Need to sell my Chickens !! HELP

[Elpajaro]

Hi Friends.

I live in Texas, and I'm planning to buy a batch of chicks , 500. do you know to whom I could sell those once they are fully grown?

I need advices on this.

Thanks.

 

[Colored Egg Farmer]

After reading some of your posts I would say maybe its time to step back and figure out what your really trying to do. From reading your other posts It sort of looks like your looking to buy and sell meatbirds. This is a whole different setup than say laying hens. Being that you haven't actually said what type you are going for that is only a guess however. First off With meatbirds I would ask what are you trying to accomplish. There are the commercial routes that keep their poultry in large barns. If your going that route most farmers are Contracted by companies like Tyson (and others) that you grow birds for them and they take care of the marketing of the birds after they are grown. I'm not going to go into to much detail as I have never done this but it would most likely involve huge investments and batches larger than 500 birds. If you are however looking to sell your own Meat this may even be more complex. First off most small producers are not looking for products like what you would get from tyson. Your more likely to be selling to people that want healthier alternatives to mass produced chicken. This usually involves Pasture raising your Meat birds and most of the time it involves things called Chicken Tractors that you move around on your property. Being that you say you want to rent less than 1 acre 500 chickens seems like it would take a lot more land as they are constantly moved. If your starting out and have no orders. Start out with just a few birds. Maybe 25. and do them in small batches so that the meat is fresher. Like 25 birds wait 3 weeks and have your next batch ordered. Also if you want meat birds you will also need to know the laws involved and also if your will be doing it yourself or paying a poultry processor to get them processed for sale.
For Egg layers its a different story. You should be raising them on an Already sold basis. Someone needs to order x amount of hens and you raise them up to a certain age. Usually 16 weeks and then sell them at that point. Having a deposit for a percentage of the final selling price so you don't get stuck with a ton of chickens you don't want. Very few people are going to actively buy 500 layers at one time and you would need to be looking for free small range /cage free companies. You can also raise meatbirds on a ordered/deposit type policy as well. Your average BackyardChicken owner would be getting 3-10 birds max and would be looking for a varriety of breeds where a commercial owner would be looking for a breed like Red Sexlinks.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Late to this thread but what ended up happening?

Just my two cents, but I think it's wise to know what you're doing with 500 chickens before buying them. Don't rush into this.