I do not understand the mathematics behind the dilemma. I’m assuming only the firts chicks cost money, because down the line they will breed.
But feeding them, housing them - vitamins and doctoring costs a lot of money.
So anyone with couple or more chickens - how much does it cost to have them on the table? And realistically how many eggs do you get?
Canning is great if you find yourself with a windfall of free produce. Otherwise I’m kinda inclined to agree: canning isn’t worth it unless you enjoy the process and consider it a hobby.