Looking for laying hens in FL

[Chickadee1982]

I recently started to look for laying hens to buy in my area, but all ads of sellers in the surrounding area,mysteriously vanished. I don't know if I am allowed to post this here, but I'd like to ask if anyone near Tallahassee, Monticello, Perry,FL has any younger hens that are already laying, for sale. I am looking to buy at least 4. I don't really care what breed, as long as they are laying, preferably Large/XL eggs. Please delete or move this, if I have posted in the wrong category!
Thanks in advance

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Have you checked craigslist?

https://tallahassee.craigslist.org/search/sss?sort=rel&query=hens

 

[Chickadee1982]

I have been, for the last week, that's all i 've been doing! Lol
I don't know if I am ready to pay $20 per hen. Seems a little high. Others are too far away.

 

[Lincityfarmette]

Twenty dollars may seem high but labor intensive youngster time and continuing feed,water, care and Clean up time has been done by someone else for months! One of those byc folks. I am tired...love and God's blessings to you. Hope you find your girls soon!! Yes there does seem to be season for abundant chicken buying. Got some for sale in LA. Make a lovely trip for you!!!

 

[Chickadee1982]

That's not what I meant. I know that someone else is raising them and has these expenses before the birds are sold. But as with everything else, those start-up costs always bite someone in the butt. Lol

 

[ChickenCanoe]

IMHO, $20 for a good quality healthy POL pullet is a bargain.
It is true that some people used to sell for $10, some still do. Some even give birds away.
You may not be ready to pay $20 per hen but anyone selling for that price is in effect, giving birds away.

Depending on time of year, it costs me $25-35 or more to raise a bird to point of lay. That is without any consideration for my time and skill.
One must buy or build an incubator. That can run from $100 to thousands of dollars.
One must pay for the electric to run the incubator.
One must pay for the electric to brood the chicks, Not to mention the equipment to brood - whether that be heat lamps, hoods, cords or hover brooders.
One must house the birds. That infrastructure needs constant maintenance.
One must provide bedding as they grow which is usually pine shavings. That costs about $6 or $7 per bale.
One must feed the birds. Even if one buys the cheapest feed available, it still costs a lot to feed a bird to the point of lay.
Feed runs from about $12 to $18 for a 40 or 50# bag. Organic can run up to $30 or more.
Before I'd sell a POL bird for less than $20 I'd eat it.

You don't want to buy discount birds because they may not have been well cared for or well fed.
Poor nutrition = poor production.

I used to sell perfect SOP trios (1 cockerel and 2 pullets) for $100. Then someone gave me a ration of crap and I did the math. It cost me $100 to raise the birds to 6 months of age so I was giving them away. I've since raised the price to $250.

 

[Lincityfarmette]

Chicken Canoe liked your explanation better than mine. In saw sharpening business I had the same issues were there. Why do you charge $2.50 to sharpen a saw blade? Get a grip folks! Other peoples' time, effort, and expertise are valuable too!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

X2
People need to buy food for their own table and pay for gas and electric, among so many other things.

Very few people give everything away.

If it cost me $30 to raise a bird to POL, why would I sell that bird for $10?
If I did, I'd be handing the buyer a $20 bill.
I'd be better off inviting anyone who wanted chickens to come over and I could give each of them as many $20 bills as they needed for each hen they wanted, they could go buy chicks for $4 and raise them themselves.
Anyone know someone that stupid?
Then I wouldn't have the hassle. I could get a minimum wage job and be better off.
If I ate the bird, I would at least not have to pay the grocer for a chicken to eat.

One could probably find someone that would hatch and raise layers for them. Give them minimal nutrition, keep them in squalid conditions and possibly break even selling for $10. But I wouldn't recommend buying a dirty bird, possibly with lice and mites, susceptible to disease and that never lays well. It just isn't worth it.