Advertising techniques

[WIchickens]

That is so smart with the eggs!! makes total sense
How many layers to you have? How many dozen do you sell a week? what to you charge?
I have 15 layers chicks coming in a few weeks, so that will give me 20 total. but they won't be ready to lay until fall. But hopefully use the eggs to bring people in like you said! maybe I need more layers... They are my favorite!

I think I will contact a couple local restaurants and see what I come up with. Do you have to have them butchered in a USDA facility then if selling to a business? I like the farm to table special idea. sounds good.

I am planning on doing do thanksgiving turkeys....I am going to advertise on facebook and ask for preorders with a $10 deposit. I am hoping to get somewhere with that!

As soon as the snow melts around here, I will start those meat birds. My husband says no to the Cornish X. We might be going with freedom rangers instead.

 

[slingshotandLAR]

That is so smart with the eggs!! makes total sense
How many layers to you have? How many dozen do you sell a week? what to you charge?
I have 15 layers chicks coming in a few weeks, so that will give me 20 total. but they won't be ready to lay until fall. But hopefully use the eggs to bring people in like you said! maybe I need more layers... They are my favorite!

I think I will contact a couple local restaurants and see what I come up with. Do you have to have them butchered in a USDA facility then if selling to a business? I like the farm to table special idea. sounds good.

I am planning on doing do thanksgiving turkeys....I am going to advertise on facebook and ask for preorders with a $10 deposit. I am hoping to get somewhere with that!

As soon as the snow melts around here, I will start those meat birds. My husband says no to the Cornish X. We might be going with freedom rangers instead.

Currently I have 16 layers.... With plenty of snow and cold I'm getting 8-10 eggs a day from a 23 week old flock. Selling them now for $3 a doz but I'm going to increase it to $4 in the fall. We are in the process of adding a commercial greenhouse and I'm going to add 50 more layers for a total of 75. They are butchered at a USDA place currently.... If this year goes as planned we will be moving to on farm processing. I took turkey orders with out a deposit this year without issue, everyone showed up lol

 

[WIchickens]

Wow it sounds like you are really expanding. That's awesome. I hope some day we can get to where you are too!
We just had a big heat wave here in WI and the snow is melting like crazy. So nice to see some grass again, and my layers are so happy to stretch their legs!

Do you have any experience with dark Cornish? Good or bad? Just checking out my options....

I was on the fence about the deposit. Do you think preordering for turkey's isn't necessary? I just don't want a freezer full of turkey.....prob don't have enough freezer space anyway!

 

[slingshotandLAR]

Wow it sounds like you are really expanding. That's awesome. I hope some day we can get to where you are too!
We just had a big heat wave here in WI and the snow is melting like crazy. So nice to see some grass again, and my layers are so happy to stretch their legs!

Do you have any experience with dark Cornish? Good or bad? Just checking out my options....

I was on the fence about the deposit. Do you think preordering for turkey's isn't necessary? I just don't want a freezer full of turkey.....prob don't have enough freezer space anyway!

No experience with dark Cornish

Definitely take preorders for the turkeys, the first year I ordered 6 and started telling people I was going to have them. Within a few weeks I had to add to my order.

I had all but 2 spoken for and though that was good incase I had any dead loss. I didn't lose any and we kept the other 2.

I would start with a small number you think you can sell easy, than expand from there. I think I have 7 already for thanksgiving this year from relatives of people that got a turkey from us last year.

 

[WIchickens]

Update: After chatting some more, sounds like the BB white is the way to go. My uncle (our processer) says to start them in june. But then he says there is a possible "turkey shortage" this year, so I better get my order in in the next month for June poults. So, I started advertising yesterday. I have posted in on facebook, in a few different groups. My friend made this great sign for me that I put on facebook. I thought this will go like hot cakes.

Not so much. I have sold 2 whopping turkeys. My husband thinks no one is thinking about thanksgiving right now. I agree, but people who usually look for farm fresh turkeys are shopping around this time right? Deep sigh...

I know it has only been one day. I tend to be impatient. I work at a school, and after spring break I will start advertising here. Hopefully that will help. There are no farmers markets here until May, so I can't do anything with that. Urgh I am just feeling frustrated.

I also have 25 Cornish X coming at the end of april...I hope that wasn't a big mistake!

 

[slingshotandLAR]

Your husband is right....

The closer to thanksgiving you get the more response you will get.

Start posting late August and repost every two weeks till mid November. The fact you sold 2 already is pretty great.

Plan to give some of your chickens away, creates awesome customers, give one maybe to a coworker or a family friend. Make sure you tell them it's a one time deal so they have proper expectations. That's how we got into the egg business, gave them away for a few months than told everyone we were going to start selling them. I am always sold out.

You will do just fine, it's exciting building something from nothing.

 

[WIchickens]

Thanks for being so supportive! I just feel like I am kind of "putting myself out there" so to speak....you know?

So how do you guys do it? Do you just buy 30 poults and pray they sell in November? I feel like that is a big leap of faith. But if that's how it's done then I guess I better get used to the idea. I would just be totally mortified if I raised them for nothing.

Great idea about giving some chickens away. Makes total sense. I just wish I had some to give away now!

 

[slingshotandLAR]

Thanks for being so supportive! I just feel like I am kind of "putting myself out there" so to speak....you know?

So how do you guys do it? Do you just buy 30 poults and pray they sell in November? I feel like that is a big leap of faith. But if that's how it's done then I guess I better get used to the idea. I would just be totally mortified if I raised them for nothing.

Great idea about giving some chickens away. Makes total sense. I just wish I had some to give away now!

Do a small batch the first year

Once you put the word out you will get a few from friends and family.

I'm gonna use a sign this year out by the road in October. The birds don't ship till mid to end July, you still have some time to figure out your number.

I started with 6 than had to add some once we started telling people I didn't have enough.

Have faith, people love fresh turkey

 

[WIchickens]

Thanks for reassuring me. I am sure you guys are right. I just need to relax a bit!

So you start your turkeys in July? People have been telling me mid June. Maybe I should start at the end of June. I sold 8 so far, I think we might do just 15. Like you said - start smaller, hope for more next year.

 

[slingshotandLAR]

Thanks for reassuring me. I am sure you guys are right. I just need to relax a bit!

So you start your turkeys in July? People have been telling me mid June. Maybe I should start at the end of June. I sold 8 so far, I think we might do just 15. Like you said - start smaller, hope for more next year.

I started bourbons in May last year...

Largest Tom dressed at 15.49lbs, that's 7 months feeding them. Needless to say I'm not doing them again.

Broad breasted bronze will be in the 20lb dressed range at 16ish weeks. What I found is customers want a 20ish pound turkey, they don't care what breed they are as long as they know they are fresh. I do them so we can process the Saturday before thanksgiving and deliver non frozen birds. If we don't get them late they be huge by d-day.