New Business - whats a fair price?

[Brochick]

Hi all, I am starting a business in my urban town - for families with 1-6 backyard chickens (as this is our city limit.)

The company is going to be a way to simplify backyard chickens for the average, middle to upper class that may want the joy of backyard chickens, without the dirty work. Since one of our services will be monthly or bi-monthly subscription coop cleaning, I'm trying to figure out a good pricing structure... how much would you pay, or should I charge, for this service? Doing a complete deep clean on the coop, replacing bedding (Which is provided by my company,) completely disinfecting the area and leaving herbs and for long lasting smell.

 

[tlcmurphy]

No idea what to charge, but living in urban Atlanta I wanted to say this is a brilliant idea!

 

[nuthatched]

What will you biosecurity practices be?

 

[Brochick]

No idea what to charge, but living in urban Atlanta I wanted to say this is a brilliant idea!

Thank you!! Came up with it a few days ago and have been SHOCKED that there are no such companies that exist! Like a pool cleaning service, but for chickens. Lol

 

[tlcmurphy]

Exactly! I’ve always thought a service like “Rover” but for chicken sitting would be a good idea too

 

[WineberryHill]

What will you biosecurity practices be?

This is a great question you need to really think through (especially if you have chickens of your own). You run the risk if becoming a disease vector for every chicken that you care for. This shouldn't discourage you, you will just need a tried and true methodology of sterilization (think like an epidemiologist). I can imagine people paying $30 to $50 a month for a well run service...and can also see it costing you the replacement cost of every chicken under your care, if things go sideways. Keep us posted!

 

[Brochick]

Exactly! I’ve always thought a service like “Rover” but for chicken sitting would be a good idea too

What will you biosecurity practices be?

That is a great question and something i need to consider. I would say deep sterilization of the shoes, wash hands thoroughly, new gloves per house, etc. as basic everyday practices. Also monitoring if I were to go to a house with a 'sick' looking chicken - in that case, complete wash down and change of clothes. Are there any others that may be helpful?

 

[Sally PB]

Since one of our services will be monthly or bi-monthly subscription coop cleaning, I'm trying to figure out a good pricing structure... how much would you pay, or should I charge, for this service? Doing a complete deep clean on the coop, replacing bedding (Which is provided by my company,) completely disinfecting the area and leaving herbs and for long lasting smell.

If I were thinking of doing something like this, I'd base my price on the square foot area of the coop. If you say a flat rate and someone has a large walk-in coop, you'll be making a lot less per hour than when you clean a small coop. Also, a large coop would require more bedding.

How will you dispose of the used bedding/poop? At their place, or will they expect you to remove it and take it off their property? I would charge more for that. OR -- if you want to compost it for your own use, it could be a big source of compost material for your garden.

I'd also want to schedule coops in the same area on the same day, to lessen my transportation costs. These days, you have to figure mileage into the price you charge.

How to figure out what to charge? How long does it take you to clean a coop that is X square feet? Multiply that by an hourly rate to find a rate based on the square footage of the coop, use it as a basis for figuring out how to charge for a larger/smaller coop. Add in the mileage, add in the replacement bedding, and any disposal fee.

If that price seems really low, first, look at your expenses. Did you get an accurate cost for the replacement bedding, for example? (Don't guess. Find out for sure what it is.) Is there something else you need to charge for? Did you put sufficient value on your time?

If it seems like the price you'd have to charge is really high (and will turn people off your service), again, look at the costs you have. Can you make less per hour, and still make a go of it? Can you find a way to work more effieciently, so you make as much per hour, but can get to more customers in a day?

Look at some tools to make your job easier too. I have a shrub rake (looks like a leaf rake, but is smaller and narrower) that has made cleaning out my coop SO much easier. A one time expense, but it sped up the process considerably.

 

[David61]

My chicken consulting business may be able to help you with these things. For a small fee.

 

[saysfaa]

...Doing a complete deep clean on the coop,... completely disinfecting the area ..

What do you mean by "deep clean" and "completely disinfecting the area"?