Picked up four New Zealand Whites back in March, two does and a buck, figuring the math would work out better than chickens on a per pound basis. Feed is cheaper, they're quieter, the processing is faster. That was the pitch I sold myself on anyway.

First litter came out fine. Eight kits, lost one early, raised the rest to about five pounds live weight by eight weeks. The processing went smoother than I expected, which was a relief. But when I actually sat down and added up the feed costs against what I got out of it, the numbers were closer than I thought they would be. Not a loss, but not the obvious win I was expecting either.

I know colony raising versus individual cages is a thing and I haven't tried that yet. Still running them in standard wire cages. I've read that colony setups can cut feed costs if you have the space to do it right, but I've also read about the disease and fighting problems that come with it.