I'm seriously considering starting a hatchery business(My game plan, critiques, advice, encouragemen

[20736]

Do something you love and you will never work a day in your life.
Good Luck.
sending nothing but positive Karma your way

 

[RhodeRunner]

Shipping eggs is very risky. Most of the shipped eggs I purchase have low hatch rates. I can't imagine running a business of off shipped eggs, it is to unstable. You are going to be constantly telling your customers that their eggs aren't fertile, that the proper amount of chicks didn't hatch, and they are going to go elsewhere.

There are hatcheries that don't personally raise their chickens, but they drop ship chicks, or they have a local raise bring them eggs. (Eggs are not shipped)

As a breeder I gave your spreadsheet a look. Here is what caught my attention, as possibly problematic.

1) How many eggs are produced by your birds weekly?
With quality poultry raised in a non-controlled environment (I mean outside instead of in an air-conditioned lighted building) this question is impossible to answer. Quality poultry can be flaky when it comes to egg production, and there are weeks when my birds slow down, and even stop laying. Even worse, considering most of the breeds I raise go broody.

2) Average hatch rate?
Hatch rates can be excellent, but once shipped you have no idea what will hatch.

3) Providing eggs from March- November?
Take into consideration broody hens, molting, freezing temperatures, boiling temperatures, and more. No breeder could guarantee eggs from March - November.

I understand you want a cheaper price with hatching eggs! However, most private breeders don't want to sell cheap eggs. Why sell eggs to you for $2.00/each, when we could hatch and sell chicks for more.

 

[Sumatra503]

Quote: The majority of breeders do not hatch their own chicks to sell and most actually have trouble finding buyers for chicks if they do hatch them. They ship their eggs as hatching eggs to different people across the country. $2.00/egg is $24.00/dozen! That's a very high price for eggs, actually. $1.00/egg is probably the price i will be able to pay in order to keep my buisiness going.

Having bred chickens for 10 years now I understand that chickens can be flaky, but mainly I was asking for the average number per week. During a good breeding season there will be an average per week of the eggs that you get. My average happens to be 5-10. even with a couple of broodies the people I will be targeting are those with 20+ hens for popular breeds and 10+ hens for the less common breeds, so they will be able to keep up.

Hatchrate is an important question for me, since if you are actually breeding quality birds and producing chicks, you will know your hatchrate to the T. a good hatch rate ensures good, fertile birds and a good line of productive poultry.

I am well aware that shipped eggs are shaky. I average a 60% hatch rate from shipped eggs. This means that I will be ordering 2 eggs for every one chick I need to have shipped. I also have a specific way I will be requiring my eggs to be shipped. This is to increase the success of the shipped eggs. I have spent the past 6 years developing a method to ship eggs successfully and most people report an 80% or higher hatch rate from eggs shipped from me.

 

[Sumatra503]

I apriciate the questions, since they make me think.

I purchased my first auto turner today! That's one step!

 

[cate0404]

My main question would be - If you can't sell some chicks for whatever reason at different stages, what would you do with the surplus? That is my main reason for not going ahead and doing what you are doing, however I would like to concentrate on Quail. Good luck if you do decided to go ahead!

 

[Sumatra503]

My extras will probably be included in the orders. If they are something I would want I may kep them and sell them as pullets and cockerals that are ready to lay.

 

[Oregon Blues]

It would make more sense to contract with breeders within easy driving distance and get the eggs delivered rather than mailed. There should not be any problem getting contracts for large numbers of eggs delivered every week. Farmers love standing orders that take all they produce for a good price.

That would improve your hatch rate.

 

[Sumatra503]

Perhaps, but there aren't many breeders here in my section of the state. Also, I will only be able to do about 300 eggs at one time, so that means I'm not really looking at large numbers of eggs from any one breeder. Unless I can get lucky and find a breeder with lots of different breeds and just do that.

It only costs me about $20.00 in gas to drive to the closest big city, though, so maybe that would open things up a bit.

Thanks for that thought. It will be great if I find the breeders here in the state.

 

[Oregon Blues]

You don't have to have breeders in your area. You give contracts for eggs and people start breeding for you.

If you want show quality, you probably must provide the beginning breeding stock.

 

[theemon]

you really needto consider the "leftover" chicks.... you cant possibly give away that many birds and make a profit....


say someone orders 25 chicks, so u get 50 eggs,, say you get 35 hatch, thats 10 leftover... youd havr to find a buyer for 10 specific birds... or same senerio, you only have 22 hatch them youd have to tell your customer you couldnt fill an order ..... or aay you actually got all 50 eggs to hatch....


youll need alot of spare coops/brooders ready to go to hold leftovers