30p per week per bird is about right on just feed. My eggs sales are £2 for 6, £3.8- for 12, £8.50 for tray. I have worked out that a box of 6 costs £1.20. So I'm making 80p on a single box (less on more). This excludes the delivery which I do once a week but only local and try to tie in a shop or something else to make the journey efficient.
My costs were initial and may be slightly wrong now as I had initially worked out on 2.5yr lay however with hybrids its 18m max.
Cost of birds - £8 POL vac quality hybrid with 13m of lay = £0.15pw
Cost of building housing (thats been covered now) maintenance etc
feed - 30p pw
odd vet visit (once a year) usually tired in with other visit for cattle but assume hr £20 max £0.03pw
Tylan, wormers and other expensive vet only meds (wormer £60, tylan £30 other £20) £0.02pw
Shell, grit, water vits, DE, red mite treatment £60pa £0.01pw
Moving eggmobile (fuel) £??
box and label (include carriage cost too) £0.18p box & 2p label = £0.20p
some labour - hence prev low input note but really labour isnt factored in precisely as cant be
advertising (free FB)
leaflets (self printed very few but still an overhead) £5
What I havent factored in is moult, broody and sudden no lay at 18m. Winter drop in numbers. Also I havent mentioned the fact that I have about 18 chickens that are not laying but eating which need to go asap! Another one to include is loss by illness, sudden unexplained death, fox/bird kill.
The reason why you either keep very small (self sufficient) or go big in number (thousands). Being in the middle half soaked is very poor and this constant learning for me. I am now in the middle of poor lay, too old hens and low sales.
We are organic for many reason - GM and pesticides therefore locating grains under 1t bags is non existent virtually impossible as we live in wales not known for corn growing. Buying grain in 20kg bags doesnt exist in the organic market. you would have to drive to mills in South West to pick up bags. Buying grains to tonne bags has too many risks associated and buying all this feed in vast amounts is financial suicide. Paying £45 carriage on each bag is also a burden.
My organic feed consists of: Maize, wheat, soya (yuk),sunflower, calcium carb, beans, linseed oil, vits and mins.
crude oils & fats 5.1%, fibre 4.2%, protein 18%, ash 13.6%, calcium 4.1% copper 14mg/kg
Added vits: Vit A, D3 & vit E.