Cost of Raising Chicks?

[yanks26]

I have heard that you can make more money per chicken if you sell them as a pullet rather than as a 1-day old chick. So with that said, how much does it cost for you guys to raise your chicks to this age where you can then sell them?

 

[Chicken7777]

Well i bought my chicks about two months ago from a hatchery now they are about two months old, and the amount of food i have spent on them has been about $40.00 and the cost of buying a waterer(we made ourselves our own feeder from wood)

I have 12 chickens, incuding three cornish crosses that i have, so the cost goes for those big bellies that eat and just poop!

I hope this is of any help.

 

[FarmerChick]

I used to raise my own.

I now buy 16-18 week old pullets for my layers from a local farm.

The cost comparison is about the same. I will pay $6.25 for these birds and they are Golden Comets.

If I raised them up to this age, that is almost exactly what I would have in them.

It is a catch 22 when truly pricing animals. You must do it correctly.

Your time from ordering an egg and hatching it, your gas to go to the feed store and buy supplies, the electricity used in bators, etc. etc. bags of feed, meds, etc. etc. Every single cost should be calculated to know what you have in those chickens. Then you know your true cost. So many do not calculate the true expense of their business--(if it is a business truly).

There is a breakpoint usually on all animals and where their feed to growth ratio etc. is not worth keeping them and it is time to unload. I don't have a clue what month a chicken is old enough to be the best sell time????

Where did you hear that? Can't you get the extra info to see what the true info. was and see how it was explained? Cause I would like to know too...LOL-LOL

 

[yanks26]

Say for instance I raise 12 Rhode Island Reds for 12 weeks. How much would I be able to sell them for?

 

[EliteTempleton]

Quote:
I bought my RIR @ 18 weeks of age for $10. But everything is local... Supply/demand/etc. The guy I bought them from was not able to sell as many as he would have liked. He wanted to sell about 25 if I recall correctly.

 

[yanks26]

I have a friend whose parents are going to give me free RIR eggs and I just wanted to see whether I should sell them at 1 day old or later. Thanks for your help. My question was kinda pointless because chickens arent even allowed in my town haha. Thanks for your help!

 

[ebonykawai]

Quote:
It totally depends on where you live. I know that's not a helpful answer, but it's true. Do a search on your local Craigslist, under farm and garden. See how many hits you get. It will give you an idea of how popular an item chickens are.

For me, the biggest expense when I raised my flock was the electric for the incubator, then the heat lamps until they were feathered out. It was a LOT more than I was expecting. I don't plan on doing it that way again. Next time, shipped chicks!

 

[Felicitas]

Quote:
You MIGHT get $8 - $12 each for them. Since you live in a "ritzy" town that doesn't allow chickens and has no farmers' market, and have already told us several times that you can't keep chickens in your backyard, where and how do you propose to house these birds? What will you do with any that you are unable to sell?

 

[yanks26]

Im thinking about raising them on my friends farm down the road but technically in a different town which allows chickens. Or if I dont, whatever ones I dont sell I will just give to them or sell to them. They would definitely take some. They have a 200 acre farm. Plenty of room.

 

[Felicitas]

Quote:
Are they the ones you say are going to give you hatching eggs for free? Are you going to pay them for the space your chickens take up in their coop and the feed they eat? Will you be at the farm daily caring for your birds or will you just leave it all up to them? And why on earth would they give you hatching eggs from their flock, let you raise the birds on their property and then pay YOU for a started pullet? That makes no sense whatsoever.

I think you need to do some real research about what it is exactly that you want to do, and then draw up a business plan and see if it's really feasible.