Do you sell your meat birds

[jaye]

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I'm interested in this, as well. I've started looking at what other farms in my area are doing. I found this farm's website very interesting:

http://home.maine.rr.com/rickandmarilyn/chickfarm/csawork.html

 

[greyfields]

I'm at $3.75 per pound this season. I think I did 250 this year with average weights of 3.0-5.0 lbs depending on which crop it was.

I don't raise Cornish Crosses, but I raise the Colored Range Broilers (formerly Freedom Rangers): http://www.jmhatchery.com/

As far as how to sell them, here is the cliff notes:

1) The sale of poultry is not USDA regulated, but rather State by State regulated. Some states 'punt' and don't have their own rules, so they defer to USDA regulations.

2) In general, you must take your birds to an inspected facility to have them processed. Depending on where you live, they may be allowed to be frozen, or only bagged & chilled. Only a processor can freeze birds where I live, you can't freeze them if you receive them only bagged & chilled.

3) Once you get them from your processor, it's generally State regulated how you must store them. Generally, they must be held separate from your domestic food supply in freezers or refrigerators which have been inspected.

4) How you handle the birds at the famer's market is regulated by each individual County in your state. In my county, I can keep them on ice at the market for sale. But, I cannot freeze them myself. In King County, they must be stored with mechanical refrigeration/freezer.

The first step to take is to phone your Extension Agent. They get asked these questions every week and she be current on their knowledge.

 

[miron28]

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Is this live weight or slaughter weight?

 

[ChickenTender63]

greyfields, do you have any issues getting that kind of price from people?

 

[ChickenTender63]

we can also freeze them after processing prior to sale as well. But that is North Carolina.

 

[jaye]

Wow, the subject of freezing post-processing has never come up. I'll have to check into that. The processor cannot release the birds to me until they are bagged and chilled to a certain temperature. I must maintain that temperature (ice + coolers) until I get home where they go into refrigerators and freezers. My coolers and freezers and thermometers were inspected as part of my licensing.

I can sell fresh the day after processing but must record the temperature in my cooler every hour and maintain the temp in a safe zone. Most birds are frozen here and taken to farmer's market frozen. For the frozen birds, I am required to keep a thermometer in the cooler and they must remain hard frozen. Market hours are 8AM - 1PM and I have had no trouble keeping my birds solid. Unsold birds go back into the freezer at home.

I'm going to try some of those Colored Range Broilers from JM next year. I'm looking for a more distinctive-tasting product to offer people at a premium price.

 

[greyfields]

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Is this live weight or slaughter weight?

Dressed weight.

 

[greyfields]

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No, Not at all. I general sell 50 chickens the week of slaughter. We are in no way competing with grocery stores as people who come to farm markets are looking for higher quality food than you can get from a grocery store. We raise the CRB's, which are the same birds used in the famous Label Rouge organic/free range scheme in the EU. We're not selling grocery store chicken and that prce is a fair representation of the cost to raise broiler on pasture/smaller scale production.

The problem I did have was when you get 10 lb birds dressed, people aren't willing to shell out nearly $40 for a bird. No matter how good it is, no matter how many meals they can make out of hte one bird, chicken will forever be viewed as inexpensive, low quality meat suitable for 2 people for 1 meal. So, I try to keep the prices under $20, which people more readily accept.

 

[greyfields]

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Yeah, it's hard, because some of the processors in WA won't freeze them for us. That means we have to slaughter Wednesday, age them in the fridge until Friday, then try to sell the whole lot Friday. If we can't, we then have to violate the law and freeze the rest to finish selling the following week.

Some processors here, though, will freeze them for you. It's just a matter of getting an appointment and have the timing right.

But, as noted above, every state is different. Fortunately our Farmer's Market is actually on a farm, so it's permanent (not setting up tents for a day in a parking lot. That means I have mechanical freezers and fridges over there where I store my meat throghout the season. I give the guy $5/week for the power. And they are in a locked barn, so I don't have to worry about losing anything. I can actually see the farm market from my office window here.

 

[jbowyer01]

Wow I wish I could find someone where I'm at to buy from. We use to get our thanksgiving turkey every year from a turkey farm in PA. Since we moved to Ga I now have to purchase from a grocery store. Any ideas on how to find someone where I'm at to purchase from?