Making Money from our Birds

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

Is there a more or less appropriate place to combine all the different ways one might make some money from their birds? Whether that's selling breeding stock, being a hatchery (from small scale to large,) selling meat birds or eggs? I know this started out as the Backyard Chicken Forum, but it would be nice to have one space where we can discuss all the different ways we can either pay for our hobby, or maybe even pay our rent. There are so many different ways to possibly do this with our birds, seems appropriate that there might be a separate board for discussing this topic, doesn't it?

Some of the discussions I would like to have:

-Diversify or Specialize? Is it better to have different streams of income coming in from different facets of poultry raising, or focus all your energy on just one, like eggs, or meat birds?
-Legal issues related to selling meat, eggs, chicks, etc. It would be nice to have this in the same place as the other discussions, since it is directly related.
-Marketing
-Discussing the market in various parts of the country.
-Management pertaining specifically to commercial or semi-commercial flocks.
-Breeding and selecting for commercial flocks.
-Funding and resources available for those wanting to raise chickens for profit.
-Sustainable advances in raising chickens for these different purposes.

I feel like there ARE places to talk about all of these already, but I think these threads would be more visible, more read, and more useful if there was a place to combine them all together.

Am I wrong?

 

[Rebel Rooster]

Sounds like a good idea to me...

 

[Mahonri]

Are you suggesting that Nifty create a "Bird Marketing" section?

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

Quote:
Well, perhaps something a little more expansive than that...

 

[In His Service]

I think I will "lurk" here a bit

... sounds interesting to me, especially with current economic woes.

 

[PineappleMama]

Well, donno if this is what you meant... Modly Ones feel free to delete if it isn't on topic but...

In my Someday Plans... okay Hopes is more accurate I'd like to raise enough birds to feed us and maybe have some leftover to sell and/or donate. As I don't know WHERE that someday will be that's pretty blank but the idea is there. Chickens of course, but also maybe ducks and turkeys (why isn't it spelled turkies?) and just for interest I'd consider some geese though I've never eaten one... might turn out I love them and add them on as a food source.

Then there's the possibility of selling eggs and/or chicks... again very much depends on market and what breeds we decided to go with.

I also thought that maybe, just maybe, tours of the 'farm' might work for schools or such to show kids where their food comes from... or more where it COULD come from in comparison to factory farms... I've even made a note to get/build a battery cage so that it's very easy, just eyeball, to see the difference in how birds are raised.

Those are all ideas that have come to me for someday... don't know anything about the practical side of it, haven't done it, so can't speak from experience... but Some Day....

 

[X2Farm]

Quote:
A suggestion, as passed onto my from another fellow BYC'er, tnchickenut, read Joel Salatins book "You Can Farm" I'm about 2/3 of the way through it, and its terrific for this kinda stuff. Lots on GREAT ideas, and they don't focus on having an extensive bank acct to start

Also, he has another book I plan on getting, Pastured Poultry Profits

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

Yeah! Those are some good books! And PineappleMama, that's the kind of stuff I love to talk about, especially when there are people that have already done it in the mix.