Has any one ever raised hens to sell?

[chickenpiedpiper]

I know most people start with day olds and raise thier own, but has anyone ever raised a bunch of chicks with the sole intent of selling them as they grow? Is it successful? or do you get stuck with a bunch of hens? (gee that would be awful) It seems like when ever I want a few new birds, its hard to come by just a few.... Roosters are abundant enough, but where do you go to get hens?

Would you go to a home that was raising and selling hens, to buy new birds? what breeds would you want to buy? I am really interested in this idea, but I would like some imput first....

Thanks!

 

[Chicken Woman]

You may be able to find someone within driving distance that has some for sale. It is extremely expensive to ship adult birds !

Maybe you could put a wanted add in the paper or contact your local 4-H office as sometimes they sell project birds.

 

[doodledoo]

I don't think that you would get stuck with any. I put some eating eggs on craigslist for sale and I had more people contact me for laying hens then I did about the eggs. I am not sure what the chicken market is where you live but I doubt you would have a hard time getting rid of them. Is it profitable? I don't know.

 

[Southerngirl]

I had ordered extra pullets from Cackle and McMurray hatchery this past spring. I sold out with in a week. I had over 30 calls for hens after they were all sold I had to change my voicemail to "all hens are sold at this time"

!!! So many people are wanting hens for eggs now . You should not have a problem selling at all. Post an add in your local paper and at the feed store. Also word of mouth is a great way to sell too !!

 

[the1much]

if i had 1000 laying hens right now,, i could have them ALL sold for 10-15 bucks a piece within 1 month.

 

[MandyH]

Depends on where you live. We ended up with a hundred grown birds that we didn't sell this Spring and like to have never sold them. Now that they are all gone I have 3 people a day stop wanting some. Figures, huh?! I tell them I will have more in the Spring just like I do EVERY year.

 

[Barn Maid Ann]

I bought the minimum 25 chicks form McMurrays, plus they threw in 2 extra roo chicks. I only wanted less than half of them for myself. I bought a variety of breeds and bought roosters to go with them. With no experience, I figured people would want breeding pairs or tri's. When they were 3 to 4 months old this fall, I advertised on Craigs. I got so many responses from people who wanted hens only. I wouldn't let some of them go without the corresponding roosters, and eventually buyers came along who wanted a roo with their hens. But if I ever do that again, I will buy hens only!!!!!
Depending on how many you are talking about, I would say you could make a fair profit. I would stagger groupings over the summer, if you are able Our local feed store sells hundreds of chicks, and also pullets, early in the summer. We bought our original hens from the feed store. They were 12 weeks old.

 

[chickenpiedpiper]

Thank you every body, I think I am definetly going to do it, Maybe start out small, 30 hens.... Now, what breeds? I had cochins this year, and everybody loved them cause of thier fuzzy feet, I could have sold then a dozen times over! Now howevr, thay seem to lay smallish eggs, that would fall into the medium catagory rather than large.... Could folks be more interested in trusty old breeds like the RIR's, or as impulse go for the nifty ones?

And what should I charge, at what age?

Thanks again for all the imput!

 

[swtangel321]

I would go for a good egg laying breed.... BR, RIR

OR

Do a mix get 10 BR's 10 RIR's and some other kinds, find out what people in your area like and then order more of that breed !!

Keep em for 16-20 weeks and then ask $10-$15 a peice for them.

 

[MandyH]

Everybody loved my cochins, which weren't for sale, but most everybody that stopped wanted barred rocks, dominique's, or buff orpington's. The old heritage breeds that their grandmother's had. I got $7 up until they were about 8-10 weeks then I got $12 a piece. If you bought 5 or more hens the rooster was free!