've being doing that for the last 15 years or so, since they moved out to the countryside. Bill Gates is correct in his assessment, it's way more profitable to raise chickens than, say, cows. You need to have a bigger barn for cows, you need to do all the hay thing,…

> it's way more profitable to raise chickens than, say, cows. You need to have a bigger barn for cows, you need to do all the hay thing, which is very time consuming and demands a lot of extra work just for feeding said cows, you need to pay someone to take care of the cows when they go out to eat in the summer on the communal field. This is surprising to me. Of course a cow should be more work to raise than a chicke…

I highly doubt that Beef is a more efficient if source of meat than Chicken. I think Chicken meat is a lot more efficient.

A little quick googling and I found: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feed_conversion_ratio

Re: Why I Would Raise Chickens

#126

Post by cneumuel »

olooney wrote: post #111
tbrock wrote: post #91

What is the ratio of female hens to male roosters? Quick googling tells me 10 to 1 but I'm not sure if that is correct. Is there any other species that has a similar extremely lopsided number of one sex?

The natural sex ratio of chickens is 50/50. Chicks are sexed when a few days old and excess males are disposed of. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chick_sexing There is strong evolutionary pressure that keep sex ratios at close to 50/50 in the vast majority of species. Some species (e.g. clown fish) have environments and traits which push this equilibrium away from 50/50. Fisher's explanation for this phenomenon is wid…

Right, and just in case anyone is in doubt, the ratio for cattle is also 50/50. There is no sexing that I am aware of, but if someone is a vegetarian and drinks milk, they are still supporting the schnitzel industry.

Re: Why I Would Raise Chickens

#127

Post by Houshalter »

thevardanian wrote: post #125
Houshalter wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it's way more profitable to raise chickens than, say, cows. You need to have a bigger barn for cows, you need to do all the hay thing, which is very time consuming and demands a lot of extra work just for feeding said cows, you need to pay someone to take care of the cows when they go out to eat in the summer on the communal field. This is surprising to me. Of course a cow should be more work to raise than a chicke…

I highly doubt that Beef is a more efficient if source of meat than Chicken. I think Chicken meat is a lot more efficient. A little quick googling and I found: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feed_conversion_ratio

Why would you think that? Larger animals are usually much more energy efficient for various reasons - less surface area to radiate heat, and economies of scale with larger organs.

Re: Why I Would Raise Chickens

#128

Post by jakeogh »

ddon wrote: post #106

According to this table, raising ducks is more interesting than growing chickens: https://www.tyrantfarms.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/duck-...

My neighbour keeps suggesting I add some ducks, seems like a good excuse to make one of these natural pools. Also, in town where I am, you cant have a rooster (thank god), but male ducks are aok.

Re: Why I Would Raise Chickens

#129

Post by tmerc »

thevardanian wrote: post #125
Houshalter wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it's way more profitable to raise chickens than, say, cows. You need to have a bigger barn for cows, you need to do all the hay thing, which is very time consuming and demands a lot of extra work just for feeding said cows, you need to pay someone to take care of the cows when they go out to eat in the summer on the communal field. This is surprising to me. Of course a cow should be more work to raise than a chicke…

I highly doubt that Beef is a more efficient if source of meat than Chicken. I think Chicken meat is a lot more efficient. A little quick googling and I found: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feed_conversion_ratio

Chicken, being leaner, may be a more efficient protein source. For raw calories, I think beef would be more efficient. Plus fat is a better calorie source than protein.

Re: Why I Would Raise Chickens

#130

Post by ane »

Houshalter wrote: post #127
thevardanian wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I highly doubt that Beef is a more efficient if source of meat than Chicken. I think Chicken meat is a lot more efficient. A little quick googling and I found: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feed_conversion_ratio

Why would you think that? Larger animals are usually much more energy efficient for various reasons - less surface area to radiate heat, and economies of scale with larger organs.

No, beef and lamb are the most energy consuming sources of meat. (A dairy producing cow is different.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feed_conversion_ratio

    For cattle, a FCR range from less than 5 to more than 20 kg feed dry matter per kg gain may be encountered.[
Whereas for chickens:

    Poultry has a feed conversion ratio of 2 to 1.
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