Chicken Prices....

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Here I sell whole chicken for $4.00 per pound, they range from 6-9 pounds. So roughly $32 per bird. I can sell them all day long, I even have people wanting to buy them out of my freezer because I don't have enough. I haven't needed to cut up any yet, but I guess I would charge $4.50 per pound quartered.


Just got my shipment of red broilers in yesterday.

 

[Brunty_Farms]

I've always watched California prices and are just amazed at what you guys get! I guess the cost of living is way higher too though. I don't know how people can afford to live there.

Congrats though... I guess it's time to raise a few more eh?

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Yeah it is CRAZY expensive to live out here! You don't even want to know what rent is!!!

I guess it all evens out in the end though... I hope!!!


Someday I hope to move to a more normal place!

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

Jeff - You are the wonder kid aren't you! Young man, you are doing what everyone else only wishes they were doing, I am so impressed. Your marketing set up is great, and your beautiful girlfriend's smile is just the winning touch.
I like your comment about loyal customers and saving them money, but want to ask; are you sure you prefer people coming out to your farm? I'm asking because of my husbands experiences, we love working where we live - what a great way to wake up and start the day. But after 17 years he has come to not love having customers come to the house, as there are always those who figure since we live here we are open 24/7 . . . anyway it is something I have been contemplating regarding my birds and thought I would bring it up. When we move we're going to invest in a storefront.

WMR - when I finally convince my daughter in San Diego to come back here, I'm just going to have her pack you along as well

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Quote:
Katy-

I'm just following my long time dream, it just seems that things are falling into place one day at a time. It's just an amazing adventure to be able to get the opportunity to follow your dreams.

Oh... the young lady in that picture is an employee. She is a very ambitious 14 year old that came to us looking for a job.... Melanie, my girlfriend was taking that picture. Melanie is the one behind the design and the marketing and yes she has a good smile too!

As for the customers coming to the farm... it's not as bad as you would think. I have a barn where I keep all the eggs and a soon to be freezer full of meat. Everything is self serve so I don't have to be bothered with customers while on my days off or while I'm eating dinner, doing chores, ect. They come and get their eggs... leave their money... and go. It's best for not only us but the customers as well. Reason being they feel it's convenient to come and not have to worry that I will be there or not. Also they don't have to feel like they are intruding... customers don't want to feel like they are barging in on you as much as you don't want them bothering you when your eating breakfast. They respect our home and help themselves to the fridge and soon to be freezer.

So far, I have had nothing but good experiences with it and hope that the soon to be "meat freezer" will be a great self serve option too. In todays world it's all about convenience to people... any way a farm can make it more convenient, by all means do it. Your sales will reflect the convenience too... ever since we had a self serve fridge our egg sales have tripled at the farm. See at market we have to pay 4% of our gross sales, which is why we encourage farm buys.

Another option we do is the CSA, which is once every two weeks. They pickup two chickens and two dozen eggs and then I don't see them again for two weeks, again, it's a convenience thing. Customers that are apart of the CSA know that they have to pick up every other week on the designated day and make plans around that.

 

[Raiquee]

Jeff I am so happy for you for doing so well with your dream! Gives hope to others

It's also nice to see you do so well in a battered and beaten economy, where everyone right now is trying to find cheaper ways of doing things.

It's also nice you can have customers come to your farm and have an honor system and not have any theift. Where I live I have a veggie stand I frequent and they have a money box as well. A few years back they actually had someone STEAL money out of it with pliers! How terrible of a person! He made it in the paper and all. Now they have a locked metal box with a metal "shoot" that goes down into the box, so they can't get pliers in there to pull money out. I always "tip" the money box if I am able to, to offering such a great veggie stand to consumers

I have a little wish of a dream on the corner of my mind of starting a veggie CSA, and getting to watch your posts here and on facebook keeps my little dream alive

It won't be any time soon, but it makes me realize that it's very possible to do and if I keep it small not a whole lot more than my standard gardening is already! Any hints on setting up a CSA?

 

[12henfun]

Yay Jeff!!! I still need to come visit !!! What breed of chickens are you using?

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Quote:
YES Katy PLEASE pack me along too. I would LOVE to move to Idaho!!!