Processing Price

[lilwhispers]

I have been thinking about processing for friends and others as I said in another post I have been butchering most farm animals for 25+ years always just for my family. I was just wondering what the going rate for processing is for everyone. What you pay to have your birds processed or what you charge to process for others. I at one time even worked in a USDA inspected slaughterhouse where we did cattle,pigs,and sheep. When I started there we were even doing veal calves. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[laceynoelle]

I just did a trade, because i liked the fresh and often organic meat. For example, if i processed 25 chickens/turkeys/rabbits, etc, i would keep five and the others would be returned clean. Everyone was happy.

But i only did it for a few people who didnt want to do it themselves. It was a once a year thing for a dozen or so different peeps.

 

[jakobvanschagen]

$1.95 per bird here in northern Illinois

 

[bigredfeather]

Our local inspected shop charges $2, packaging extra. I charge $1/bird for friends if I am already doing my own that day. If I did it for someone who wasn't considered a friend or on a day I wasn't already processing, I would go to $2.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

No USDA processing facility around here will touch chickens. The one lady I could find that would process charges either $2 or $2.30 per bird. That's too much for me to pay!

 

[Peruvian]

An anecdote - A local farmer I buy beef from offered to start processing chickens for $4.50/bird this spring. He raises about 250 broilers a year to sell at the farmers' markets, so he thought it would be easy money to process other people's backyard flocks. After getting some seriously ratty, overgrown, very tough to pluck (in an industrial plucker) birds, he decided to stop offering that service after the first round. Even at $4.50/bird he said it wasn't worth it. It seems that the problem was you can't determine the state of the chickens that others bring to you but they expect a beautifully plucked, eviscerated, packed bird when all is said and done. He said he picked pin feathers for hours with his children.

 

[Miltonchix]

I like the idea of you bring me 20 to process and take 15 home. I'd much rather barter like that.
Anyone local willing, I'll do it for you. Bring me 50 take home 38.

 

[lilwhispers]

A few years ago i got a bright idea to order chicks, got permission from my dad to keep them on the farm. I ended up ordering 100 EE's then they had this GREAT deal if you ordered the hatchery surplus cockrels they were $12 for 100 so I ended up with 300 chicks. It was fun at first BUT 300 eat like pigs. I think we were buying feed about every other day. Now when I say I'm gonna order chicks my dad gives me the third degree on how many am I ordering . I think we paid $ 1 - $ 1.50 per bird but that was a few years ago. you guys are giving me a good range keep it coming.

 

[eKo_birdies]

we have one USDA processor in the whole state of CO. the guy pretty much has a monopoly on the situation and charges $3.45 a bird.

 

[scubaforlife]

We pay $1.50 for CXs and $2.00 for anything non-CX, chickens. Turkeys, rabbits and deer cost more. They are in Northwestern Ohio, Ohio Dept of Ag certified.