Question for backyard processors....what would you trade?

[freemotion]

I would like to ask a neighbor or relative to process some birds in exchange for some of the birds. What is a fair offer? If he takes ____ turkeys and delivers them to me ready-to-cook, he gets to keep ____ turkeys.....same for chickens? Or are chickens harder/easier?

To change the question a bit.....how would the ratio change if I were to do the plucking of the ones I will be keeping?

Just planning for early spring, and how many to order, housing, etc. I grew up with dad doing it all, we stayed in the house with city-girl mom with the music turned up very loud! He was not allowed back in the house until everything looked like it came from the grocery store, minus the foam tray!

Decades later, not much has changed.....except mom told me yesterday that she was going to use the chicken feet in her broth for the first time. She is 71!

Thanks in advance for your opinions!

 

[Opa]

If you figure $2 as the cost to process a chicken and $3 for a turkey you should be able to come up to an amount that is agreeable to both of you.

 

[Acre of Blessings]

We have told people taht for every 5 chickens that we process for them that we would like one. For turkeys, I'd say if he processed 4 that you can give them one.

We also have a friend that has us process her rabbits ans for every 4 whe gives us one. Hope this helps.

H@ppy Tr@ding!!!!!

 

[birdsofparadise]

Iʻm all for trading, but this is a necessary skill if you keep chickens and you should shoulder the responsibility yourself. Plus, its more of a hassle rounding up the birds for processing and transporting them, plus going back to pick them up, etc. A deer carcass, sure thing. But a chicken, do it yourself.

 

[jvls1942]

I agree with birdsofparadise, sort of.. If you are raising birds of any kind for eating and you cannot find someone to do the deed, what are you going to do?? let the birds die of old age?? at least learn how to butcher them.. then if you want to have someone else do it for you , go for it.. at least you will have yourself to fall back on... and, you will have a better idea of whether or not they did a good job for you.
or if their prices are in line..

....jiminwisc..........

 

[MissPrissy]

Quote:
The processors here that do chickens are about 100 miles away which makes it not cost effective for me to use them.

Their prices for dispatching, processing, packaging and freezing are $3 for chickens, $5 for ducks, $7 for turkeys and geese. However every pound over a set limit is .50 cents per pound more.

My Thanksgiving turkey would have cost $22 to process - however I had 18 of them which would have been $396. That is a lot of money.

400 miles round trip to deliver and pickup is alot of gas and a lot of time. Plus the cost of processing could easily put me in $575+ range just for the 2 round trips and the processing. Add in the cost of feeding and caring for these for the last 28 weeks - my bottom dollar cost would about $75 - $125 per bird just to break even.

If you raise meat birds and can't do the job yourself it is unfair to nickle and dime someone else who will be doing them for you. Home butchering is a big job. Without a plucker it is a giant job .

I wouldn't touch someone else's birds for less than half of the harvest.

 

[the1much]

i do 2 birds, and get 1,,, so you get 2 i get 1.
and thats cause i hate doing someone elses job lol

 

[freemotion]

Thanks for the input, yes, I know I need to be able to process my own birds and that is a goal....but I need to work up to it. I have a next-door-neighbor who used to raise commercial rabbits who would do it for me, but he tends to offer his services for free and I cannot take him up on that for such an unpleasant job. So I am trying to get a fair trade idea, and order my poults according to those numbers.

I also have to work cityboy DH into the idea, as he would not allow me to order anything other than layers, who I then have to re-home when they get older and slow down. We got a nasty rooster in the batch of Americaunas and he agreed that it could be dispatched, but not end up on our table! But the roo and I came to an understanding via a horse whip, so he is protecting the flock and maybe we will raise up some home-grown chicks in the spring. But that means more roosters, so.....

I had a heart-to-heart with him, and he agreed that I could get some turkeys and have them butchered for us to eat. I warn him almost daily that when they arrive, he is not to so much as glance in their direction because I am not keeping a large flock of pet turkeys!!!

So my plan is to have my father help me with the first roosters, and maybe I will get up the courage to kill the fifth or sixth one myself and be self-sufficient by this time next year.

Meanwhile....I won't be doing in the turkeys in '09, so keep the opinions coming!!

 

[Marlinchaser]

Quote:
I will have to disagree, I could do it, but if I can take mine 5 miles down the road, pay the lady $18 dollars and get back 6 birds vac sealed and ready for the freezer, I am gonna go that way. I take into consideration that its gonna take start to finish 3 hours which includes prep time, butchereing then cleanup I consider my time to be worth $6 a hour, plus I dont have to deal with the mess.

 

[Cason]

$6 an hour? You work cheap, Marlinchaser. Wanta come to Missouri and work for ME?