Can you make money?

[Mav11417]

I’m new to this so please bare with me. I’m not looking to make a fortune off hatching chicken eggs. Just wondering if it is profitable and if maybe I can use this to atleast cover the cost of upkeep for my chickens? Any input would be appreciated!

 

[Spartan22]

Depends on what kind of chickens you have and Your market.

 

[Rooster G]

Absolutely, you can make money. Go for it. If in doubt start small.

 

[mdees88]

Check craigslist and see how many people local to you are selling chickens, and see what their asking price is..... This would be a good starting point. Though there's two ways to look at it. If no one is selling them then you can corner the market. But no one might be selling them because no one wants to buy them. Talk to the locals and ask them what kind of chickens they deal with and what they sell the most of.

I don't recommend selling your chicks for WAY less than everyone else on craigslist just so you can make "a little" money to cover feed costs. If you post a very low price that could eventually drive the down the price and all of y'all will make less money... you can price them a little less but the goal is to make a profit. You can earn repeat customers if they have a good experience dealing with you, and word will get out. Instead of being the crazy person at the end of the road with cheap chickens....

 

[Dawnclucks22]

You can, but it may be harder to sell roosters. Some people don't like them because they're loud, occasionally aggressive, and don't lay eggs.

 

[cppeace]

It depends on your area a breeds. For example I have a huge hatchery less than a mile from me. I won't make any money with any breed they have. So if I want to I have to get rare breeds or make my own breed.
Best way to make money in any livestock is a niche.

 

[Mav11417]

Thank you for all the replies.

 

[Kiki]

Thank you for all the replies.

I am going to say NO..don't do it.
Feel free to hatch for your own keeping but don't think you are going to make money off of hatching and selling chicks.
The dollar or two you get per chick isn't even enough to cover your expense, IMO.
AND you are going to end up stuck with half of the chicks you hatch.


What's going to happen when you bring home a new bird and disease runs through your flock?
You will have to quite selling and close your flock.

 

[lazy gardener]

I've found that the market is fickle. I bought extra chicks last season. All were breeds that would sell well. But, I could not sell them for enough money to even cover my costs. Folks want a great deal for far less than the value of the product. Then there's this: What do you do with the customer who wants to put a dozen birds in a 4 x 4 coop? Or the person who lost his flock to local predator, but still refuses to provide the security the birds need? Or the person who's dog ate their chickens, and their attitude is: well, I'll just buy more. Or the person who expects the birds to survive on cracked corn? I would refuse to sell to that person.

Breed birds for your own pleasure. Sell eggs or chicks or POL pullets and HOPE to recoup your expenses. Don't expect to earn extra money. You can't compete with the hatcheries!

 

[ChickyPants]

In my experience, it is really hit or miss. You have to breed because you love it and you have a goal in mind. I have two projects going right now and I will end up selling all the birds that don't fit in to my breeding goals. I do not expect to make much money, I may cover some of my feed costs.

Chickens can be an addicting and somewhat expensive hobby.

My advice to you would be to try it out. Hatch some chicks knowing you may end up keeping them, then try to sell them. If you sell them, great! If you end up keeping them you won't be disappointed because you already knew that might be a possible outcome.

Also hens seem to sell better than chicks but they can also be a slow sell too. It really depends on the time of year and your individual market.