Making a profit

[Freebird Feathers]

Hey there,

I’m new to this group and hoping to get some advice. I’ve been a chicken owner for a few years now, but this year my husband and I want to take it seriously and start a business. We want to sell hatching eggs, chicks, laying hens, meat birds (after they’re butchered), and same for ducks. Some of the breeds we’ll be selling are ameraucana, olive eggers, khaki Campbells, Easter Eggers, and then some barnyard mixes. Can you tell me how much we should be selling everything for? I reached out to some local people about buying buff orpington and copper Maran chicks and I was told by several people $15 a chick. That seemed a little steep to me but is that just the market nowadays? Any advice would be much appreciated!

 

[Percheron chick]

It starts with what your market can support. What are your state's restrictions for selling processed birds and eggs? The quality of your flock will determine what you can sell hatching eggs and chicks for. You will need NPIP certification to ship out of state. Necessary for the long term. $15 for a straight run black copper Marans and Ameraucana is perfectly inline with most markets. Unless the BO are exceptional quality, that's crazy. Perhaps look at developing different more rare colors to have greater margins.
There are people around me who raise 1000's of pullets a year and seem to make it profitable as they have been doing it for 10+ years. Not enough to live off of but a nice bump to supplement retirement or as a second income. They also make the commitment to travel to the people selling at bird swaps, farmers markets and scheduled drops.

 

[Freebird Feathers]

It starts with what your market can support. What are your state's restrictions for selling processed birds and eggs? The quality of your flock will determine what you can sell hatching eggs and chicks for. You will need NPIP certification to ship out of state. Necessary for the long term. $15 for a straight run black copper Marans and Ameraucana is perfectly inline with most markets. Unless the BO are exceptional quality, that's crazy. Perhaps look at developing different more rare colors to have greater margins.
There are people around me who raise 1000's of pullets a year and seem to make it profitable as they have been doing it for 10+ years. Not enough to live off of but a nice bump to supplement retirement or as a second income. They also make the commitment to travel to the people selling at bird swaps, farmers markets and scheduled drops.

Thanks for all the info, that’s very helpful. I live in VA and it definitely seems like a competitive market. Once I realized several people were selling them for $15 I gathered that was the norm but I’m still trying to learn. Do you have a suggestion for what to sell straight run BYM? We’re definitely trying to do this as just a small a side gig. I figure if I have the birds they might as well be earning their keep at least a little bit

 

[Percheron chick]

What about something like Bresse? Great meat bird but also a decent layer of they keep the girls. I don't quite grasp the desire to raise backyard mutts unless they are EEs or OEs. The cockerels will be slow to mature for butchering upping the cost and the laying of the hens is unknown.
Maybe start with just the ducks. Probably less competition plus khaki cambells are very attractive. Find a different lane that makes customers find you and only you.

 

[Mary Poopins Love]

Trust me, Iv'e seen 100 dollars a chick. 15 is nothing compared to that.

 

[Freebird Feathers]

What about something like Bresse? Great meat bird but also a decent layer of they keep the girls. I don't quite grasp the desire to raise backyard mutts unless they are EEs or OEs. The cockerels will be slow to mature for butchering upping the cost and the laying of the hens is unknown.
Maybe start with just the ducks. Probably less competition plus khaki cambells are very attractive. Find a different lane that makes customers find you and only you.

Very true. I do want to stick with the khaki Campbells first and see where that goes. I only want to breed our RIR/Leghorn cross hens as BYM because they lay a crazy amount of gigantic eggs. It’s more so to keep that line going for us but I’ll likely sell the extras so those would be the BYM I’m referring to

 

[Freebird Feathers]

Trust me, Iv'e seen 100 dollars a chick. 15 is nothing compared to that.

Lol very true

 

[Freebird Feathers]

Very true, definitely something to consider

 

[morheb]

I don't think you can compare current prices to what is possible in normal times. Demand for chicks is way up this year, but egg prices are falling and the number of new participants will soon level off.

This is very true, and it applies to every business that operates in areas where prices have fallen due to the crisis. Those who decide to enter the market now, must be ready for bad times, without much profit.
I would wait for the prices to go up

 

[ohscovies]

I was in a similar spot last year, starting my indie game studio smack in the middle of the recession. Not gonna lie, it was rough, but it also taught me a lot about resilience and smart budgeting.

Believe it or not, there are upsides to launching a business during a crisis. One is that it can force you to be more innovative and efficient. Competition might be low, too, giving you a unique opportunity to establish a strong foundation.

Actually, this website was a lifesaver for me in those early days. It's packed with business articles that can really enlighten beginners about the do's and don'ts of entrepreneurship.

Remember, a crisis isn't always a stop sign.