Ok so i am wanting to start a breeding project with what hens and roo i have right now. I want to sell them and eventually make some money on them. I have someone that said they would lend me the money to buy an incubator and egg turner (cause i have school so cant turn them when needed at certain times), well he said that he doesnt know whether he wants to do this because he doesnt want me to get put in the whole. I need to know if i would be able to make good money doing this project (selling chicks and eggs). Buy your experience in selling have you made good money????
It depends on the breeds and quality of the birds. Unless you sell a very high number of them, or better quality ones for a higher price, you'll probably have a hard time making a profit. ETA: With only 4 females and one male and the possibility of mixed offspring, you won't be able to produce a high quantity or get a very high price for them.
You can get an idea of what some are selling for on "eggbid.com" . Chickens eat alot too, like all day long and food can be a big expense.
Maybe before you go in the hole for an incubator, you could just make a small order of hatchery chicks and try selling them on craigslist to test out the market in your area. Get dual purpose birds in case you end up eating most of them.
You might also want to keep an eye on Freecycle and Craigslist for people who are willing to hatch eggs for you in their incubators for a small fee or for a percentage of the hatch--or you could ask if anyone is giving away an incubator (Freecycle) or selling one at a low cost (Craigslist). You might be able to get free/low cost supplies for your chickens, such as materials to make your chicken tractors or coop with. I agree that you probably won't make a lot of money from raising chickens to sell, but it all depends on your definition of "good money." If you're like me and have a really low income, the money you get from raising your birds for eggs/meat/sale might actually make a difference; however, you do have to take feeding them into consideration, just like someone said. Good luck on whatever you decide to do.
I've never broke even selling eggs or chicks by the time you consider feed and maintenance with the chickens.
Selling chicks and hatching eggs helps offset maintenance costs but I don't make a profit at this level. The trick to any good business is knowing your market and reaching those people, so research, research, research! You could also build a bator pretty cheap and turn before school, after school and before bed. It won't take long to recoup the costs from that.
In my experience, one can't make any money raising any kind of animal on a small to medium scale - after you purchase quality breeding stock, then count feed, supplies, housing, and medical costs, AND YOUR TIME, you'd be really lucky if they just paid for themselves. I guess its *possible* to make a few bucks on a larger scale, but one would have to devote all their time (like they would with a full time job) or have a lot of FREE HELP in order to turn a profit. Just my opinion... Kathy
Ditto what everybody else said. profit? What profit? I like to say I make money but in all reality it goes right back to the chickens.
