Accidental success at selling $10 hens

[Scooter1978]

I have what y'all would consider free range chickens I always just considered them loose chickens until now. They are crossed up between barred rocks?, some breed of red chicken and some breed of white chicken. Probably half are raised by hens and I raise some from incubating (approximately 20 a year) . They eat whatever leftoverss they find in other livestock feed troughs and whatever they scratch up.

The feed mill I buy from's truck driver delivers to me every Monday afternoon and Thursday morning he told them I had them running loose and so Wednesday when I called to order feed they mentioned if I would sell some, I said yes $10. This weekend I sold 47 to the three people they sent out. I called the mill owner and told him don't send anybody else as I will run out of chickens. He brought me his personal incubator and I'm filling up his and mine to supply the mill with chicks or grown hens. He offered a dollar a chick and $10 a hen for something that will eat maybe $5 of feed to grow out is an unheard of profit margin in agriculture so along with quickly considering they can sell a dozen eggs for a $2 a dozen at the supermarket then I felt he was giving me a great price. So I already fixed the door to my 60 year old coop my grandfather built and caught 20 hens and three roosters to put in it.

After reading posts on here I thought people had gotten an elitist attitude towards having chickens? There's lots of people who don't care what breed it is they just want colorful chickens producing a few eggs so don't look at your accidental mutts as throw aways.

 

[oldrooster]

Many many people just want fresh meat and eggs. some want to know what breed just so they can go out to the store/hatchery/breeder and know what kind of bird they can get what they want from it. Like white/brown or colored eggs, or a meat bird or a dual purpose bird (also what size of bird they wanted since some a small standard almost a bantam size others a large standard almost a turkey size) and other people buy a few of this and that for different looking birds, or birds for different reasons, like a few meat, and a few egg birds. I myself am currently birdless and I figure when I am ready to but my hens if I go with hatchery birds I will look for a "bargain special" of the left overs of either DP birds or a special of any birds they have left either chickens ducks turkeys or whatever is on hand. I would likely keep the DP hens of either special and eat the roos and other birds (unless I can make enough off of the 2nd kind of deal to bother with craigs list or driving them to an auction/swap meet).

 

[Scooter1978]

What are DP birds?

 

[dealfinder500]

What are DP birds?

Dual Purpose... birds that are good for both meat and eggs, as opposed to birds that are great egg layers but have little meat, or birds that have lots of meat but don't lay well.

 

[LooseyGoosey]

I consider this "old fashioned" chicken raising. When I was growing up we had mostly RIRs but then we had whatever chicks or chickens my mama could scrounge up from local bulletin boards and Public Market or feed stores. We didn't make a big deal about breeds or anything and we often had "mutt" babies running around.
I enjoy trying to build up my stock of different breeds that have dominant genetic traits I want ... but really, I'm just excited to get a bunch of broodies running around with their babies like when I was a kiddo
On that note, I wish I lived in a bigger place and could sell off some of my chickens for $10 a piece!

 

[Scooter1978]

They had a company delivering organic free range pol chickens once a month selling off their truck for $12 a bird which is where these originally came from. Problem was they only delivered once a month and they required you pre order at the mill. The mill does not charge a markup they just love how many new regular customers they get for feed and supplies once someone buys chickens. Mill owner also got mad when they went up from $10 to $12 he said that is to much for a chicken and had not them comeback since November interestingly he admitted customers did not complain about extra $2 he just got ****** about it and decided he should protect his customers from price gougers personally I think he actually despised them for being organic and needed a reason to boot them. I'm not selling off my truck they have a coop and two brooders for them so they can keep them in inventory previous guy would not allow them to do that and why is beyond me.

 

[oldrooster]

They had a company delivering organic free range pol chickens once a month selling off their truck for $12 a bird which is where these originally came from. Problem was they only delivered once a month and they required you pre order at the mill. The mill does not charge a markup they just love how many new regular customers they get for feed and supplies once someone buys chickens. Mill owner also got mad when they went up from $10 to $12 he said that is to much for a chicken and had not them comeback since November interestingly he admitted customers did not complain about extra $2 he just got ****** about it and decided he should protect his customers from price gougers personally I think he actually despised them for being organic and needed a reason to boot them. I'm not selling off my truck they have a coop and two brooders for them so they can keep them in inventory previous guy would not allow them to do that and why is beyond me.

If he does not sell organic feed that may br a small reason, I figure there is something else to it. Like the diver cocked an attitude, or they wanted a cut from his extra sales or for some reason wanted a fee to sell there for bringing more customers to him. If he can get you and other customers who have pol birds that are haelthy then he does not need to cut anyone in on bringing him mors buisness....