Profit on meat birds

[bryanfamilyfarm]

I am thinking of purchasing some meat chics and growing them out for friends, family and myself. I really only have room for about 25 birds right now. (I also have egg-layers). I'm doing the math, and maybe I'm missing something.
It will cost me $7 a week to feed them (and I'm going on what my egg layers eat not sure about this) so that's $7 x 9weeks=$63/25 birds = $2.52 COST Per Bird

The chickens I'm looking at costs $46 for 25 or $1.84/bird

So this brings a total cost per bird of $4.36/bird

So I realize most people sell them by the pound. Could I expect 4lbs a bird? At $2.25/lb that would give me $9 per bird.

So profiting $4.64/bird totaling $116.00 if I didn't eat any myself.

I am just thinking outloud! Do ya'll have any input on my numbers? I got my price from a Cornish Roaster in McMurry Hatchery. Anyone know of anything more economical?

What do you base your prices on? I know you can buy a whole chicken cooked for $5.00 at the grocery store. But of course these will be "organic"

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

Quote:
Are you going to tractor/pasture them as well?
This will greatly improve there health and the taste of the meat. It prevents all the issues we tend to associate with the Cornishx.
Up here, we are looking at charging $20 per bird, as our feed costs are a bit higher.
www.grasslandbeef.com sells pastured whole birds for $27 each.

I would not sell by the pound. Sell by the bird. Also, do contracts, even for family, as chickens are a huge liability to raise for others.

 

[Bossroo]

If you are going to feed them " organic" feed, then your math will be way OFF !!!

 

[bryanfamilyfarm]

Bossroo- True I guess I can't call them organic.

I know NOTHING about raising meat chickens. I was just assuming I'd feed them my laying pellets that I feed my layers.
What DO i feed them?

PaulaJoAnne: $27 a bird!!! That's insane, but I guess it's the price you pay for real food! Not sure that folks around here are willing to do more than $10/bird at this point..but who knows. I think their coming around to eating better but not sure when that will take place.
I can pasture them on the weekends..lol..we also do direct market produce and it's not fenced off yet. On the weekends I am able to sit outside and monitor I can watch them.

I just did the math on 100 birds, and since it's a little cheaper it came out to a profit of $416 for 100 birds.

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

Quote:
What I would do, is get together with only close family, and this year, raise them at cost only for you all. You will have a good learning experience and not get burned in the process.
I will get a you some excellent links in a bit that will help you out a lot.

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

OK, most of the links in this list deal with raising meat birds as naturally as possible, without free ranging them.
They are pastured in tractors, and fed carefully.
http://matronofhusbandry.wordpress.com/tag/pastured-poultry/
Also, if you check back on the last few days of posts under meat birds, you will find some links on how some of use are now raising our meat birds. Under broody hens.

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

Oh, and raise enough pastured birds, to have a BBQ for those that might be interested in properly raised chickens.
Nothing speaks louder then the feel and taste of pastured meat.
Its a far better way to teach about real food.

 

[card5640]

I raised 6 birds last year and the total cost including processing was 32 dollars and got 27 pounds of meat, 2 birds died the night before. It ended up being 4 birds totaling 27 pounds of meat.

 

[jBlaze]

Quote:
Meat birds eat WAY more than layer breeds.

I have 9 meat cornish cross and 15 layer chicks in seperate pens. I am giving the 9 meat chicks at least twice as much as the 15 layer chicks, and that is now, at only not quite 6 weeks. The meat birds have no interest in grass at all.

We did 12 cornish cross last year. they are eating and pooping machines. They do grow real fast, and do taste better than the gunk from the store.

I see ads around here selling these at $4/lb. ?

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

Quote:
Meat birds eat WAY more than layer breeds.

I have 9 meat cornish cross and 15 layer chicks in seperate pens. I am giving the 9 meat chicks at least twice as much as the l15 ayer chicks, and that is now, at only not quite 6 weeks. The meat birds have no interest in grass at all.

We did 12 cornish cross last year. they are eating and pooping machines. They do grow real fast, and do taste better than the gunk from the store.

I see ads around here selling these at $4/lb. ?

Mine eat all the grass they can stuff in themselves.
THe key is getting them on it early, and not giving them constant grain.