If you raise meat chickens and turkeys to sell, what do you charge?

[TimG]

Quote:
What about processing?

 

[City Gardener]

This guy gets $10/lb for his Bourbon Reds!
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/26/business/26turkeys.html

Stone Barns Agricultural Center was selling Bourbon Reds for $6 or $8/lb, and had sold out weeks before Thanksgiving.

I paid $4/lb for my organic, small-farm-raised, local turkey last year-- through my Food Coop.

If you are anywhere near a city, you can probably find a market. I truly think 'black market' meats are the next big thing, as people lose faith in USDA-processing. There are a lot of people who want humanely-raised, carefully-processed, heritage breeds on their table.

Maybe they believe in it, or maybe it's just the fashionable thing, but they're out there, and they will pay more for it.

 

[Gingerbeer]

i live in NYC and work in cookbooks. Last year i went to a book party and the Heritage USA guy was there with his story and business cards-- this was in October, and he was ALREADY sold out for Thanksgiving and taking orders for Christmas. Since them, i've seen them featured in magazines several times. My family wanted me to look into buying one, but there's no way we could manage the price, though lots of people where i live wouldn't even blink at it!-- they want the meat more BECAUSE it's so expensive.

We ended up going with with a Bell and Evans fresh turkey-- a lot more expensive than butterball, but that stuff tastes like nylon sponge.

I really want to raise my own turkeys someday....gosh, i can't wait to get out of the city and get some fresh air.

How about that guy doing Label Rouge birds out west? anybody know anything about him?

 

[CTChickenMom]

Quote:
What about processing?

I figured this amount if I processed them myself. If you had someone processing for you, you'd need to add that in to the cost per chick, feed, and shavings and then figure some percentage of profit.

I don't have any chicken processing place near me. It's a dirty job but I figure I could do it and maybe make a few bucks. I've been trying to figure out what I'll do when my little one goes to kindergarten next year and this could be the thing. Both boys would be in school, mess would be cleaned up when they got home. My husband has a 12 foot overhang at the back of his shop with running water. It would be easy enough to put in some work surfaces and enclose the area from the weather. I could put out a burning barrel for the mess that isn't useful. I really think I can do this.

 

[TimG]

Quote:
The cost of processing (if you paid someone to do it) would basically be your whole profit margin.

If you process yourself, then the whole profit is from the processing fee (that you charge yourself) rather than from the raising.

It would not surprise me if this were typical, that is you generate business for your processing operation by raising and selling chickens.

Don't get me wrong, I think it is a good idea. I, like you, think it would be a good part-time job; if you lived nearby, I'd suggest we open shop together ASAP.

 

[CTChickenMom]

Quote:
The cost of processing (if you paid someone to do it) would basically be your whole profit margin.

If you process yourself, then the whole profit is from the processing fee (that you charge yourself) rather than from the raising.

It would not surprise me if this were typical, that is you generate business for your processing operation by raising and selling chickens.

Don't get me wrong, I think it is a good idea. I, like you, think it would be a good part-time job; if you lived nearby, I'd suggest we open shop together ASAP.

It'd be great to have a partner! We'd get a lot done!

I'd charge enough for the finished product to recupe everything I'd put into it and then some. I think it will work.