Appropriate pricing for Call Ducks

[ChicksnMore]

This is my first year selling. I listed my newborn white calls at $10 each and some sexed white calls at $50 for male/female pairs. The babies all sold fast and two outta three pairs sold.

I went on CL and looked at what people were asking for general ducks in my area and priced the same. Mine are also pet quality.

I have some snowys and bibs growing up now that I'll have to sell at some point...I'm just enjoying them too much to sell them yet. Hopefully they'll sell ok too.

 

[Aunt Angus]

@Aunt Angus , how noisy is your little white call duck?

She's still young, but she sure talks a lot!

Tonight, I was down in the ravine next to our house, tending to the goats. All our windows and doors are open because it's so friggin hot, and I could hear her from the livingroom calling for me! I was several hundred feet from the house and down the hill. That little voice can carry, I tell you what.

But so far, my chickens' egg songs are louder by far. And once my Saxony gets going, there are few things louder.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I am forming aflock of ducks and u just have to say they are so much more expensive than chickens, I am over here spending $200 for a male and female of the same breed it's quite interesting

Daaaaang! What breeds? I paid $25 for a designer chick, but, other than my Call, my ducks were all just a few dollars or free.

The females better lay golden eggs - haha!

But I'm not judging. The vet bills for my ducks are much higher than for my chickens, so far.

 

[Lenny loves chickens]

Daaaaang! What breeds? I paid $25 for a designer chick, but, other than my Call, my ducks were all just a few dollars or free.

The females better lay golden eggs - haha!

But I'm not judging. The vet bills for my ducks are much higher than for my chickens, so far.

Well like the wood duck couples and stuff like that they are more expensive but even jumbo pekins are like 20 bucks its crazy

 

[Painted Calls]

Exhibition quality calls are quite expensive from certain breeders. I have a $400 + shipping pair coming this fall. Talk about nervous about shipping! This will be my first time having adults shipped.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

I appreciate all the help everyone, this is all good info to work off of. I guess I'll cut my (small) losses and sell for $10 each. Yesterday I offered them at $15 to a couple people who had asked, and they ghosted me, so I'll try reaching back out to them with $10 apiece and see how it goes. If they still don't sell, I'll raise them to adulthood and try again then at $20. I hadn't considered the feed situation, and to make things worse, this is my first year selling so I don't have much of a reputation yet, and I think people are leery of the possibility of paying good money for what could just be barnyard mixes being passed off as call ducks.

That and people that are unfamiliar with calls don't have a clue how expensive they can be moving up into breeder/show quality. Folks in my area being a farming community mostly look at ducks and chickens as livestock and gasp at the thought of a 20 dollar duck that lays bantam size eggs and not much bigger than a quail if you were gonna eat it.

It's eye candy people.

 

[Painted Calls]

But so far, my chickens' egg songs are louder by far. And once my Saxony gets going, there are few things louder.

Give it time.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

When my calls get cranked up about something they are definitely loud. But as far as frequent quacking...my Cayuga ducks will just quack to hear themselves quack I swear.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Oh dang if they would have been for sale two weeks I would have gladly paid $15 a duckling and I'm just an hour south of you. I had a lone Hookbill duckling make it from my last hatch who I needed to find some smaller breed friends for and I have been debating about calls for awhile now.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

The calls will go all day long without making any noise at all as long as they are content.