Last year I hatched bantam Cochins with the intention of keeping the best and selling the rest. I advertised on Craigslist, put up ads in the local feed store and grocery store, and finally took them to a local livestock auction at 10 weeks. I sold a few, but not nearly what I expected. My area is rural agricultural, and it turns out most people don't want fluffy, little birds no matter how cute they are. On the other hand, I had no problem selling my adult bantams through those same channels. Backyarders with kids, who somehow didn't catch on to the chicks.
This year, I'm hatching and selling Ancona ducklings through Craigslist and local FB poultry group. They are selling like hotcakes, out of the house within three days.
So, as far as my opinion goes, make sure you are selling something people want to buy. Almost always this will be purebred poultry; not many people want straight run backyard mix. Learn to vent sex and sell sexed chicks for a higher price. If you are accurate, your customers will be happy and probably come back for more. (We all know about chicken math) Always include cute pictures of clean, perky chicks, and advertise through Craigslist and a local FB group if you have it. Have a contingency plan if they don't sell as chicks. Mine is either the freezer or local livestock auction. Everything at that auction sells, but it may be for $1 a bird. At that price, I ought to have kept the birds and eaten them myself. And remember that generally prices are high through the spring and early summer, and will drop drastically in the fall, because everyone is trying to cut their flock down for winter. At least, this is true in my area.
Have fun! Just think, after this first season, you will have learned so much about incubation and your local backyard poultry economy.
