Does anyone have good tips about how to make money chicken farming?

[Catfsm]

I have people lined up who will buy my eggs from my 7 hens. I predict over 200 eggs a month from them, and I will sell around 12 dozen of them and keep the others for eating, giving away or trading.

I will need another fridge and that costs electricity, too.

The 12 dozen eggs I sell will sell for 48 dollars. Feed costs around 20, and gas for getting the feed and other expenses still leavs around 20 a month profit.

Should I get another 4 hens and sell another 12 eggs a month dozen that way?

Is it worth it?

Should I just let it go at 7 hens?

I don't want to eat them or kill them!

I don't want to raise them for show or selling hens.

Maybe I will have chicks but my roosters and hens are not the same breeds, and the chicks will be mixes. Maybe that is not a positive thing. I donno!

These are myown quesitons, but there are all sorts of aspects to raising chickens for which there may be good experience based tips!

 

[Auscal]

I think you need to reconsider your calculations;

Thinking you will get 200 eggs a month from 7 chickens is overly ambitious. That averages out about 6.5 eggs every single day, from just 7 chickens. Sorry, but, IMHO, not gonna happen. I don;t know what breeds you have but, 150-180 a month seems more realistic.

7 chickens will, on average, eat 54lb of food a month. To spend $20 a month on food, you need to be paying about $9 per 25lb bag. (and, that's not even including any food in those calculations for your roosters)

Then there is the cost of bedding, and any necessary medications. Oh, and possible the cost of egg cartons.

If you don't want to kill or eat them, what are you going to do with your chickens when they reach around 3 years old, and their egg production drops dramatically?

 

[BairleaFarm]

Quote:
x2.

48$ for 12 dozen eggs is high to.

Yes you can make money but its harder than it seems. I think there are only a handful of us that are in the positive and only a few that make enough to consider really making money.

 

[Mahonri]

My family would be much better off financially if we did not have chickens. Sad but true.

Most folks don't even come close to breaking even. That said, when the supermarkets are out of food, we'll still have at least something to tide us over.

 

[Mattemma]

I have 5 ee hens and get 3-5 eggs a day....now that I added a light to the coop. I have one RSL hen still not laying.I only sell the *nice* looking eggs,and use the funky ones here at home.

I bet we are in the red when it comes to what we spend and what we get.

 

[darkmatter]

You can make a small fortune with a backyard flock----------------------you have to start out with a large fortune.

 

[gmendoza]

We dont break even.Not even close at all.



.........Breaking even..... | .....Going Broke............................................<----We are over here somewhere--->

 

[cravenchx]

Quote:

 

[Fred's Hens]

Initial cost of chicks- $ 2.50 x 7
Electric for brooding- 35.00
Bedding per annum- 80.00
Electric for winter- 60.00
Feed until POL- 80.00
Feed for rest of year- 120.00

7 chicks to layers, in one year cost $400.

Factor in nothing for cost of coop, feeders, waterers, bulbs, extension cords, heat lamps, roosts, nesting boxes.
Factor nothing for cost of labor for one year. You work for absolutely free. Twice a day chores, 365, rain or shine.

Eggs produced in the year 75 dozen @ $4 per dozen grosses $300. Net LOSS for first year could be $100.
There will be ZERO profit the first year. Oh, and no eggs for YOU and your family.
This scenario factors selling every single egg. It factors no broken, cracked or unsellable eggs.
It also supposes no disease, no predation, zero deaths of birds.

Year two, the birds will go into moult and production will virtually disappear for a 6 week period, yet feed costs will continue. Since we are assuming super high laying production, we're also assuming production breeds which may virtually quit in year three.

Can a small egg operation "break even" Yes they can. But the challenge is far more sobering than often supposed.

 

[7L Farm]

Farming is a tuff way to make a living. Last year the drought killed my hay money that I usually give to our wonderful gov't for taxes. I do sell eggs,veggies & shoot a deer every year. I can say that most of my fiddles I get right here & there better than store bought. You just gotta keep going & expanding. I also sell chicks that I hatch & quail. Its a tough row to hoe. I can alot for winter consumption. I'm now expanding on my berry vines which you can sell for good money but again they need attention like a trellis, prunning, fertilizing & tender loving care.