How / where / through whom do you sell your hatched chicks?

[jvls1942]

I only hatch per request.. Otherwise I end with too many birds to feed..

craigslist works for me for everything else, so why not chickens??

Normally, I also do not let the chicks go before they are a week old.. If I do otherwise,
I throw in a few extra chicks to offset the ones that will die..

 

[the1much]

well,, i just got a bator that i can hatch more then 40 chicks,,lol,, but before that i bought day old chicks,, and i sell right from my front yard. have a yard full of birds ( best advertising) and a little sign saying " chicks for sale $3" and i sell alot,,, ALOT that way,, the sign a word of mouth is it. people ask why i dont advertise,, i say cause i wouldnt be able to keep up with all the customers.

 

[pbjmaker]

Make sure you check into any local laws about selling chicks. Around here it specifically says I can not sell day old chicks unless licensed as a hatchery. BUT I have grown out some and then let the feed store sell off my extra roos - they just set them out and they are gone that day.

 

[Maidservant]

I started incubating eggs about 2 months ago. I only have 8 chicks right now, but I have lots more eggs in the incubators I have. Just through talking to people at the feedstore they discovered that I have RIR's...needless to say, I'm already getting phone calls asking if I will have chicks for sale in the spring. I tell them that yes, I will have some, but I do not know how many, and it will be a first come first serve basis. I have since seperated out my five RIR hens and roo to get pure eggs for incubating. I'm going to hatch out some mixed breeds and some bantams too, but I think I won't have any problem selling any of them! The way we feed our chickens, it will only cost us $3 to raise each one to point of lay. At that time, we can sell roos for $8 and hens for $12. I almost wish I had kept all of my EE hens, even though they were a pain. I'm not going to be able to keep up with orders as it is, and I am not going to expand my chicken pen just to keep up with chicks! I'll hatch what I have and go from there. Maybe I can make enough to pay for their food next year. If I can break even I'll be estatic! My hens are already feeding the rabbits and paying for some of their food through eggs.

I'll probably put a flyer up at the feed store and a small sign up in our front yard when I'm home. I live in an area that is zoned residential/agricultural, and we can sell livestock from our property, as long as we do not make more than $5000 profit from them in one year. If we make more than $5000, we will have to be reclassifed as a farm and pay taxes, but frankly, with everything I've sold from here over the past 6 years, I still don't think I've made $5000 off of animals. I love raising animals as a hobby though, and I probably won't stop any time soon. My problem is space. I must dicipline myself to keep at least one rabbit cage open at all times and at least one brooder open at all times for emergencies.

Ok, enough rambling! I do agree that you need to check into your local laws, just incase. If you go through with hatching to sell, enjoy it!

Emily in NC

 

[justusnak]

I put this up in the spring.....brings them in quick!!!!

 

[farmgirlie1031]

I keep almost all the pullets and sale the roosters at auction once they are big enough for butcher. We also butcher some ourselves. This spring I plan to hatch some chicks to sale and any money I make on them will go towards other chicken related expenses. I've never kept a record of how much I spend on feed but I hope to start a record-keeping system in the new year and then I will know if I make better money on chicks or started birds. I mostly hatch for fun though so as long as I don't loose a lot of money I will continue with it.

 

[Heather J]

I'll have to check local ordinances, but I hope to put a sign in my front yard (busy street), saying I've got eating eggs and chicks. If I can't sell them that way, I'll just use online classifieds since I head to the big city every week and pass lots of little communities along the way.

Is that $5,000 in sales, or in profits? Either way I'll probably well within the safety zone. lol

 

[Maidservant]

The $5000 around here is in profits, and with the price of feed, not to mention supplies, that will never happen here unless you go commercial.

 

[iajewel]

In order for me to put an "eggs for sale" sign in my yard. I have to have an egg grader and prove is asked that it works and that I use it.

 

[Heather J]

Yikes, what a mess to sell a few eggs. I don't think there's any problem with me selling them here (of course, I haven't tried yet, but our business is computers & More, and we can sell anything in the '& More' portion of that title, according to our business license, so maybe they'll just roll their eyes and let it go. lol) I'm thinking it will be easier to get forgiveness than permission, and if no one notices the sign for a while maybe I'll have a customer base before they tell me to take the sign down.