Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[neftaball]

I have a request from a person who is trying to locate some Partridge Plymouth Rocks that have good size and shape. He has the Dick Hortsman line but can not find anyone who has another line other than Dicks. Does anyone know of a person who may have a good strain?

Next a person has asked for a good strain of either Buff or Partridge Wyandotte large fowl. How many strains are worth getting into in the USA?

Hope some of you might know someone might have lucked out and got some good birds from a good breeder. So far AL we can find is feed store stuff.

Butch Gunderson and Danny Padgett have Partridge Rocks

 

[Robert Blosl]

Glad we got a new lurker who joined us. There are I am sure at least five of you who read this tread but never comment. Heck I bet there are some judges, breeders ect who read this but dont comment and thats all right. I remember Ralph Knickerbocker use to say to Ken Bowl es every time I write a article for the Rhode Island Red Chronicle my sales go down. These where breeders who did make a few dollars on there birds, eggs and chicks in the 1960s. For me if I loos $400. this year I am a happy camper. This will be my best year in 20 years. Got orders for chicks about sold out on White Rock large fowl and starting to pick up with the little Mohawk bantams the past two weeks. No money only helps pay for my $18. of FRM Game Bird pellets. Have no desire to make my own feed or buy feed two dollars cheaper per bag I did that four years ago and screwed up my hatching and took a beating.

Thanks for the tips on the Partridge Rocks. That will help my friend he is reading this thread. Any other sleeper people who may have a lost strain in the wood in Tim Buck Two?

 

[1MrsMagoo]

Butch Gunderson and Danny Padgett have Partridge Rocks

Danny is close: He is in Florida. He sells hatching eggs and chicks via his website Padgett Exhibition Poultry.

 

[Marengoite]

It is interesting to read all the info on selling poultry products, but in the many years I have been doing this, I have found very few people that could even break even let alone make money. With the current price of feed I don't know how any backyarder is going to be successful selling poultry products. Anything you sell will offset some of the costs of the hobby however and that is good.

Walt

Walt,

If one is doing JUST poultry, I would agree with you. There's no way to recoup the expense. However, I think it could be done profitably as part of an integrated operation. Other than dairy farmers, I don't know anyone around here that keeps just one thing. Even the shepherds hereabouts keep a few pigs and beef cattle to round out the farm. I would think that chickens could be a profitable part of a total agricultural operation. But if one is in backyard poultry for poultry's sake, expect to loos money every year.

rick

 

[fowlman01]

Walt,

If one is doing JUST poultry, I would agree with you. There's no way to recoup the expense. However, I think it could be done profitably as part of an integrated operation. Other than dairy farmers, I don't know anyone around here that keeps just one thing. Even the shepherds hereabouts keep a few pigs and beef cattle to round out the farm. I would think that chickens could be a profitable part of a total agricultural operation. But if one is in backyard poultry for poultry's sake, expect to loos money every year.

rick

Well I'm not a real estate agent, but I did teach business at the university level and have personally tried to break even with poultry........never been able to do it, even when feed was "reasonable". My experience has been that most people do not consider everything when they calculate profit and loss. I have never tried it in a diversified market, so maybe someone can make some money........it just seems a bit sketchy given the price of feed. Maybe if you are growing the feed as well......I don't know. Give it a shot. I'm not here to discourage people. There is no question that people will pay extra for eggs and chicken meat if it is fresh and marketing is a wonderful thing if done correctly.

Walt

 

[capayvalleychick]

Well I'm not a real estate agent, but I did teach business at the university level and have personally tried to break even with poultry........never been able to do it, even when feed was "reasonable". My experience has been that most people do not consider everything when they calculate profit and loss. I have never tried it in a diversified market, so maybe someone can make some money........it just seems a bit sketchy given the price of feed. Maybe if you are growing the feed as well......I don't know. Give it a shot. I'm not here to discourage people. There is no question that people will pay extra for eggs and chicken meat if it is fresh and marketing is a wonderful thing if done correctly.

Walt

My neighbor with the large scale organic farm is making a profit with chickens. He sells chicken meat for $5. lb. and eggs for $8. dozen. The chickens are pastured in his fields where he grows certified organic veggies. They are fed organic feed. He sells at the Bay area farmers markets, in addition to CSA boxes. Hundreds of chickens & eggs every week and he sells out with people wanting more.

 

[NYREDS]

$8 a dozen!!!!! People where I live are much too smart for that.
I've had a couple years wher I sort of broke even eg: my income equaled my feed costs. Didn't factor in electricity mileage & some other costs though. For me it's a hobby that partly pays for itself. I'd have to approach things much differently if my goal was profit.

 

[fowlman01]

My neighbor with the large scale organic farm is making a profit with chickens. He sells chicken meat for $5. lb. and eggs for $8. dozen. The chickens are pastured in his fields where he grows certified organic veggies. They are fed organic feed. He sells at the Bay area farmers markets, in addition to CSA boxes. Hundreds of chickens & eggs every week and he sells out with people wanting more.

If you don't have to pay for feed and can sell for outrageous prices, you can make some money. Everyone says they make money, but unless you are the persons accountant, you don't know. The person's trying to make money don't usually know, because as I stated before, most people don't count all their expenses. The proof is usually how long the person has been making money. Can they do it over a few years.

I am not saying it is impossible, but most people can't do it with poultry. If they add it to other livestock and farming maybe they can.

w.

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Anyone from this thread headed to the Newnan, Ga show this weekend? I am picking my 14 yr old up from school tomorrow and headed that way. Not showing anything this year as work and weather have really interfered with conditioning any birds to show....plus I'm not confident that my Columbian rocks can yet compete with the Barreds and the Whites, maybe one day

If anyone is going I'd love to meet a few of you

Scott

 

[neftaball]

Yes, I mostly lurk and learn.