Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[1MrsMagoo]

OK, now you're talking my language, Mrs Magoo.

And yes, economies of scale are exactly what I'm talking about. Wasn't sure how familiar you were with a production environment coming at it from a real estate background. Sounds like you've been around the block a few times.

The big commercial egg producers enjoy vertical integration as well as economies of scale. If you Google map Croton, Ohio and travel just south of there, you will see field after field surrounding some long buildings that are their cage batteries for the largest egg operation in the state. You and I don't have the advantage of being able to grow our own feed, so that costs out very differently for them than it does for us. Not only that, they can raise a surplus and sell it at a profit after their feed bins are full. I did something similar last November when the farmer was shelling out his corn and I offered to buy it from him right out of the field. So I got a 50 gallon barrel of whole corn delivered to my driveway for $20. Win-win. He didn't have to dry it, haul it to the mill, etc. and I got cheap whole corn that has lasted all winter. But that was about the extent of my integrating. The other thing the commercial operation does is save the corn stalks in bales and use it for bedding. So that helps them cut costs too.

Would love to hear what the turkey folks are saying. What group is that? Can you post a link. I'll be getting some turkeys from Porters just as soon as he hatches them out and ships them over.

And yes on the records. I haven't done that very well this year precisely because I'm not commercial and don't want to know how much I've lost, LOL. But with 2013, I will likely be turning over a new leaf since my tax situation has changed.

But it's nice to hear a business approach to the hobby. Good post.

rick

I have a Bachelor's of Business Administration and have owned/operated a small family construction company going on 18 years now. In my spare time I have both a decorative painting business and do the farm thing. I have also worked at a large machining facility where I was the lead quality inspector (oversaw 400 machine operators). So yes, I have been around the block several laps in my time.

As to the turkeys, we have a thread called Turkeys for 2013 here on BYC and on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/groups/161190843893888/

I find that a mistake a lot of people who want their farm or poultry business to stop bleeding red make is not looking at market saturation prior to entering the market and trying to compete. If 15 people in your area breed and raise Rosecomb RIR's....you probably want to get another heritage breed if you want to sell chicks. This is just an example.

However, I don't want to make people mad at us, so with that will drop the subject entirely. I truly didn't mean to offend anyone with any comments I have made. I was just throwing my two cents in and given how much that is worth lately...it may not be worth much.

So, now back to your regularly scheduled program.

 

[Pozees]

I have a Bachelor's of Business Administration and have owned/operated a small family construction company going on 18 years now. In my spare time I have both a decorative painting business and do the farm thing. I have also worked at a large machining facility where I was the lead quality inspector (oversaw 400 machine operators). So yes, I have been around the block several laps in my time.

As to the turkeys, we have a thread called Turkeys for 2013 here on BYC and on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/groups/161190843893888/

I find that a mistake a lot of people who want their farm or poultry business to stop bleeding red make is not looking at market saturation prior to entering the market and trying to compete. If 15 people in your area breed and raise Rosecomb RIR's....you probably want to get another heritage breed if you want to sell chicks. This is just an example.

However, I don't want to make people mad at us, so with that will drop the subject entirely. I truly didn't mean to offend anyone with any comments I have made. I was just throwing my two cents in and given how much that is worth lately...it may not be worth much.

So, now back to your regularly scheduled program.

I appreciate all you have written. I think sometimes we find ourselves torn between what we are dying to do, and what we can do that will pay for feed, supplies, and infrastructure. Finding a way to do both can be tricky, and heeding your advice to understand the market you are attempting to capture is critical. Starting small to test your theory about the local market is sensible.

My only contribution is to recommend that one not try delving into a breed (or species) you really really really don't want to be stuck with if sales fall short of your expectations. In other words, don't hatch 100 Barred Rock chicks if you really don't care for them, because if you only sell half you will be raising 50 chicks for at least a while that you aren't happy having.

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Stopped in to catch up -- some good discussion going on here. I appreciate everyone's input and being able to learn from many perspectives.

I'm the one with a real estate background. No formal education beyond high school but I did learn from those who were educated and successful. Cheaper education that, and not quite as expensive as going it all by trial and error.

So, I have located a couple software programs that track everything specific to poultry. From income/expense tracking to records related to breeding/showing. They sound interesting and one of them is only $14.95. I want to find some people who have actually used it to know whether it is something I need. I do know how to use Excel so I could just build my own spreadsheets. Just trying to compensate for any blind spots I may have.

I have several people coming over Sunday afternoon to talk chickens and perhaps, buy a few birds. I'm narrowing my focus and getting a clearer idea of how I can support my Heritage breed of choice. We're experiencing a drought that doesn't look to be letting up anytime soon, so that will help keep me disciplined.

