#econ project

wow remember when my blog had a purpose? anyway, it’s been a while since the project part of my blog actually happened at all so that’s what this post is: 

Today I think we should talk about the price of chicken feed.  

Your everyday 40-pound bag of feed goes for around $0.62 per pound ISH (depending on where you live feed will cost more/less for the sake of my point just bare with me). All’s well and cool. But shift that commodity price and oh boy. You might be looking at $35+ for less feed. See, since most chicken feed is made of corn and soy, the price of feed is going to fluctuate according to how much corn is available. wig. In places where corn is abundant , chicken feed is going to be cheaper because the supply is greater! Wow!

Tips and tricks to saving money on chicken feed bc we all on a budget 

This is a video and flier my group and I made about the federal budget. Please watch and read. It’s very informative about just how messed up the US federal budget is. Our grade depends on the amount of watches/notes we get, so please watch, like, and reblog.

HELP OR HURT?

Ryan’s budget today, people’s budget tomorrow “Let us wage a moral and political war against war itself, so that we can cut military spending and use that money for human needs.” — Bernie Sanders, Senator of Vermont

In order to allow Americans to benefit from their taxes, the U.S. needs to cut down on military spending. In addition, more Americans need to be aware of what percentage of their tax money is being allocated to which programs or departments so that they can make informed decisions and vote for candidates who support their community.

The Problem: The U.S. spends more than the top 10 countries combined in military spending, and more than double of China, the second top military spender. However, non-defense spending makes up less than half of the U.S. discretionary budget. Trump’s proposal would cut more non-defense programs, which would negatively affect many Americans, including Trump supporters.

The Evidence of The Problem: More than half of these 10 countries are U.S. allies, so why is it necessary to spend more money? Trump is proposing 54 billion dollar cuts in almost every section of the budget. The only programs seeing an increase in funding are Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs. Some of the programs being cut or reduced include the EPA (-31.4%) and the Department of Education (-13.5%). Programs being cut completely include Building for Community Development and Affordable housing, Clean Power Plan, and The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

The Solution: We need to cut 50% of military spending. We should reallocate this money to: the EPA (10%), Department of Education (15%), Department of Housing and Urban Development (10%), Health Care (10%), and NASA (5%). On paychecks, there should be a detailed lists of where our taxes are going so people know and can decide to promote change in the budget.

The Evidence of the Solution: Article 26 of the UN Charter demands disarmament and reduced military expenses, but it is being completely ignored by the U.S. and other countries. Also, France prints a list of where taxes are going on their paychecks, and it allows people to know how their money is being spent so they can change it.

what is the cost of raising your own chickens?

great question!

raising your own chickens sounds like a lot of fun and a great way to keep yourself busy. There is also slight profit if you decide to sell your chickens eggs. 

let’s look at the cost of raising chickens because that’s relevant:

the permit to keep chickens is the very first thing you’ll probably be spending money on if you’re starting your own chicken coop. Prices vary from state to state in the US so be sure to double check the laws about keeping chickens in yours’. For the sake of this post we’ll use the cost of a permit in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which is $50.  

the second thing you’re gonna buy is the actual chickens. wow wig. The cost of baby chicks ranges from $1-$5 per chick. Let’s meet in the middle and say a baby chick costs $3. Think about raising a flock of about ten hens. (and, like, make sure they’re ladies before you purchase them bc you don’t want a flock of roosters yikes)

chicken coops are a thing you’ll need, too. If you’re willing to break the bank a little bit for your new family, a good quality chicken coop can cost up to $4,000 dollars. but let’s calm down a minute and go for one a little cheaper at $200.

in my last post, i said a little bit about saving money on chicken feed. get creative with your cheap chicken feed options but make sure you’re feeding them healthy options. The right brand of chicken feed can cost  as little as $25 dollars. You just have to know where and when to look. When corn is in abundance, the price of chicken feed will likely decrease due to to fact that lots of commercially sold chicken feeds are made with corn. Corn grows best in warm weather so the lowest prices of corn are in cooler months, like December. 

https://www.ontariochicken.ca/Farmer-Member-Resources/Live-Price/Feed-Cost/Weekly-Feed-Prices.aspx

^check out this link for more information!^

at the end of the day, you have to be really committed to raising your chickens and willing to spend a few dollars on them bc in the very beginning it won’t be cheap. however, eggs will always be a huge part of the economic market bc they’re in pretty much everything. if you’re looking to make a profit off you’re eggs, be prepared for a little bit of a battle. to be honest, raising chickens with hopes of breaking even on your purchases  through egg sales is kinda unrealistic because eggs are really cheap and there’s so many competitors. if you decide to join the egg market with hopes of being a serious egg seller, be prepared for changes in prices and quantity (obviously). bc eggs are pretty much in everything and people rely heavily on eggs for cooking and such (they are an inelastic good), everyone sells eggs. it’s just not a market that you can really become a big name in, unfortunately.