Selling chicks, best way to run it, and get the word out?

[ChocolateMouse]

I think I will use some eggs from my flock and sell them as mixed breeds. I will have to buy some eggs form other people though if I want pure breeds. I only pure breed I will have is RIR, and I would have to watch the RIR lay the egg to know that that was a RIR.

I think that's a bad plan and will be hard to sell. For example, my TSC was selling chicks this last month for $0.50/each because they weren't selling and they were leghorns and australorps and red sexlinks - well established breeds and varieties.

You're bringing lives into the world. You're responsible for them. Are you willing to SPEND money on these chicks or looking to MAKE money? Because if you just wanna hatch for fun and make back some of the costs you might be able to. If you're looking to make money, you need to have a good reason for people to buy your chicks.

If you hatch chicks you will have to cull. If for no other reason than you're going to get one or two who have a failure to thrive and nobody wants a sick chick. I brought home a TSC chick with defects *for free* last week and I'm already thinking about culling it because it's not growing properly and that's a big indicator of suffering.

 

[Weeg]

I'm a part of a couple local FB pages and lots of folks sell their hatches there and pretty quickly. Best to get a head start maybe in February so you can extend your season and so people have a chance to spread the word about your business. Setting up your own FB page and asking folks to engage by posting pics of their chicks from you would be good advertisement as well.

Thank you! I want to start incubating ASAP since I have never hatched before, and need to get my know how.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Incidentally, I'm not saying you personally have to put a bird down. But you DO need to be ready to send them to someone else to be put down if there's a problem and you can't.

 

[shineandrise]

Ok... you guys prob already thought of all this... just not counting the really not-good ones, but I'm gonna say it anyway. Post it on Facebook and Facebook market place. We have friends that have hooked up with TSC so they just sell them straight their, and the same with Amazon. Or maybe you just want to sell locally. Ok time for the really bad ones: Tell all your friends, and put a sign in your yard. LOL Also, you can sell the extras more as meat birds, sometimes, (in my friends' experience) you can like sell them to a restaurant for them to process. Also, sorry to break it to ya, but in less your fully in this with peeps behind you then your prob not going to make to much money.

 

[Weeg]

You're bringing lives into the world. You're responsible for them. Are you willing to SPEND money on these chicks or looking to MAKE money? Because if you just wanna hatch for fun and make back some of the costs you might be able to. If you're looking to make money, you need to have a good reason for people to buy your chicks.

I don really care about making money. I mostly think it will be fun, and making a few bucks, not much, will be good too.

 

[Weeg]

If you hatch chicks you will have to cull. If for no other reason than you're going to get one or two who have a failure to thrive and nobody wants a sick chick. I brought home a TSC chick with defects *for free* last week and I'm already thinking about culling it because it's not growing properly and that's a big indicator of suffering.

I understand needing to put down a dying chick, I can do that. Mostly don't want to have extras, I don keno what to do with, that is why I am posting the thread.

 

[shineandrise]

Hatching chicks is fun and cool to watch and go through the process. I hope that it goes well for you with the chicks! Keep us posted when you are incubating, please.

 

[Weeg]

Ok... you guys prob already thought of all this... just not counting the really not-good ones, but I'm gonna say it anyway. Post it on Facebook and Facebook market place. We have friends that have hooked up with TSC so they just sell them straight their, and the same with Amazon. Or maybe you just want to sell locally. Ok time for the really bad ones: Tell all your friends, and put a sign in your yard. LOL Also, you can sell the extras more as meat birds, sometimes, (in my friends' experience) you can like sell them to a restaurant for them to process. Also, sorry to break it to ya, but in less your fully in this with peeps behind you then your prob not going to make to much money.

I am not worried about making money. But I do like the idea of selling extras a meat birds!

 

[Weeg]

Hatching chicks is fun and cool to watch and go through the process. I hope that it goes well for you with the chicks! Keep us posted when you are incubating, please.

I will! Thanks of all the help! Any additional info appreciated!

 

[Thunder344]

With the additional unwanted chicks or leftover chicks, i would wait till there at egg laying stage and try to sell them again or use those eggs to make another batch.