Cornish Cross Financial Planning

[PlumpChicken]

Please help me if this seems wrong. I am looking for advice.

I am going to order 30 Cornish Cross in a week or so and I am trying to track the expenses this time around and really figure this out.

With a feed conversion rate of 2.5:1 I figure 2.5 x 8 (lb bird) = 20 lbs of feed

0.4 x $12(bag of feed) = $4.80 to feed one bird to eight lbs.


30 birds x 20 lbs per bird = 600 lbs of feed or 12 50 lb bags. 12 bags x $12 per bag = $144 to feed 30 chickens to 8 lbs




Hanging weight aprox 4.5 lbs x $4 per pound = $18 per bird

$18 per bird x 30 birds = $540



EXPENSES:

Chicks: $2 per bird x 30 = $60
Feed: $144

Total = $204


$540 - $204 = $336


(I understand that not all of the birds will make it to market weight)

(I also have a place to keep them and all of the supplies)


I plan on having my customers pay for processing so that will not factor in on my expenses.

 

[UrbanviewFarm]

Have you taken into account any losses that may/will occur raising these broilers? Very interested in knowing more, I have one CornishX I am raising as a project bird (found it at a local swapmeet). If this goes well I'm going to pick up more of this breed.

I've heard soo many bad things about these CornishX dying from outgrowing their systems, heart attacks, ect. From what I have seen ALL my bird wants to do is eat, getting a little worried about it eating itself to death!!

With that said, I may try Freedom Rangers or another slower growing broiler.

 

[PlumpChicken]

Yeah this spring I did a batch of 50 and we lost 3 or 4... 1 was because one of our horses smashed it's face in. Your right all they typically like to do is eat, sleep, and ****.

I am just trying to figure out the numbers so I actually know where I stand financially with this batch. Our first batch we kept all the meat for ourself. This batch of 30 I plan on selling so I want to figure out the numbers so I know if I had a profit, loss, or break even project.

 

[wsmoak]

$12 seems low for a 50 lb bag of feed, especially with the recent increases. What percent protein is it?

-Wendy

 

[PlumpChicken]

I believe it is a 20% or 21% protein grower feed. Your right prices could increase but I might have been paying $12.50 but it was not over $13.00 a bag.

 

[wsmoak]

I believe it is a 20% or 21% protein grower feed. Your right prices could increase but I might have been paying $12.50 but it was not over $13.00 a bag.

Okay. Just wanted to make sure you were not planning to feed them scratch grains and expect 8 lb birds at 7 weeks. The Purina Flock Raiser I use is around $20 a bag now! -Wendy

 

[PotterWatch]

$12 a bag sounds like a dream! We pay almost $30 per bag for our feed, but it is certified organic.

 

[PlumpChicken]

PotterWatch I hope you don't have a lot of birds! Paying $30 per bag seems like hell!

 

[Life is Good!]

Another expense - bedding while in brooder. We used 4 bags of pine shavings at $5.16/bag during the 18days our Freedom Rangers were in the brooder.

I also purchased 'chick grit' for the first days out in the grass - I expected some to remain...but they ate the entire bag over a 3wk period. I didn't record that price, sorry.

We also purchased 'overhead' type items - processing table, knives, Brinsea brooder heater - but as overhead, I did not pass that forward to our customers.

That's all I saw from your list. Depending on where you are, $4/lb might be a stretch to get. Even for 'free-range, organic' meats. Check with your potential customer base to learn what they'd pay and charge accordingly. No sense growing out 30 birds you cannot sell!

 

[WinklerFarms]

Also if you are raising them to 8 pounds how do you figure your birds would finish out at 4.5 lbs? At 8 pounds live they would finish around 6 1/2 lbs.