i want to start breeding a more uncommon chicken that sells good

[chickencoop13]

what kind do you suggest?

 

[hunterjumper999]

uncommon is not nec. the best.

you could go with a well known breed BUT get a nice well put together group from a good breeder.

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

There are reasons they are uncommon, one being they don't sell very good.

 

[chickencoop13]

what are the best broody breeds other than silkies?

 

[pkw]

Going by what breeds I have I would say partridge rocks followed by orpingtons

 

[Illia]

"Uncommon" doesn't always sell well.

La Fleche, Houdans, Sultans, Redcaps, Brahmas, and New Hampshires are all uncommon, and sadly don't sell well either. . .

If you want a breed that sells well, you'd better pick one you like. One you want to work on and enjoy in the mean time. A lot of people like Blue Laced Red Wyandottes, French Marans, Silkies, Olive Eggers, Lavender Orpingtons, etc. But most of those varieties are such that need an experienced, focused person, because the last thing they need more of are breeders who are only in it for the profit and not the actual progression of the breed or variety.

The way I see it, breed something you love and forget about how popular it is. In fact, it is up to your responsibility to make it popular. Save a breed! Get some good quality birds, breed them well, then show people what they're missing out on!

 

[JCoogle]

I agree with Illia. I breed Silkies and I always hear people tell me that so and so only want $x for thier chicks. I may be partial but I believe my colors and other traits are alot better then so and so's. Once you build a strong client base the chicks sell them selves. I have costomers call all the time to see what I have availible. I can't wait till I get large enough for mail order......

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

that's all true, but then again I specialise in rare breeds and colors, and can never meet the demand every year that I get for mine.
I start taking orders for eggs and chicks in Feb. and usually by April, I am over booked
But I spent tons of money to buy the best as well and to keep the highest quality too and am constantly working to improve them, just like Illia said, that's a major part of it, make them want what you have, show them how nice of a breed you have, basically make their mouth water, but it takes time and dedication to achieve that. You'll never just buy some, throw them in a pen and start selling at top dollar. People have got to learn your name, and trust what you have for that to happen.

Ones I keep are many colors of d'anvers and bantam phoenix, sumatras, yes bantam houdans (which are some of the best sellers for me actually, sets of 6 eggs on ebay always bring a min of $40 for me some hit $60) bantam crevecouers, black crested white polish etc.
I do have some excellent silkies too, but there are just so many of them out there any more, that the markets getting flooded and it's hard to get what they are worth on a regular basis. To me, the main reason these are rare, is well, they are expensive. Not everyone is going to pay $100 or better for a pair of chickens. Another is many are just brand new in color, which makes them highly desired by fanciers of the breed. For me, all this doesnt make them hard to sell, it makes them hard to keep up with the orders on.

You just have to pick a few breeds you like to start out with, get the best you can buy, no sense in spending years trying to breed show birds out of junk starter birds, just buy the best to start with. Once you start selling some, you will find what moves good for you, ones that dont, sell them and try a new one. Once you settle on a good mover, and one you really like, (cause if you're not passionate about the breed personally, there's no point) then settle in with them and work your butt off trying to make them perfect. Find out what colors are available in them, and which ones arent. Study the chicken calculator and try to make some new colors in them if possible, they always move well when done right, but this takes several years of dedication and careful breeding to achieve. Case in point here. I have d'anvers up to 21 completed colors now, most people only know they come in quail though. I also have 20+ more in various stages of development, same with the phoenix. Those are both fairly well know breeds, yet still rare especially outside their normal colors, and to most they are very pretty, hard to beat either to me.

Also, watch the auctions , here, ebay, and the countless other on-line sites. Watch your breeds. You can see which ones are good sellers and which ones arent pretty quick on them.
I agree, some of the rare birds just arent good movers, but ones That I have are excellent . So just decide which ones YOU like, watch a few weeks of auctions, and it will tell which ones are in high demand . Stuff like a lot of the oriental games, while they do have a decent fan base, are well just ugly to most and therefore unless they are into them to start with, people will just pass right by them.

Find some that are unusual, pretty, and you should have no trouble moving them

 

[WestKnollAmy]

I breed what I like and let the rest take care of itself. The blue copper Marans sell well for me but really I breed them because I like them. I like the temperament, DH likes the color and we both like the flavor of the meat. They are dual purpose and we do not get "stuck" with extras. Actually, we can't keep up with the demand but I do not mass produce either.

The best thing to do is decide what you like, see if it would be manageable for you to produce really nice birds and make sure you know what you will do if you have a lot of grown roos that haven't sold.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

It also depends on who you want to sell to. I find that most people that want chickens initially just want docile birds that are good layers. My barnyard mutts have always sold out the fastest. I can't keep pullets for sale and in fact generally have a waiting list for folks wanting more. Roosters tend to be a little harder, of course.

Do pick a breed that you like. I love my silkies just being silkies. It makes it a joy to be out in the pens with them, which makes it easier for me to study them and figure out what my next breeding step might be. If you don't like your chickens then you won't want to be out there as much and it will become a chore rather than a joy.

Figure out what your end goal is and work towards that (and if your end goal is to make a lot of money, it's probably not going to happen).

Good luck and have fun!