Black Sumatras Owners!!

[blueberrysilky]

Wednesday i was offered a pair of Black Sumatras, I took the birds faster than the guy offering could get his words out. He only asked one thing of me, he said that he wanted me to preserve the breed. He asked that I would keep the bloodlines straight, and not let any crossbreeding occur.
What's your story? Why do you raise Black Sumatras?

Personal Question: Should I register my birds to atract buyers? (In the future)

 

[cavemanrich]

Very nice for the person to give you these birds. Assess to see if these chickens are show quality. Breeding such would naturally bring in more cash. I don't have show quality birds, just some chickens as pets. I also do not breed them since I cant keep any roosters.
I think after you see what you have. (show quality, or regular) you can make a judgment as to how you want to breed them.
WISHING YOU BEST

 

[blueberrysilky]

These are my birds, how do I know wether my birds are show quality? Right now I only have these two, but plan to grow the number to 8-10 birds. And, these birds are pretty young. The birds I have were hatched by broody hens, in fact all of this guys birds were.

 

[cavemanrich]

They SURE ARE BEAUTIFUL.... Breed them and then enter them in a show. There are shows all over the country, so there most likely is one somewhere near you. There may be peeps that specialize in that breed , so they would be more helpful to you than I.

 

[blueberrysilky]

So that's how you figure out wait "grade" your birds are. I had NO clue, Thanks! You are so much help, thanks for replying to my thread I've posted 2 already! Can you post pics of your hens, I would love to see! And can't WAIT to see what I have, again THANKS!!!!!

 

[cavemanrich]

I don't have any Sumatras, but I'm expecting a Ayam Cemani hen sometime soon. It will be a non show variety, and I am getting it a a VERY REASONABLE price. I only keep chickens as pets. Look at my pix and you can see I like an assortment.

 

[blueberrysilky]

I bet you are really exited, I'm exited for you. What's the going price for a Ayam Cemani?

 

[cavemanrich]

Straight run chicks, going for about $100. around here. ( I cant take a chance on straight run because of rooster possibility) . Adult birds are at $200 and up. I read that some can be as high as 2k. I have not seen such though. The pullet that I am anticipating getting will not be perfect,(show quality) but the price will be around $35. I just luv ornamentals. I just want one.

 

[blueberrysilky]

What should I sell Black Sumatra chicks for, I'm about to incubate a batch, what would you consider a fair price for both me and the buyer?

 

[cavemanrich]

The hatcheries are getting around $5 per chick, straight run. McMurry is sold out for the year. Others do have them, but you need to buy a minimum of 15 chicks, so your cost is around $100 for total order with shipping. These chicks are rather fragile, so not all arrive in good health, (if you can read between the lines here). I think you can hatch a batch and raise them for about 1 to 2 weeks and sell them as Started chicks. Sell locally and ask $15 each. Would that sound fair to you??? Peeps looking to buy just 1 or 2 should not expect them to be cheap. Started chicks are a safer buy , because they are past the initial survival stage.