Pricing Top Exhibition Quality Chickens

[AprilWC]

Why would you donate good breeder birds??

Many breeders, at least in my circle, want to promote their breeds and help others.

In Jersey Giants, the only breed I have personal experience with, I've seen breeders sell chicks for anywhere from $10-$30 each. Juvenile pairs are typically $50-$100. A mature pair would likely be $200+. The upper end of those prices is usually from breeders who have quality stock and have proven multiple birds in multiple shows. Winning one show with one bird does not make a good breeding program.

 

[hannahsocal]

Many breeders, at least in my circle, want to promote their breeds and help others.

In Jersey Giants, the only breed I have personal experience with, I've seen breeders sell chicks for anywhere from $10-$30 each. Juvenile pairs are typically $50-$100. A mature pair would likely be $200+. The upper end of those prices is usually from breeders who have quality stock and have proven multiple birds in multiple shows. Winning one show with one bird does not make a good breeding program.

Those are the prices I’m used to yes. I’m guessing it must be for really good well known bloodlines to go a lot higher

 

[AprilWC]

I have never seen Jersey Giants going for more than $100-$200 per bird and that is from some of the top breeders in the US.

 

[Amer]

Many breeders, at least in my circle, want to promote their breeds and help others.

A perhaps happier reason rare breeds are cheap.
Sometimes we just want to share our breed and not let them die out.
Back when I was into Buckeyes, I got a bantam Buckeye pair for free. The idea was to give a free quality pair to a youth as long as they would breed and promote it. (Ok, calling it a quality pair is a stretch but the breed was rare and poor at the time so it was the best that was available at the time.) I did breed and promote them for fivish years, but I sold them so I could focus on d’Anvers. Hopefully, I did a good job.

 

[hannahsocal]

A perhaps happier reason rare breeds are cheap.
Sometimes we just want to share our breed and not let them die out.
Back when I was into Buckeyes, I got a bantam Buckeye pair for free. The idea was to give a free quality pair to a youth as long as they would breed and promote it. (Ok, calling it a quality pair is a stretch but the breed was rare and poor at the time so it was the best that was available at the time.) I did breed and promote them for fivish years, but I sold them so I could focus on d’Anvers. Hopefully, I did a good job.

That’s so wonderful!! I can understand why someone would want to keep their breed going by giving away free birds, but also, if the breed doesn’t really “look” like a chicken and is more of the exhibition-only type (frills, fancy, not useful in the wild lol) it could be worth more to people who would pay a lot to just have a beautiful purebredbird in their collection

 

[Amer]

That’s so wonderful!! I can understand why someone would want to keep their breed going by giving away free birds, but also, if the breed doesn’t really “look” like a chicken and is more of the exhibition-only type (frills, fancy, not useful in the wild lol) it could be worth more to people who would pay a lot to just have a beautiful purebredbird in their collection

Yeah, I can see that.
Buckeye bantams aren’t that pretty or useful. I like them but I’ll admit it is the d’Anvers that really catch my eye.
And people that just want something cool looking probably aren’t going to benefit the breed by breeding them, so there’s no reason to just give them away.