Pricing for whole chickens

If the shtf your out of luck anyways unless you can still order chicks because the meat birds don't breed true. If you want truly sustainable you need to go with more heritage breeds but if you want to make a few bucks the meat birds are probably the only way to go.
Honestly at 3 bucks a lb for those rangers I think that's cheap for including processing, many ads on craigslist sell for 3 bucks then also take birds in to be processed, which the only plant here that does poultry charges 3 bucks a bird, extra for cutting it up and extra for special packaging, so at 3 dollars a lb I basically did the processing for free. I don't mind because it's a friend of mine but if I get bigger I need to keep better track and figure out if it really pays.

I wouldn't want to raise birds to be 8 or 9lbs, people are used to chicken options bring from a 3 to 5 lb chicken, growing them super large is going to cost an unnecessary amount of money in feed which you will have a harder time recovering
All of your points are considered, and worthwhile.
I'm not crazy about processing wildlife, although I can do it. I've done a deer, a few ducks, a couple of rabbits, and of course fish.
I've never done a chicken, but it can't be far from a duck.
All of the flocks I've had, I eventually gave away to go back on the road trucking. I've never 86'd one of my own birds, but I'm sure I could, especially if they were just considered meat birds and no one named or fell in love with them. MM is 25 minimum coming into this next season, and I'd hate to think about 25 birds coming of age at the same time needing dispatched without buyers, so again I do Like the idea of getting folks to make a deposit.
But I'd probably never do the craigslist thing, I don't need a bunch of strangers coming up to my property scoping me out.
 
Chickens are easier than ducks they pluck far easier. After getting accustomed to it I have gotten quite fast. If I continue selling I will probably buy a plucker to speed it up for me that's the slowest part.
 
Chickens are easier than ducks they pluck far easier. After getting accustomed to it I have gotten quite fast. If I continue selling I will probably buy a plucker to speed it up for me that's the slowest part.
I watched a zillion plucker vids the other day. I'm a little miffed at myself for taking apart an old washing machine just for the drum for an outside firepit.
 
I was going to build one out of a blue barrel but I found that it makes more sense to just buy one unless you have a good motor and all the various parts available or sources very cheap, buying a new motor and ordering spindles and pulleys or sprockets and chain plus the cost of the fingers is pretty pricey already, you aren't saving much. I did build a spinning drum type I mounted on a wood stand and spin with a old electric drill, I used rubber bungee cords for fingers, it works but not as well as a barrel type, thought with cx chickens it may do the trick they aren't feathered very well anyways
 
I was going to build one out of a blue barrel but I found that it makes more sense to just buy one unless you have a good motor and all the various parts available or sources very cheap, buying a new motor and ordering spindles and pulleys or sprockets and chain plus the cost of the fingers is pretty pricey already, you aren't saving much. I did build a spinning drum type I mounted on a wood stand and spin with a old electric drill, I used rubber bungee cords for fingers, it works but not as well as a barrel type, thought with cx chickens it may do the trick they aren't feathered very well anyways
I wonder if a reverse air cannon might not do the job?
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glad those aren't my co-workers!

I think getting a deposit is a wise idea. Folks who say 'Sure, I'd like to have some local grown meat" may start feeling different when the bill comes due. having some of that money up front will help clinch the deal.
 

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