Rasing pullets to sell

[2pinkmom]

I just sold 15 9-week old pullets over the weekend. They were cuckoo maran and EE. All sold from an ad on CL. I'm west of Washington DC, so there seems to be a healthy market for started pullets. One guy even wanted to buy some of my adult layers! Because it is a suburban area and relatively affluent at that, people tend to have smaller flocks and don't want to deal with the big hatchery minimum order. I'm thinking that demand wouldn't be there in areas like rural Iowa, for instance.

Maybe try it with a small batch and see what happens. I'd bought these chicks intending to keep most and sell a couple extra, but the prospect of actually breaking even on my startup costs (brooders, etc.) got the better of me!

 

[AZKat]

I'd do it. There is a big demand for started pullets, and if you charge $10-15 for them, you should make enough to pay for the cost of feed and the cost of buying the chicks, which means that your laying flock is free.

 

[Frogdogtimestwo]

I would test the market in your area, there is a person who does this very thing where I live and they get 4-5.00 for day olds and 15 and up for 6 weeks or more, personally a seasoned chicken person may not pay those prices but in a suburban area they do quite well. Just make sure you are ordering hardy popular breeds. Easter eggers and dark layers are good sellers here. Good marketing and maybe include a cute pamphlet about the breed they have chosen etc would be an idea.

 

[mamato3]

Im already buying some up locally trying to get as much verity as possible ive got 20 chicks already going from 5 weeks down to 1 day old. Breeds are SLWs, Golden sex links , RIR, Cochins, Easter eggers, bared rocks and Turkens of coarse i will be keeping some of them. Ive been wanting to buy that cackle surprise and raise it for the fun of it. Hoping for some heritage turkeys. But i might wait this yr and do it next yr or this fall Im done buying for now hopefully by June i can sell a few of these.

 

[Katy]

Quote:
Be careful with the birds you buy. Buying a varied bunch like that from different sources is a good way to bring an illness onto your property and end up with a bunch of sick and or dying birds.

 

[mamato3]

Most of them came from a 2 different farm stores only the oldest group came from someone that bought them from a feed store as a chick.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Feedstore chicks are exposed to disease, and what Katy says still applies in your situation.

Just sayin',

Good luck, have fun,

Pat