I almost swung a contract with a Chinese Restaurant to raise chickens for them, the catch was they had to be USDA inspected, darn it!
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Calling Meat Poultry Producers (Chicken, Turkey, Duck, Goose, ect.)
- Thread starter OSUman
- Start date
Harp... for processing what do you do? Take them somewhere? Do them yourself? Just curios as it seems Washington is a tough state to sell poultry. Interested to here your take...
We do all our own processing here on the farm ourselves. I can not afford to take them anywhere they all charge 3.50+ per bird. When you do 150-200 a month that is enough to sink you right there.
We sell 100% off the farm. Here in Washington to sell at a farmers market,restaurant or store you need to have them processed by a WSDA inspected facility and if they are to leave Washington they need to be done at a USDA facility.
In Washington it is cheaper a year to do 25,000 birds and under then it is to do 1,000 birds and under. 1,000 birds = 75.00 or 25,000 birds = 45.00 a year ?? Can you explain that one..... I have never had any problems here and we sell a few every year. Really it is a he said she said sorta deal. Plus who would come to a small farm and buy chickens and then turn around and sue the person ??? For what ??? Those people can just eat the supermarket birds.
When we sell at a farmers market we just have brochures and go to a person we know that already has a booth and advertise thru there booth and get people to come out to out farm, of course we could sell and charge more if we went to the farmers market with the birds but what a pain in the @**, so many regs to deal with for me !! Plus even with the added price, I don't feel it is worth it to have to haul them there and stay there and all the things that go with it. They can come to me, and so far have had no problems there !!
We do all our own processing here on the farm ourselves. I can not afford to take them anywhere they all charge 3.50+ per bird. When you do 150-200 a month that is enough to sink you right there.
We sell 100% off the farm. Here in Washington to sell at a farmers market,restaurant or store you need to have them processed by a WSDA inspected facility and if they are to leave Washington they need to be done at a USDA facility.
In Washington it is cheaper a year to do 25,000 birds and under then it is to do 1,000 birds and under. 1,000 birds = 75.00 or 25,000 birds = 45.00 a year ?? Can you explain that one..... I have never had any problems here and we sell a few every year. Really it is a he said she said sorta deal. Plus who would come to a small farm and buy chickens and then turn around and sue the person ??? For what ??? Those people can just eat the supermarket birds.
When we sell at a farmers market we just have brochures and go to a person we know that already has a booth and advertise thru there booth and get people to come out to out farm, of course we could sell and charge more if we went to the farmers market with the birds but what a pain in the @**, so many regs to deal with for me !! Plus even with the added price, I don't feel it is worth it to have to haul them there and stay there and all the things that go with it. They can come to me, and so far have had no problems there !!
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^^^^------ yes
Okay. Thanks for the clarification. That is wise advice.
^^^^------ yes
Okay. Thanks for the clarification. That is wise advice.
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I think the entire point of the thread is to know your local jurisdication and follow the rules.
TOO MANY people read "Pastured Poultry for Profits" and think they can just be clever with wordsmithing and avoid the laws/rules. In the end, they get darn either by a customer who gets sick or the State coming down on them. You may not semantically exempt yourself from the laws of your jurisdiction.
I think the entire point of the thread is to know your local jurisdication and follow the rules.
TOO MANY people read "Pastured Poultry for Profits" and think they can just be clever with wordsmithing and avoid the laws/rules. In the end, they get darn either by a customer who gets sick or the State coming down on them. You may not semantically exempt yourself from the laws of your jurisdiction.
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I think the entire point of the thread is to know your local jurisdication and follow the rules.
For Illinois.
I think the entire point of the thread is to know your local jurisdication and follow the rules.
For Illinois.
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What a great idea. I'm actually toying with selling eggs and vegies at our local farmers market and was wondering how one would go about selling meat birds there. The nightmare of refrigeration (propane frige? generator?) and such was driving me batty.
You just can't know how helpful this is. Course, I'm a long way from that at the moment. Right now we are just trying to get to the point of feeding ourselves.
What a great idea. I'm actually toying with selling eggs and vegies at our local farmers market and was wondering how one would go about selling meat birds there. The nightmare of refrigeration (propane frige? generator?) and such was driving me batty.
You just can't know how helpful this is. Course, I'm a long way from that at the moment. Right now we are just trying to get to the point of feeding ourselves.
- May 27, 2009
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As I pointed out above, you can do a CSA where you get the customers to pre pay for the birds before you even order or hatch the chicks. You give them a discount over what they would be paying if they waited and build in a set number of weeks they need to come and pick up the birds, or combine it with a vegetable CSA pickup or have them get a certain number at once for their home freezers.
If you are organic you can double the normal price. You can also add more if they are free range and more again if they are "heritage" birds rather then the Cornish/Rocks. You can get the organic feed shipped by the pallet at wholesale prices if you have a tax ID for selling or get it in bulk. WHolesale will run you about $15/50 lb bag which is comparable to retail regular feed. You can also supplement with home grown feed and greens and scraps if you are organic at your farm.
If the birds are taken to processor and frozen and you keep them that way, the Health Dept issues are minimal. You just need to show them the packaging and the thermometer in the freezer if they ever come around, which they won't unless there is a complaint.
If you are organic you can double the normal price. You can also add more if they are free range and more again if they are "heritage" birds rather then the Cornish/Rocks. You can get the organic feed shipped by the pallet at wholesale prices if you have a tax ID for selling or get it in bulk. WHolesale will run you about $15/50 lb bag which is comparable to retail regular feed. You can also supplement with home grown feed and greens and scraps if you are organic at your farm.
If the birds are taken to processor and frozen and you keep them that way, the Health Dept issues are minimal. You just need to show them the packaging and the thermometer in the freezer if they ever come around, which they won't unless there is a complaint.
I have an inspector from Michigan Dept. of Agriculture coming in the morning to check out my processing area to see what I'd need to do to pass inspection and get "official." Wish me luck!
- Jul 19, 2009
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That sound great!!!
That sound great!!!
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