do your birds make you money?

[happyhensny]

Have had chickens for 2 years now and at this point we have about 30 birds and they lay enough eggs (even in winter-with a light) to pay for all their feed, shavings, etc. So, they don't necessarily "make" any money, they do pay for themselves and give us eggs to eat and a peaceful way to spend time outdoors. That's alot more than most pets we have.

We love our chickens so much that we just hatched 7 and ordered more (25) due to arrive on Monday. I have enough money in the "chook kitty" to buy these.

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

If you

have land near a metropolitan area (i.e. a major market, for eggs, broilers, pet hens, etc.)
Have a desire to market (willing to explain to anyone and everyone why your product is better than mass-produced alternative)
have the know how and willingness to make-do (makes pens, coops and equipment on the cheap from scrounged materials)
have the ability to differentiate your product from all competitors (fresh eggs/broilers from cage-free or pastured or organic...)
have the ability to get your consumables cheaply (feed, broiler chicks, brooder heat, etc.)
have few existing entrenched competitors
have the ability to perform your own services (veterinary, meat processing, egg delivery, etc.)

You might be able to "make money" with poultry.

I believe there are people on this web site who can do it, but the vast majority are probably doing it as a hobby.

I will mention that if there are a lot of "hobbyists" in your area who sell their excess just to offset feed bills, they basically ruin the market for anyone trying to make a living selling that product. I am not angry at the hobbyists, but it is a fact you should be aware of.

When someone claims they are making money on poultry, try to understand exactly what their business is. They may be able to make money with a certain product in a certain area, but it may not work for most people.

A well-respected breeder of very high quality stock can sell individual birds for large amounts of money to other knowledgable poultry breeders. Can you replicate that in your first year? Probably not. Some can get $5 a dozen for eating eggs in a major metropolitan area that hasn't seen a fresh egg in years, but that price may not be achievable in your area. Some might make loads of money selling pet/backyard hens at inflated prices for a while, but I am guessing these folks will eventually flood their market or cause regulations against backyard flocks to be written as poorly cared for and poor quality hens get dumped in animal shelters when the "fad" wears off but the old hens are still alive and kicking.

So look at your own situation honestly before leaping into a large scale operation. Start slow, grow with your market. Enjoy your birds!

Personal situation:

I live in a rural area with many hobbyists selling their spare eggs. So a fresh egg from a chicken that runs around in fresh air and sunshine is not that uncommon, and the market rate for a dozen such eggs is $1.50. I personally have a steady market for 4-6 dozen a week. Therefore, I should not raise more chickens than needed to fulfill that need and our own use, or I will have an over abundance of eggs. I have to watch expenses carefully, feed and heat bills have been higher than initially expected, and I lost 3 birds to a mink (we can get $5 for a mink pelt

). I am much happier in the summer when the birds are out on pasture and getting more of their food on the cheap. Our shelters will never win a "Pretty Coop" contest, but the birds seem to do ok in them.

We are looking into selling excess hens as pet/backyard hens in the local neighborhoods that allow them. This is important as the 4-H kids usually need to raise more birds than strictly necessary to get a couple of show worthy birds for the fair.

I am not really willing to do my own meat processing at this time, so raising hundreds of broilers for market each summer isn't really an option (I believe this would probably be my personal best bet for making money on poultry) We have proven we can do a really good job raising the birds, but the Amish charge $1.50 a bird to process and that would eat up the profits.

Good Luck whichever you decide, and keep checking the forumns for ideas on reducing expenses on your projects.

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
I like the way you think - you see possibility where others see only chickens.

Allow me to speak broadly here. As the poster above suggests, there are people who make money with poultry. It is possible. But it requires a lot of thought, research and understanding of your market. Most create a niche and exploit that within their community, since it's close to impossible to compete with the commercial poultry business on scale, or what she implies are other casual hobbyists cluttering up the landscape.

Some that make money with chickens

Sell pasture-fed meat birds, or "farm-fresh eggs like grandma used to raise..."
I've known of those who use the CSA model to raise turkeys for the holidays.
Others sell chicks and hatching eggs from exotic or specific breeds.
Some sell their inventions or other gimmickry they've fashioned in their chicken yards.
A rare few still sell capon's, fresh to their local markets.
A few write and publish books and stories about chickens
I saw one person selling chicken manure in plastic bags, with instructions on how to make manure tea.

