>>1668868More people talk about plants because more people have them. Breaking into animal farming seems to be a bit daunting to most people.
>chickensMy chickens, when I keep a young flock, always pay for their own feed and upkeep. I only eat a few eggs and sell the rest. The ratio would only increase with high profits if I had more chickens. As for meat, you'd need to raise boilers like Cornish Cross and butcher them as soon as they are ready (6-8 weeks,) to get the best cost ratio. However, that's strictly grain/store feed. If you have pastured chickens then it is all about how much it costs you to maintain a good pasture, how much you are paying in taxes/rent/mortgage/initial cost for that land, and if you are using that land for other things at the same time (orchard.) Breed type is also a big factor in egg laying. Some barely lay eggs, but are great foragers while others are great egg layers, but will need a fair amount of supplemental feed.
>cost efficiencyThat depends on the animal type, your methods, your local costs, and your land. Most FCR graphs are for grain fed animals. Pasture fed animals have a completely different set of charts. Pasture fed animals usually require more grass by the pound than grain, which isn't a surprise. The up side is that pasturing is normally cheaper, but only if you use proper methods and good land.
>how much land for pastureThis depends on a variety of factors. The first being what type of animal. Then what type of pasture, climate, weather, winter, etc you have in your area. The guy next door may have an amazing pasture, but you may be starting with a noxious weed filled pasture that is toxic to animals. Your climate may force you to have triple the land area than normal so you can rotate the animals faster and not ruin the pasture.
