Profitability

[rosetarantelli]

Hello, my name is Rose. I'm currently starting up my own farm in small steps on my parents farm land while I grow to hopefully have my own land & independent business in the next 4 years.
I'm considering building a mobile chicken tractor on a utility trailer and starting a small flock of about 20 chickens to gain experience before increasing my numbers. I plan on using the eggs for our family, and then selling what's left at my parents booth at the farmers market which gets a significant amount of traction- over 1,000 people per day.
I'm aware that starting up I won't be making a profit off of them while I'm going to be paying for all of the start up equipment and feed while I wait for them to start laying.
My family thinks it's not worth it and I'm better off buying eggs from the store because of all of the time and money it is going to take initially.
For me, the purpose of raising these chickens is not to get rich instantly.
I want to grow my own food and be self sustaining, to feel the satisfaction of eating/ selling a product I worked hard to make. I want it to be a learning experience, but I do eventually want to make a profit off of this.
I've raised chickens before, I know it takes hard work and I know small scale will never be profitable for me. But, I know there must be some money in raising chickens, I see a lot of successful farmers with large flocked producing pasture raised eggs.
I'm looking to expanded to a large flock (in the hundreds), get them well established, and make back the cost it took took to start up.
If my profit outweighs my feed cost it would be worth it to me.
Can any farms speak to this?
If I push through the first few years, treat it as a business and not a hobby, can I make a profit? How long will it take? What can I do to ensure that I'm successful?
I DO NOT want to start this endeavor only to give it up in 2 years and waste $1,000s.
I don't see that as an option, as I'm trying to start my own farm.
Please give me your guidance and advice.
Thank you!

 

[thecatumbrella]

Hi Rose! Welcome to BYC

I don't have any firsthand experience in trying to make a profit, but I can share the bit I've learned from someone that does.

It really helps if you can utilize all aspects of the bird: eggs, meat, and breeding. They primarily use Buff Orpingtons. Fantastic layers, good size for a table bird, and the hens frequently go broody to raise the next generation. She has them in a large, semi free-range enclosure with predator netting. She also keeps a smaller amount of non-broody layers (like Cream Legbars) to top off the egg levels during broody season.

Of course, there are people that just focus on eggs, in which case you're looking at breeds like Rhode Island Reds (and their hybrids) or Leghorns. I've heard these tend to be more aggressive than something like an Orpington, so it's possible you'll run into behavioral troubles/injuries if they're kept in closer proximity. I have a friend that keeps RIRs, but she has multiple coops and acres of land for them to roam, along with livestock guardian dogs.

I want to grow my own food and be self sustaining, to feel the satisfaction of eating/ selling a product I worked hard to make. I want it to be a learning experience, but I do eventually want to make a profit off of this.

I think this is the biggest argument for getting started. You said you've raised chickens before, but you're going to want to try it on this slightly larger scale to see if you can work out the kinks and get things running smoothly. Somewhere between 20-30 sounds like a great number. It's a lot of chickens, for sure, but it's not an insane amount. That will also let you test the market. You may find your product selling like hotcakes, or you could be disappointed, especially if there's other farms in the area with loyal customers.

I'm interested to see what others say. I hope you'll give it a shot. Even if it doesn't work out, you'll certainly gain a lot of experience and can course correct for another time.