chicken business

[abdiro]

The range area would have to be certified organic too....at least in the US.


Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 2545295

 

[abdiro]

even if i add my location thats will not help alot . i am from algeria

 

[abdiro]

I’ve thought about selling our surplus eggs. But I think this would just cover the cost of their feed and supplies. This would make them self sufficient but not profitable.

do you ever try compost and wasting food system . literally cost 0 money ( if you have compost of course

 

[FeatheredRaptor]

do you ever try compost and wasting food system . literally cost 0 money ( if you have compost of course

I only have 11 hens and they only have about 1-1.5 hours a day of supervised yard time due to predators in my area. We give them leftovers from our meals, but that said it’s not a lot. These hens produce about 60 eggs per week or 5 dozen eggs. The surplus is about 3 dozen and we could sell the eggs in my area for about $3-4 a dozen or $9-12 of revenue a week and about $45 a month.

monthly we buy;
-layer feed 50lbs $12
-scratch 50lbs $11
-crushed oyster shell $9
-compressed hay/straw $10
total about $42 in supplies

they could be self sufficient but not wildly profitable for me given the circumstances. Now I probably give them access to more food than they need and I’m sure my kids waste more scratch then the chickens eat. The big savings are the dinners where we have eggs and deer sausage. Then I save about $10-15 for every meal replaced.

 

[rosemarythyme]

even if i add my location thats will not help alot . i am from algeria

That helps a lot - when you're talking about organic eggs, I'd bet the regulations are very different in Algeria vs the U.S. (which is where most of the replies are coming from). I don't know what it takes to sell organic eggs in your country, nor if there's a market for it. Nor do I know what the costs are in your country (for feed, for land, for wood or metal to build shelter) vs. what prices you can get for eggs or meat.

In the U.S. it's time consuming and expensive to set up for selling organic eggs, so most people don't do it.

 

[abdiro]

I only have 11 hens and they only have about 1-1.5 hours a day of supervised yard time due to predators in my area. We give them leftovers from our meals, but that said it’s not a lot. These hens produce about 60 eggs per week or 5 dozen eggs. The surplus is about 3 dozen and we could sell the eggs in my area for about $3-4 a dozen or $9-12 of revenue a week and about $45 a month.

monthly we buy;
-layer feed 50lbs $12
-scratch 50lbs $11
-crushed oyster shell $9
-compressed hay/straw $10
total about $42 in supplies

they could be self sufficient but not wildly profitable for me given the circumstances. Now I probably give them access to more food than they need and I’m sure my kids waste more scratch then the chickens eat. The big savings are the dinners where we have eggs and deer sausage. Then I save about $10-15 for every meal replaced.

i come to take advices but instead of that i will give some
1- thanks for all that details help alot
2- if you build fence and use compost and westing food you can minimum the price of feed to less then 5 dollars
3- you can replaced the hay/straw of just sand ( unless if the climat is so cold )

 

[abdiro]

That helps a lot - when you're talking about organic eggs, I'd bet the regulations are very different in Algeria vs the U.S. (which is where most of the replies are coming from). I don't know what it takes to sell organic eggs in your country, nor if there's a market for it. Nor do I know what the costs are in your country (for feed, for land, for wood or metal to build shelter) vs. what prices you can get for eggs or meat.

In the U.S. it's time consuming and expensive to set up for selling organic eggs, so most people don't do it.

I mean there are not many Algerians here and you cant fegure the conduction and the market form .and i want a generale idea how thats work

 

[3KillerBs]

like what

even if i add my location thats will not help alot . i am from algeria

Actually, that helps a great deal -- though mainly by telling me that I don't have much useful information to share.

The USA and a number of other countries have federal and state agencies intended to promote the country's agriculture and assist farmers, large and small, with expert information. In the US we call this the "Ag Extension".

They have many publications available in print and online with information about farming in the local conditions and local agents who are available to answer question and help people navigate the regulations.

This is my state's website: https://www.ces.ncsu.edu/

If your country has a government department to promote agriculture they might have the same sort of service. Or, if not, maybe you could get information on care and breed recommendations from the website of a country with a similar climate?

 

[Sally PB]

@abdiro, since you are in a different country with different regulations, what most BYC members can help you with is specific chicken questions. We won't be able to help with your country's rules and regulations, but we can help with ideas for coop building, feed, hatching chicks, basic medical care, and a lot more.

There are a lot of articles and threads here about everything to do with chickens. There are also a lot of very knowledgeable people with years of experience. Feel free to tap into what we know.

You sound very ambitious! I wish you luck and success with your project.

 

[Ridgerunner]

1- i decide to choose free range to minimum the budjet and get organic eggs

I'm not sure what your weather is. By latitude you are close to the center of the US but you may be on the coast. The presence of water can make the climate pretty mild. That will have an effect on how much nutrition they can get from foraging. A big effect will also come from rainfall, I think of Algeria as having a wet and dry season but I've never been there.

The bottom line is that the quality of your forage will have a huge effect on how well this works to reduce feed costs. If they rely only on forage there is a pretty good chance the quality (mainly size) of the eggs may not be great. Since you mention females I assume this is for eggs, not meat. I think there is a good chance you will have to purchase additional feed for them, at least for part of the year. There are trade-offs for everything.

I have no idea what kid of market there is for "organic" eggs or what constitutes an organic egg in Algeria. To success in a project like yours you may need to find a niche market, have some type of advertising gimmick that people are willing to pay extra for your eggs. Organic, free range, or cage free are often used here.

2- confuced to buy a 100 female or raising a flock from 0 ( alot of chicken diseases on my country )

I don't know which is better for you. I don't know what breeds are available. If you buy started pullets the cost can be pretty high per bird. If you buy baby chicks the cost per chick isn't too bad but you need facilities to raise them. Or perhaps you could get hatching eggs and an incubator to hatch your own. Of course, if you hatch your own or even get baby chicks just hatched how do you sex them? What will you do with the boys? Raising for meat is an entirely different business than producing eggs.

One huge issue is disease. You need to read up on biosecurity. The commercial chicken industries over here have very strict biosecurity practices. If you hatch your own eggs you can control biosecurity. If you get just hatched chicks you need to see their biosecurity. If you get started pullets you are much more exposed to bringing in problems.

One problem you have with eggs is that chickens got through a certain cycle. They typically produce as well as they are going to their first two laying seasons. Then, after their second adult molt production starts dropping. The commercial egg laying operations over here use specially bred chickens. They experience a drop of maybe 15% to 20% after their second adult molt. That's enough of a drop for them to not feed them through a molt but to replace hem with another flock.

Another issue is that chickens go through a cycle of laying well in the good weather months but when the days get shorter in the fall they stop laying and use the nutrition they are eating to replace those feathers. So you get a lull in egg laying in the fall and winter. Your customers have to do without, not good for long term contracts. The way they handle that over here is to house them where they can control lights to stop them from molting. If yours are foraging you can't do that. I've simplified it some but this natural cycle of laying may be a huge issue for you.

3- whats the best way to feed or raising them

I believe you are talking about baby chicks. Not sure what is available to you.

4- is it any profit of that or just wasting time

That is the big question, isn't it. What is your competition? Where do people buy eggs now, who supplies them? If you are up against big commercial operations with an established supply chain for what they need and especially using the commercial hybrid layers it will be almost impossible for you to compete unless you can find a niche market so you can get established customers willing to pay a higher price. One possible customer might be a specialty restaurant where the chef can tell you how he wants his eggs produced. People do this kind of thing but it is not easy. But starting any business is a challenge and people try all the time. Some succeed.

Good luck!