re raising pullets/off season for PROFIT! $$$$$$

[maf2008]

I have slowly (LOL!!!)

started growing my chickens and decided to make a small business out of it for side income. (I am nearing retirement and income has been reduced due to the economy.... I decided to get a few chickens to save on the food bill and here is what I have learned

(I do not want to "count my chickens before they come home to roost or hatch or whatever"..... but I will be able to pay my mortgage and fence the property with the extra cash!!!)

1) You CAN make $$$$$ C-A-S-H watch the losses (eliminate the losses = more profit economy 101 duh!
2) you can NEVER have enough layers/prelayers
3) advertising does not cost me a penny on craigs list
4) Lots of work? nah... good excercise! I feel better and have lost 15 lbs!
5) Raise your own food cut $$$ for groceries (meat and eggs) With the "eggstra" $$ I am purchasing a side of beef at the market or getting a spring calf!
6) Join barter/COUPON//swap/mommie groups (my husband delivers eggs and live poultry to barter groups and they will give LOTS of neat stuff for hens/eggs/chicks (these ladies are champion shoppers and have pantries full of extra freebies from coupons.. I get shaving lotion, drinks, dried pasta, sauces, meal, foods, canned and frozen for a few dozen eggs/processed poultry!!!! but wait there is more! I have traded for movies, clothes, tools, garage sale items and plants!!!
7) chickens are better than the US dollar and money

- they provide food, entertainment and other supplies..... I think they will be a "form of needed currency" maybe sooner than we think.....(?)

I hope my experiences help someone. I am not bragging, just am very proud that I can provide for my family. Bless you all

 

[Katy]

Quote:
So just how long have you been raking in $3000 doing this? Is that per month, per year?

I don't think it's a year since you haven't had chickens that long and in July you were asking people how they sold their chickens to make back their feed money. Here's that thread:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=214781

So the way I figure it you haven't had the time to raise anymore than one group to 10 weeks to resell.

I'm skeptical of your claims to the money that you're making.

 

[write2caroline]

Yeah - I have not yet made the transition for raising for meat but I think that being self sufficient is the way to do well in any economy - GO you! Keep up the tips for the rest of us

I got my chickens in case the economy tanked too! no eggs yet!
CAl
Jax FL

 

[Katy]

Good luck to you on your venture, but I've been doing this a long time and by the time you raise them to sell them as POL pullets there isn't a lot of money to be made out of them, unless you're selling show quality birds from well-known breeding line. Unless you are totally free-ranging your birds it takes a lot of feed to get them to that point. I'm lucky to pay the feed bill by selling hatching eggs from purebred, good quality breeding stock (NOT hatchery stock) and the extra chicks and pullets that I raise.

 

[Plain Old Dee]

In 1988, my husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor - inoperable. We had about 60 laying hens at the time and had just put a beef in the freezer. We also had a garden like we had NEVER had before (someone upstairs must have been helping out with that!). Hubby had a good job, but someone in a back office had screwed up his disability disbursement so that we only had $25/week to live on. The rest of his disability was being deposited in the credit union, which would not allow us to access the account since he was not technically an active employee. (That rule has been changed since then.)

The $25 was barely enough for the gas money to get him to his doctor appointments in Oklahoma City. For the first time in our married lives, we couldn't even get our girls a $.05 sucker at the grocery store - and we only went to the store for margarine, flour and milk. Between the beef, the chickens and the garden, we ate like kings. I was able to sell enough eggs to cover the grocery bill... just barely.

Fortunately, the tumor was benign and a shunt alleviated the symptoms and my husband was able to return to work - after over three months. When we were finally able to access our savings account in the credit union, we were able to catch up the utility bills (thank heaven they were patient with us!).

For those three months, though, we were as self sufficient as I ever want to be! Hubby is forever glad that my grandma taught me how to cook from scratch!

 

[maf2008]

So far, my system is working and I am making good extra income!!!! I just sell "hatchery stock" and purchase in bulk grain at the feed mill. and supliment with lots of grass- many people in our area just want "egg layers" and do not care for confirmation nor feather texture and color for prizie winning birds. (But there is a big market for these buyers too!)

I show pen the "pre layers" ages 10-14 weeks and can't keep enough of them.

I purchase from hatchery (Ideal is the best in my opinion for hatchery stock!) at wholesale prices $1.25-$1.50 each pullet and buy the 99 cent specials... then sell the pullets in about 10 weeks for $15 each. I KNOW I do not have that much $$$$ feed into them and this is what helps me on the profit. This is simple and it works.

PLUS the real exta comes from "bartering" eggs and frozen poultry for the other things we need. Good luck to you I wish I had a few real pretty show birds... I just never got into that part of it yet, but I do know a few breeders.

Quote:

 

[Katy]

Quote:

You say you purchase bulk grains.....do you not feed them grower or layer feeds? I supplement my flock with a lot of free grain since we are grain farmers, but just grain and grass isn't real good for them. If you are free range you can get by with that since they get a lot of what they need from the bugs and critters they catch and eat.

 

[maf2008]

In addition to grains, grasses and bugs when they get to layer age of course they do get layer feed/corn and treats as well. They are well fed. Point is, I am glad to be able to mak a profit... $$$$ add $10 profit x 300 10 week old birds. (this is minus feed and supplies!)

That is $3,000 income working part time "flipping" chickens. I purchase 200/300 pullets per month and "flip them quick" for profit. (they are all well take care of! heat at night and meds when needed!) The eggs/meat and barter are for the real extras. Anyone can do this and its nor hard it you have the space, time and a little money to get started small... it will grow fast!

Quote:

You say you purchase bulk grains.....do you not feed them grower or layer feeds? I supplement my flock with a lot of free grain since we are grain farmers, but just grain and grass isn't real good for them. If you are free range you can get by with that since they get a lot of what they need from the bugs and critters they catch and eat.

 

[corancher]

Good for you. It looks like you may have found a niche. I know that I have lots of people buy pullets and hens and they really don't care if they are pure breeds, or hatchery stock. They just want healthy birds that lay an egg.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I've found raising chickens to sell for profit to be frustrating & not very rewarding. It's great if you can find some niche market in your area, and if you're really making a profit I'm very happy for you. But around here the buyers are few & far-between. My best market is at our county fair so that's where I plan to sell the most, buying chicks 6 months before and raising them up to show & sell at the fair. Otherwise, people want to pay just $5-$10 for a pure bred POL hen. I don't know how you can break even at that price unless you're not feeding them anything but free-range & bakery surplus. Or maybe people are selling their spent hens as POL, and buyers don't know the difference.

Your barter system must be beneficial to you & your friends, I've bartered eggs & meat for things like hair cuts & other simple chores.