Checking interest on Custom incubating/hatching!!!

[Sooner]

what about chicks that didn't make it thru shipping? Not interested just a thought.

 

[drewssled]

Thank you very much for everyones questions, concerns and thoughts. This is just an idea ive had for a little while and would like to give it a shoot. Which the best way to figure out what you customers what is to ask your potential customers what they think. Voice there opinion pretty much.

The only reason im considering this is i do know alot of people out there dont have the time, equipment or know how to do this but still want to have a flock for whatver reason it is.
Yes there is a ton of variables here. I mean a ton. I guess i need to make it cost effective enough for the simple reasons of fertile eggs, shipping eggs and shipping chicks.

Yes local would be better for shipping and face to face customer service.

Thanks for the info and thoughts
Drew

 

[17roses]

Personally I wouldn't even think about it. It costs less than $100 for a (cheapo) bator and turner. That is what I bought and it works great. Your way would be too much of a hassle. IMO (I am just one person so take it with a grain of salt.) I would find lots of local people with great hatching eggs, make a deal where you can hatch, you get half the chicks and sell them. The risk would be much less and people with show birds or just alot of good birds often run out of room in their own bators. To me a chick is worth alot more than a fertile egg.

 

[speckledhen]

I think for all the things that can go wrong, plus the cost involved, it would be easier and preferable for folks to just buy or make an incubator and hatch their own. It's really not hard at all. Then the incubator would still be there for future hatches. Seems much more cost effective plus, I hate turning anything over to someone else that I can do myself.

 

[redhen]

Its a good idea! But honestly, i dont think many people will do it. Sorry..

 

[Katy]

I guess I don't understand why you've got 8 brand new sportsmans when you've sold your flocks.

 

[lemurchaser]

Quote:
For what its worth, I would never pay per egg. There just isn't any incentive for you to do a good job hatching them. You're paid when the eggs arrive, not by the care you put into hatching them. I would consider something like a .25 per egg, plus an additional .75 if the egg hatches. With your prices though it is only really feasible for people who want to hatch a lot of eggs. Hatching a dozen of something wouldn't be reasonable. Even then hatching 100 eggs for $1.55 each is $155, and you're only likely to get 50% on shipped eggs, so now that's $3.10 per chick. That's getting expensive enough to just do it at home. And then add in that the chicks could die in transit... too risky for that kind of money. If you could find people locally though, the prices seem fair.

 

[drewssled]

I like the idea of per egg then per hatch. Makes more sense and shows i want to hatch as many as possible. If i could figure it on fertile eggs and then the hatch i could be on the something then. If anyone would ever be interested what kind of prices do you think is in line. Im currently checking into hatching for a goose farm but thats up in the air (owners dont speak english). Give me some rough ideas on prices that you guys and gals think would interest customers.

 

[Katy]

Honestly, even if you offered to do it for free and pay the shipping both ways I wouldn't be interested. Shipping just takes too much of a toll on the eggs....why would I want to send off my eggs which hatch very good here at home, subject them to shipping and cut the hatch rate down to half...if I'm lucky. Then to have the chicks shipped and risk losing chicks......It just makes no sense to me.

 

[peeperz]

I thought I'd add my 2 cents worth here as well, I am a newbie with 7 years experience under my belt & a small flock of 30 Heritage chickens that I keep for my Egg & chick customers.
I sell day old chicks that I hatch myself to people interested in the Breeds that I have... I am thinking that if you are offering a custom Hatching service, there are so many variables that you can't control

... for example if you may get inexperienced people sending you infertile eggs or eggs from a poorly nourished or worse from a sick or diseased breeder flock... you could have the best hatch rate in the world & get no where! I think offering the service locally to breeders you already know would be the best way to go. If you like hatching, then hatch from your own closed flock & sell quality chicks.. you are in control of all the variables!