Pricing Top Exhibition Quality Chickens

[hannahsocal]

Hello everyone!

I’m hoping some experienced exhibitioners can shed some light onto the prices they’ve seen or engaged with for high quality top tier chickens. I know that other birds can go for $5000+ for a high quality adult of a rare breed, but I’m wondering what the same top tier chickens have gone for or “typically” go for. I’m talking the best show birds that have done well at exhibition or have amazing potential to succeed in shows - the ones that breeders wouldn’t want to let go. What would the ballpark be for that type of chicken? How much does breed type and rarity play into the price?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

@Amer

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Other birds? $5000?

Are you speaking of black market American bald eagles?

Multiple show winning birds from APA or ABA shows could fetch a good price for a chicken but that would not be anywhere near what you are speculating. In reality breeding the near perfection opposites together have a better chance of producing a standard of perfection than mating to a show winner.

A mating trio selected by a master breeder is worth money. He knows his birds, knows the best pairings and hand picks an amazing start into a breed for a person. I could be way off but something like that may go as high as $500 but I sooner believe 200 to 300 dollars is more in the ball park. Then again, anything is worth what a fool is willing to part with.

Foley's Wyandottes are no joke in quality. He's currently selling pairs for $300 including shipping- http://www.foleyswaterfowl.com/

 

[Amer]

I honestly have never heard of a chicken going for 5,000 dollars, not the show ones, anyway.
And I’ve never met a breeder who actually sold their best since those are the ones they will breed from. I imagine those are priceless. So maybe they would price those at 5,000 as a farcical way to keep people from trying to buy them. The most expensive breeds imo are Old English Game bantams and Call ducks. Those would go for up to 200 hundred dollars a pair, maybe per bird if it was really stellar. Games and Calls are super competitive though. Other breeders could not hope for as much. On the high end of the spectrum, Foley’s Waterfowl put quality started Wyandotte chick pairs (not sure of the age) for 300 including shipping. He prices chicks at 35 each. However, I imagine some of the 300 is actually shipping. Shipping non-day-old chickens is very expensive.

Myself, if I sold a very nice show quality d’Anvers pullet (and yes, I have gotten best RCCL at a show, which isn’t a show winner but proves I have quality birds) I could maybe hope for 35-40 tops.
Typically I ask for 25 for the non-show quality and maybe 10 for the roosters. I raise pullet breeding quails so the males are incorrectly colored as per the Standard so I can produce females with good coloring.
I don’t know much of what other breeders are asking because I don’t ask. It is very hard to find the right people to market it to. You can sell people interested in raising show birds their foundation stock but after that, you have no demand. Selling at swaps where regular people who just want birds means that I charge far less than they are probably worth.
On average, good birds probably cost 20-50 dollars.
Most breeders don’t make money and are lucky to break even. It’s a hobby of love.

 

[Amer]

Other birds? $5000?

Are you speaking of black market American bald eagles?

Multiple show winning birds from APA or ABA shows could fetch a good price for a chicken but that would not be anywhere near what you are speculating. In reality breeding the near perfection opposites together have a better chance of producing a standard of perfection than mating to a show winner.

A mating trio selected by a master breeder is worth money. He knows his birds, knows the best pairings and hand picks an amazing start into a breed for a person. I could be way off but something like that may go as high as $500 but I sooner believe 200 to 300 dollars is more in the ball park. Then again, anything is worth what a fool is willing to part with.

Foley's Wyandottes are no joke in quality. He's currently selling pairs for $300 including shipping- http://www.foleyswaterfowl.com/

Lol, I can’t believe we both mentioned Foley. It was the only website example I could think of.
I didn’t see your post because I was writing mine but
5,000 is crazy.
Maybe for a bull it is reasonable, maybe an ibis or an eagle, but a chicken?

 

[Kiki]

Winning A show with a bird isn't going to make that bird worth a lot of money.

It will take years of breeding good quality birds that win often before to get your name out there before people will be willing to give you 50 bucks for a bird.

 

[Amer]

Oh and typically the rarer the breed, the cheaper. Because the rarer, the less likely it meets the Standard or can win at a show. And there is a reason it is rare. It is unpopular and low demand.

 

[SourRoses]

Some shows have auctions where prices go astronomically high for top tier birds. From what I've noticed, there's a fundraising aspect to many of these auctions that benefits the breed club. Those upper-level breeders sell a lot less birds than a typical breeder, because they have to focus on their reputation above all, so they can't allow any so-so birds out.
Some time ago, I had a conversation with one of the highest-ranking Sumatra breeders whose pair went for 10,000 at auction the previous year. They offered to sell a lower quality pair for $200, but they required I conduct the business through their friend who showed as an amateur. I decided not to go with Sumatras so that didn't happen, but it's how I came to these conclusions.

 

[Amer]

Some shows have auctions where prices go astronomically high for top tier birds. From what I've noticed, there's a fundraising aspect to many of these auctions that benefits the breed club. Those upper-level breeders sell a lot less birds than a typical breeder, because they have to focus on their reputation above all, so they can't allow any so-so birds out.
Some time ago, I had a conversation with one of the highest-ranking Sumatra breeders whose pair went for 10,000 at auction the previous year. They offered to sell a lower quality pair for $200, but they required I conduct the business through their friend who showed as an amateur. I decided not to go with Sumatras so that didn't happen, but it's how I came to these conclusions.

So true! Often the money for the birds that sell for the most isn’t going to the breeder since they are donated birds. Unless it is a 50/50 auction or something in that vein.

 

[hannahsocal]

Other birds? $5000?

Are you speaking of black market American bald eagles?

Multiple show winning birds from APA or ABA shows could fetch a good price for a chicken but that would not be anywhere near what you are speculating. In reality breeding the near perfection opposites together have a better chance of producing a standard of perfection than mating to a show winner.

A mating trio selected by a master breeder is worth money. He knows his birds, knows the best pairings and hand picks an amazing start into a breed for a person. I could be way off but something like that may go as high as $500 but I sooner believe 200 to 300 dollars is more in the ball park. Then again, anything is worth what a fool is willing to part with.

Foley's Wyandottes are no joke in quality. He's currently selling pairs for $300 including shipping- http://www.foleyswaterfowl.com/

Lol no I’m talking about certain peacocks, African grey parrots, etc.