Ideas wanted - Sharing a Flock?

[Naamahbengals]

Had an idea and wanted to run it by everyone for input, toss it around a bit. Has anyone ever partnered up with another farm (or chicken lady, etc) to expand their flock? Such as, one person has a lot of extra room on their property, and the other doesn't but doesn't mind building coops and buying breeds and growing feed, etc.

For example, if you wanted to work with another breed or have a project flock but can only have xyz number of chickens on your property - but don't mind sharing the eggs or some meat birds they produce or maybe adding some of your existing breeds to someone's flock at no cost. Maybe they do the daily feed/water (with feed you give them) at the same time as for their flock but you come whenever it needs cleaning or fixing or medicating or etc? I am trying to think of an arrangement that is fair for both parties.

Thoughts? Ideas?

 

[Odelia]

What ever you work out be sure you put it in writing.

 

[maggiemo]

I did this for a couple years with a friend. She had the land and a barn and I lived in a subdivision with an HOA that didn't allow chickens. It ended up that I paid for everything, chickens, infrastructure (other than the barn) and feeders and watering cans. She sold the eggs to buy feed and I got maybe a dozen eggs a week.
I did this for 4 years and she wouldn't let me process any old birds. It got to the point where we had about 30 birds and maybe 5 or 6 eggs a day and I was having to buy feed for a non laying flock and I was buying eggs too!
I finally said I was processing the flock and she finally agreed. I paid for the processing and she took 1/2 the birds...I wouldn't do this again.

I am so happy to have my own flock and be able to manage it the way I see fit.
hth

 

[donrae]

I avoid things like this, personally. They're great ways to end a perfectly good friendship.

 

[lazy gardener]

I have partnered with neighbors to accomplish specific projects. One year, a neighbor and I ordered 25 leghorns, and 25 Cornish x Rocks. We split the cost of feed for all of the birds. The neighbors raised the meat birds, while I raised the leghorns. We got together to do the butchering, weighed the meat and divided it, then they took half of the leghorns home. It was a fun, win/win situation. An other year, I raised the meat birds, split the cost with a neighbor, and he and I butchered the birds, and split the meat.

Your idea has merit. I think what you're suggesting is that you partner with an other person with the goal of working on a specific breed. It would be important to have very clear goals, and well defined ownership. I was talking with a BYC breeder about this concept, and his input was that partnering with an other person to maintain a specific breed would be a good insurance policy. That way, if one flock was hit with disaster, the neighboring flock could provide the stock to get the breeding program up and running again. Both flocks could be managed separately for good biosecurity, but could share genetic material to strengthen the gene pool.

 

[TheEggCollecter]

Your own backyard chicken flock is best

 

[boyswillbeboys]

I've split meat birds with my MIL before, she paid for her share of the food, and helped with processing, this year I've got more family wanting chicken, so I'm doing straight cost, based on the feed per bird last year, MIL has 4 layers here, but doesn't take near the eggs they lay, and I sell the extras, so I'm not charging her for feed, as they are paying for their own feed, and she gets eggs whenever she wants, which has totalled 4 dozen all winter. The person with the chickens on their property ends up doing the work, and if the other is paying for feed, there may become resentment between them. If you choose to do something like this, make sure all contingencies are accounted for in writing.

MIL = Mother in Law

 

[5 Acre Rooster]

Like quite a few stated good in idea, usually takes a dive and someone is upset. Best situations I have had is raising birds and someone buys a small portion of my flock. But even this turned poor since the buyer "knew" what he was talking about and bought a leghorn rooster, so the brown eggs his hens layed would be white.......Some people only worth argueing with for 2 minutes. Then let them learn. Needless to say I was given back the rooster within a month because he "wasn't working" and just crowed a lot.
It was mainly the person, not everyone is that way. But a few bad experiences can turn a person away from trying anything like "sharing" flocks. I raise my own, or hatch and raise and nobody but me and mine need be happy about the end result.
If someone has interest I discuss things with them and quote a price for what they want (layers, flocks, broiler, chick or whatever) most people don't want them after they hear the cost, because it is a lot going into each bird. But when they do I work out something where I do all raising work until desired age. Then when they receive what they want my part is done completely. Even then some people are not happy because animals go a little off when changing to new surroundings. For a few days. Or they don't follow directions. They always see what they are gonna get before they get it. And if they are not happy 2 weeks after its not my fault.