Call to think before getting chickens

• Author: Jenny Ling
• Published date: 26 January 2023
• Publication title: Katikati Advertiser

That’s according to experienced chicken owner Candice Richards, who says looking after chooks properly ends up costing just as much as buying them from the supermarket

The Kerikeri resident — who owns four heritage hens, two roosters and four guinea fowl that live in huge coop called Cluckingham Palace — said with all the money she spends on chicken food and healthcare, along with time spent cleaning their coop, doesn’t equate to the handful of fresh eggs they produce each day.

“People think that having chickens is cheap and you get free eggs but that’s not the case at all,” Richards said. “You have to feed them, give them a lot of protein when they’re malting, they need a lot more care. They need to be dewormed and checked for mites.

“It’s not a cost saving. It’s cheaper to buy eggs from the supermarket.”

Richards started keeping chickens four years ago and her flock quickly grew to around 50.

As a “rooky chicken keeper”, she learned how to take care of them from the internet and from a friend nearby who had chickens.

But Richards eventually found they were too much work, and ended up giving them to family and friends.

She downsized to the current four — Amelia Eggheart, Rosey, Sarah and Dianna — which produce four eggs a day.

“That’s all we need as a family.”

Chickens need lots of fresh water every day, Richards said, and regular feeding. Richards uses ceramic bowls instead of plastic which tend to go slimy, and has auto feeders “otherwise sparrows and rats get in”.

Along with kitchen scraps and leafy greens, she feeds her flock Peck’n’Lay, which contains vitamins and minerals chickens need to produce eggs. It costs about $27 a bag and lasts her one week.

When you consider Richards gets four eggs a day — 28 eggs a week — and with free-range eggs now around $1 each, she is only breaking even.

The new regulations banning battery-caged hens came into place on...