Debating starting new hatchery

[herechickchick]

Quote:
"I guess the most frustrating thing is people either want $10 per egg or an ungodly amount of money for the chicks " people you get what you pay for if you want cheap chickens then buy chickens if you want high quailty chicks then you gotta pay , i get this alot with my asil, people say they are high priced , but you have to think they are rare breeds for a reason they are not as easy to breed as all the others , everyday care, predator losses , cages it all adds up and of course the quality of the birds , you can get asils, from hatcherys but they are not the real thing , if you want good quality birds its going to cost you , just be sure you are not getting some mixed breed trying to be passed as pure, i dont sell my asil for less that $100 ea

Well said. I get so sick of people whining about the cost of quality stock. You want the best then you have to pay for the best, it is that simple.

To the OP perhaps choose a breed that you love and then breed all of the different varieties in that breed. For example: Plymouth Rocks come in barred, columbian, buff, white, BBS and partridge. One breed many colors. I think people will always want quality stock from dedicated breeders. I think birds that can pull their weight as dual purpose layers and meat birds will always be in demand like the Plymouth Rocks. Another idea would be to have an American Heritage farm specializing in dual purpose breeds created here in the USA. You could choose a few breeds like the Rhode Island Red (real RIRs are stunning and look nothing like hatchery RIRs), Delaware, Mottled Java, Golden laced Wyandottes, Rocks or which ever breeds from the USA that interest you. Oh and I agree with the others, do not call yourself a hatchery.

Good Luck

 

[jamesrm]

Well, just as an update on what I have done, I have a large order in with Cackle (One of the larger ones they have handled I am told), birds that I am starting with are as follows:

Chickens:
Rhode Island Red
Buff Oringtons
Barred Rocks
Light Brahma
Assorted Silkies
Dominique
Jumbo Cornish Cross
Assorted Cochin Bantams

Turkeys:
Broad Breasted White and Bronze
Bourbon Red
Royal Palm
Blue Slate
Black Spanish
Narragansett

Ducks:
Mallards
Peking
Cayuga
Fawn/White Runner
Tan Runner
Muscovey

Geese:
Toulouse
White Chinese

Game:
Giant Bob White Quail
Giant Controux Quail
Chuckar Partridge
India Blue Peafowl (August)

I intend on adding other rare birds once I get established, but want to be able to supply standby birds to the locals. I have recieved a lot of people looking for keets, so I will probably pick up some of those as well. I have currently a shed devoted to this, holding a 5 tier GQF brooder, GQF Cabinet incubator and brooder, and several grow off pens built in brooding style with mesh floors so the birds can do their business, gets collected in a sloped basin, and I wash outdoors to my collection system to be dumped on the garden. There is a large rural high school one mile away from me, so I intend on a lot of 4 H involvement once I get things going. Love to have the birds shown.

I have under construction a 20x36 building to replace my shed, including a hatching/brooding room, processing facility, and about 18 3x4 breeding pens with 12x3 attached outdoor runs with draining system.

Once I get established and prove my concept, I can add on next year when we build an indoor arena, at that time I can build a 80 x whatever addition to house whatever I decide to go with.

I am going to try to pick up rare breeds as I go along. Any donotions of rare breeds are appretiated and I will gladly trade/share future stock, give back chicks or eggs, whatever.

Input is always more than welcome. I have been building chicken tractors with coops like a madman the past week. I have 2 tractors built that are 6x10(6x3 coop) and one tractor that is 8x16 (8x4 coop) all with pneumatic tires, built in light and supplemental heat. Using wire mesh all the way around and on top. Also building on a 8 foot flight pen with roosting above the coop on the larger tractor, smaller ones just have a 4 foot flight area extending straight out from the coop.

I have been busy

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
Well, since you are starting with hatchery stock (Cackle), it is unlikely that showing the birds will result in much success. You will have hatchery birds, not exhibitionary birds.

Good luck with your hatchery.

 

[Illia]

Quote:
Well, since you are starting with hatchery stock (Cackle), it is unlikely that showing the birds will result in much success. You will have hatchery birds, not exhibitionary birds.

Good luck with your hatchery.

My thoughts exactly. If you want to actually raise and breed rare breeds successively, don't start out with hatchery stock. Otherwise, yeah, you'll be another hatchery.

Also, didn't you want to specialize? the breeds you listed are not rare. A few on the list are rare if you look outside hatchery stock, but otherwise those are all very common and popular.

If that is what you want though, good luck.

 

[michickenwrangler]

It's the same with any animal really.

A quality Thoroughbred with racing winners behind her and proven offspring on the ground will sell for a lot more than a mare who only produces allowance racers. Asil Arabian stock is rarer and more costly then backyard Arabian breeders who breed whatever stallion to whatever mare.

Same can be said for dogs, goats, cats, cattle, sheep, ducks, anything.

 

[Choctaw Valley Farm]

I'M SORRY, I didn't think what I said would make anyone MAD.

 

[Penturner]

There is a lot of truth in this saying. "Quality, Quantity, or Price. You can pick two. I get the third" that means you can have any two of the three but never all three. In addition I seldom see anyone excel at a variety of things, even chicken breeds. so if you want quality you have to give up quantity (as in number of breeds). To be the best in even one breed is hard work, it is not unreasonable to think that being even above par with several is likely to be impossible. In addition, things are the way they are in the industry for a reason. most of those reasons have something to do with staying in business. Not trying to be flippant with that comment but the reasons are far to many to elaborate on them but the point is you will very likely make the same decisions for the same reasons. And to punctuate my thoughts I will just say. take a look at Superior Farms. Which is a good example of an attempt at doing just what you are thinking of. To save you some time I will just Bee line to the point. they are out of business as of just a few weeks ago. i don't think they lasted a real long time either. a couple of years if I have the story straight. As I gather, the management of so many high quality flocks became undoable. Why exactly I don't know. but it resulted in their chicks being anything but Superior. Now any business has trials it will need to survive, So i don't think that one example should convince you one way or the other. but it may be a source for you to learn a mistake or two to avoid along the way.
and in the devils advocate, I once knew a man in his 40's that said he had always wanted to be a veterinarian. I told him he should go get into vet school. He countered with the fact he would be 54 years old before he graduated. I asked him how old he would be if he didn't graduate? I went to see him for his 55th birthday, we had a cup of coffee together in his veterinary hospital. All in all, ask yourself what do you really have to loose because sometimes we play to win, but often we play to not loose. Be careful of that hold not losing may get on you.

 

[jamesrm]

Thanks for the advice and reality checks. Where do you think there is the largest need in the market?

 

[onthespot]

Generally chickens are like alpacas. If you buy in at the $500 level. you will be raising $500 alpacas. If you buy at the $25,000 level, you at least have a chance to produce like type alpacas. If you buy cheapo hatchery birds, you will raise the same from them. It takes the same expense and effort to raise a two dollar chick as a hundred dollar chick. Just saying... I'd rather have a small pen with $$ chick producers in there than a complete feedlot full of nickle chicks.

 

[Penturner]

Quote:
That one is actually pretty easy. mid line on quality for pretty much any breed. few people that are actually going to ever spend any amount of time effort or money on chickens are going to be happy with poor quality. Those that are show types looking for the best of the best are a relatively rare sort. But almost everyone else is looking for a good quality bird at a good price.
I also have a theory that says the people that really spend money on chicken are the chicken keepers. you might want to think about not only selling chicks. but chicken keeping support equipment as well. Many people prefer the one stop shopping if they can get it.

Best of all luck, no matter what it will not be easy.