Invariably, those who make money on chickens, do so within a focused market and certainly off the 'main grid,' so to speak. Farmers markets, road side signage and word of mouth are their main outlet. The successful ones make no attempt to compete with common 'egg and meat sales' found in grocery stores. Instead, they sell to a unique and cultivated clientele, those who are willing to pay top dollar for the benefits (real or otherwise) of their "natural" poultry products.

If you just want to sell chickens and eggs along with everyone else, then I suggest you aren't going to do so hot. However, if you see your efforts as fulfilling a need in your community for specialty products that are simply not available elsewhere, you can probably make a reasonable profit.

Farm products have always yielded profit against margin. Some years that is good, some not so good. To make reliable on-going profits, you have to keep costs low, run on a calculated budget, sell at retail, and create both the market and demand for unique products. Don't sell the steak, sell the sizzle, so to speak. Keep that in mind as you go forward.


A word about EBay, "The World Largest Garage Sale." The online auction giant has helped open up the hatching egg business, among other things, but one must be very scrupulous about conduct there. It is essentially unregulated and self-policed, operating on the Golden Rule. This is good, mind you... a sort of "New Age black market."

But it allows for a few dishonest or, worse, simply ignorant sellers to slip by. This outrages the righteous-minded folks within ebay's "vox populi," and they will come for your head on a pike at the least mis-step. So do your research, know how to sell there before you begin and be above reproach when conducting business there.

Which is good advice all around.

 

[thepremo1]

Thanx to all
"Don't sell the steak, sell the sizzle" a very good quote that is very true.
I'm quite curious about the manure tea?
I c now that this probably wont be a money making venture, but that’s ok, because like most of you said it’s about the birds.
How much do your chickens cost you a month? If all don’t mind my asking.
A little random but because I thought of it just now,

If you ask someone to do something, or for something, and say, "because..." and explain why you need/want it, the other person is like 60% more likely to give/do it to/for you
Something I picked up in an entrepreneur class

 

[Wifezilla]

I can feed 5 ducks and 4 quail for about $18/month. Add another $7 or so per month for bedding. They also get kitchen scraps.

During that same time period, 3 cats cost me $28 to feed, so you can see why I have been giving the cats dirty looks lately

 

[mikki717]

I have figured out how to make a small fortune! Start with a large fortune, then get chickens!

 

[thepremo1]

I have figured out how to make a small fortune! Start with a large fortune, then get chickens!

LOL​

 

[skittle]

i dont make money out of my chicken....and one duck
however so far thay have pretty much payed for themself so im not scofing the upkeep £7-15 a month and i can easy make that in summer from the extra eggs and cover most on winter 2
i would keep them if thay made me money or not
all out u have to whigh up the food ,bedding and up keep of the ammount of birds u have per month and see what it evens out to.
but i dont care about that coz i luv my birds either way

 

[trunkman]

Sold 2 dozen eggs this month for a total of 3.00. Feed cost me about 12.00 this month, 6.00 for bedding for 6 hens. We just love the eggs and love the entertainment they bring us.

Only drawback for us, I have to change my shoes before I come into the house. Sometimes I forget but my wife points out she doesn't like the new design pattern on the carpet.

 

[Keri78]

I have 14 mature chickens and 7 chicks in my brooder right now. My plan is to sell some fert. frizzle eggs, silkie eggs, and maybe sizzle eggs. But so far...I'm realizing that it takes alot more time, thought, and effort than I imagined. I enjoy our chickens roaming around our property and like others have said it's nice to know you always have fresh eggs in the barn! My goal is to someday sell a dozen fertile eggs a week. This would offset the cost of feed and bedding and be a nice little bit of pocket change for me(stay at home Mama to four boys!) My feedbill is very low b/c I free range and offer table scraps. 100 lbs. of feed will last be 3-4 mths. (I mix black oil sunflower seeds, scratch, and layena pellets) Also add a scoop of oyster shell. This mix of feed took me a while to figure out ...at first I was spending a fortune on feed. My Hubby enjoyed poking fun at me saying that our eggs were averaging about $20 an egg!!!(LOL) Anyway, last year was our first year so we built two chicken tractors($100) and then bought a chicken barn($300 craigslist) and like I said went through alot of expensive feed in the beginning. I do starter 20% protein for the first 10 weeks still but after that they all go on the homemade mix! Well, hope this was helpful and encouraging! Where there's a will there's a way! I think it wold be alot of fun to make some money with our new hobby and a great teaching experience for my boys! Blessings, Keri