Asking prices for processed birds?

[feetsoup]

For any of you who actually sell dressed meaties to neighbors/customers, what kind of prices do you ask? And do you process yourself or pay someone else? I'd be interested to hear about marketing strategies, too. And how do you sell: farmer's markets, word of mouth, door-to-door, pre-order...? Sorry, I've got a ton of questions about the business aspects!

 

[GraceAK]

I also would like to know how much it usually costs to get a bird (or 6) processed. That seems pretty close to topic, I think?
Bump.

 

[TimG]

I paid $4/bird this summer to get chickens processed. Someone is going to come along and say that they pay a local Amish farmer $1.25 per bird. Sadly not an option in my area. I think that will probably be the highest and lowest you'll hear.

 

[Brunty_Farms]

I do all of mine myself.... and I charge $10.00 for a 3.5-4 lb dressed chicken.

Sell locally, and go to a farmers market close to me.

 

[they'reHISchickens]

yes, a local (eastern PA) gal on here gave me info to have an Amish gentleman process. I think she quoted more in the 1.50 range... still cheap.. and she also provided the storage bags.
Now if I had a freezer of any decent size, I might raise a few meaties.

 

[Buster52]

I only raise for my family, and will this coming year branch out to raising for the extended family, but how you sell and process is at least partly dictated by the laws and regs of your state. For instance, it may or may not be legal to sell at a farmers market in your state. The number varies, too. In Oklahoma its 1,000 birds a year. In Virginia it's 20,000. Here's a link to the legalities of various states:

http://www.apppa.org/legalstates.pdf

The above is a bit dated, but you should get an idea what is legal in your state. Of course, who knows what the new legislation and regulations coming down the pike from the feds are going to do to the small operator.

 

[feetsoup]

Yeah I've seen that pdf - it seems here (CA) I'm pretty much good to sell whatever I want on-premises, but I'm still unclear as to whether I'd have to be inspected for farmers markets. I intend to call around once the holiday season is over and find out. But to start with, I'm sure I can find plenty of customers in my neighborhood. (On a related note, anyone who has more detailed info on CA laws would be greatly appreciated!)

But I'm trying to figure out what I should charge when the time comes, as well as how to market. We'll be raising our birds in Malibu, so I'm fairly confident I could get probably whatever I charged, haha... as long as I marketed it right to the neighborhood celebs. But I don't really want to price-gouge anyone, even millionaires.

I'm just really interested in seeing how everyone else does things so I have some more information on which I base my decisions!

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

Good Morning,

Does anyone know where I will find info. on a processing plant in my area? I live in Va. in King William County...and I was talking to my brother n law in Kentucky and he has a large industrial kitchen in his feed barn to process his, but he told me to look for a processing plant to do mine if I wanted to. I used to do it by hand growing up on a farm with my grandma, but now I don't think I want to do it by myself...it's too much work.

 

[jaku]

I sell for $10/bird, processing myself, and to friends/family. I don't make much money, but I get all of my own meat free. It's my way of being "self sufficient" with Cornish X's.

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

We can't sell birds directly from our freezers (IL law) so we custom raise birds (chickens and turkeys) for folks, have them processed and our customers pick them up. (They never hit our freezer)

Our 6-8 Lb Cornish sell for $20 and the turkeys sell for $75.

We are in the process of setting up a Mobile Chicken Processing business. We would travel to people's farms and process their birds for their own consumption. We're located in NW IL and will probably travel to eastern IA, southern WI, northern IL to do this.