 

[Marengoite]

I appreciate all you have written. I think sometimes we find ourselves torn between what we are dying to do, and what we can do that will pay for feed, supplies, and infrastructure. Finding a way to do both can be tricky, and heeding your advice to understand the market you are attempting to capture is critical. Starting small to test your theory about the local market is sensible.

My only contribution is to recommend that one not try delving into a breed (or species) you really really really don't want to be stuck with if sales fall short of your expectations. In other words, don't hatch 100 Barred Rock chicks if you really don't care for them, because if you only sell half you will be raising 50 chicks for at least a while that you aren't happy having.

I wasn't sure about this whole chicken thing when my son said he wanted chickens for 4-H. We'd done market turkeys for three years and had some success with that and I felt like a heel at the fair when I wouldn't let him buy the neighbor boy's Barred rock cockerel at the fair, so I relented last year and said sure, we can do chickens.

The reason I felt like it was a low risk enterprise was because the barrier to entry was very low for us. We already had everything we needed for brooding turkeys, so brooding chicks was the same thing only different. Same for pens and coops. Didn't take a lot of capital investment in infrastructure just to have a few chickens. And what if we decided we didn't want to keep chickens after all? Not a problem, they could all go to freezer camp. That was why I felt it was about as safe an investment in livestock as possible. So I will say that if you DO end up getting a bird you can't market, don't worry about it. They taste just fine.

 

[Robert Blosl]

I have a request from a person who is trying to locate some Partridge Plymouth Rocks that have good size and shape. He has the Dick Hortsman line but can not find anyone who has another line other than Dicks. Does anyone know of a person who may have a good strain?

Next a person has asked for a good strain of either Buff or Partridge Wyandotte large fowl. How many strains are worth getting into in the USA?

Hope some of you might know someone might have lucked out and got some good birds from a good breeder. So far AL we can find is feed store stuff.

 

[3riverschick]

So, I have located a couple software programs that track everything specific to poultry. From income/expense tracking to records related to breeding/showing. They sound interesting and one of them is only $14.95. I want to find some people who have actually used it to know whether it is something I need. I do know how to use Excel so I could just build my own spreadsheets. Just trying to compensate for any blind spots I may have.
---------
What are the names of these software programs?
Thanks,
Karen

 

[1MrsMagoo]

I appreciate all you have written. I think sometimes we find ourselves torn between what we are dying to do, and what we can do that will pay for feed, supplies, and infrastructure. Finding a way to do both can be tricky, and heeding your advice to understand the market you are attempting to capture is critical. Starting small to test your theory about the local market is sensible.

My only contribution is to recommend that one not try delving into a breed (or species) you really really really don't want to be stuck with if sales fall short of your expectations. In other words, don't hatch 100 Barred Rock chicks if you really don't care for them, because if you only sell half you will be raising 50 chicks for at least a while that you aren't happy having.

Excellent point. Your heart has to be in it, or you end up worse than a nameless cubicle dweller in a windowless hades on Earth somewhere.

 

[mschlumb]

I have a request from a person who is trying to locate some Partridge Plymouth Rocks that have good size and shape. He has the Dick Hortsman line but can not find anyone who has another line other than Dicks. Does anyone know of a person who may have a good strain?

Next a person has asked for a good strain of either Buff or Partridge Wyandotte large fowl. How many strains are worth getting into in the USA?

Hope some of you might know someone might have lucked out and got some good birds from a good breeder. So far AL we can find is feed store stuff.

Triangle acres poultry has some partridge wyandottes here is there website https://sites.google.com/site/triangleacrespoultry/professional.

I think Joel Gilman may have some partridge rocks, I have never seen them before so I don't know what they are like.

 

[fowlman01]

It is interesting to read all the info on selling poultry products, but in the many years I have been doing this, I have found very few people that could even break even let alone make money. With the current price of feed I don't know how any backyarder is going to be successful selling poultry products. Anything you sell will offset some of the costs of the hobby however and that is good.

Walt

 

[HEChicken]

Hi, this is my introductory post to mark this thread so I will be able to keep up with it from now on. I am the friend of Deerfield Acres referenced several pages ago. Through her diligence in research, I started reading this thread myself a week or so ago. I have to tell you, I read every word of the first 55 pages - and it was only about 3 days into the thread!!! I realized at that rate (2 days to read 55 pages), I would never make it to page 1087 (eek!) without burning out, so I skipped forward and read the most recent two weeks worth of posts and just read the last one a few minutes ago. In between I also read the entire CSU thread, and I have been taking notes from both. I am looking at my flock in a whole new way and looking forward to doing things very differently going forward. I am so excited to go with Deerfield next month to visit Frank Reese's farm and get some heritage chicks from him. My laying flock will continue to be my laying flock and provide my family and close friends with eggs, but going forward I will not be hatching any more barnyard mix eggs from that flock - all hatching will be with a specific purpose. I am still working on defining a plan and look forward to discussing this further with all of you. Thank you all for your dedication to preserving heritage birds.