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I can't keep up. I've decided family only. I sell my eggs $4 a dozen and can't meet up with demands either.
It's not high in my area. Check your area. Our local farmer's market is 3.99 a pound at least. When I ran out of meat and bought local free range chicken (I am not going to lower my standards), I paid $20 for a whole chicken. I don't have a problem with that, and you have to get there early before they are all sold out.
I can't either Todd. I have to work to support my hobby though. One day....Funny I'm an accountant too. Only I can't stand working in an office, I'd much rather we working with the animals and garden all day. Everyone is different.
I just started raising them for my family, we currently buy about 100 a year from a local guy. If you or I make $10 a bird that is $1000 savings the first year. That would pay for a plucker and stuff you need. I just built two killing cones with scrap I had around, built a pen for about $50, have knives and large pots already.
Marketing is where I'm going to struggle, would love to hear more about what you do. Do you have a website? Do you go to farmers markets?
I'm planning to start small, if I can get to the point where my birds end up free by selling some I'll be happy, if eventually it makes some money even better.
I do have a website, but I am not going to pay $5 a bird to have them processed so I can sell large numbers. That would bring all my hard work down to a $5 profit a bird. You would have to sell meat under the table if you wanted to do it yourself. Also, I couldn't have someone else do it. I can't guarantee they meet the end like I expect. I want to know they didn't suffer. Trucking them off to a processing plant alone is suffering IMO.
The money is in breeding quality stock. I can make a $20 profit off a silkie. They eat basically nothing. I can hatch them myself, and everyone wants them around here.
With meat, I was just looking to supply myself and my extended family (in-laws, parents, grandparents, aunts, etc) with quality meat. I am aiming to break even on feed and chick cost after considering the ones I keep. Making the birds I eat free as you aim for.
You would need more than $50 in housing if you went large scale.
Cost to run a heat lamp:
Let's just say it's a 250watt bulb x 24 hours x 30 days = 180,000 watts used in 30 days
180,000 /1000 = 180 kWh used in one month x your electricity rate (mine is 9.85cents/kWh) = $17.73 plus tax a month. Which is really all they need for heat. That's one heat lamp. If you have large numbers of birds.. yeah..
I was sponsored by Brinsea to review their EcoGlow 50 units, which draw FAR less power than a heat lamp. I now use those for my meaties, but rarely would others be set up the same way as I am.
I'm going overboard I think in my description.