Selling hens

[Member 482121]

A neighbor asked me if I can sell her some hens. I have a bunch of adolescent black Australorps and I am not too sure which ones are roos and which are hens, yet. I was planning, as soon as I can tell the roosters from the hens, on butchering all the roos minus one and keeping only 7 or 8 of the hens for egg laying. But I'd hate to butcher young egg-laying (well, not yet) hens and I'd be glad to sell them instead of killing them. What would be a fair price to ask, considering that I have been spending money on feed, vitamins and coccidiosis prevention, besides the initial price of the chicks? Furthermore, the chicken house and run that I built for these Tractor Supply chicks cost me $400, and I spent almost $40 for a fancy automatic drinker. I saw that one breeder charges $18.50 per hen, but when the shipping is added the price skyrockets. How much should I ask for each hen and maybe also a rooster, if my neighbor wants one?

 

[Redhead Rae]

How long does she want you to raise them until?

 

[Member 482121]

How long does she want you to raise them until?

She did not say. I guess until they begin to lay. She already has quite a few chickens of her own and sells the eggs. I wish I could tell the hens from the roosters so that I could sell them to her as soon as they are a little bigger. They are the size of a partridge now.

 

[Redhead Rae]

How old are they? You might post pictures on here when they are 6-8 weeks old and get some answers.

Also, how long she wants you to raise them should be part of how much they cost. You need to factor in your feed costs plus money for your time and energy into how much you charge her.

 

[Mrs. K]

I just paid $5.00 for some very nice hens. After I bought them, I thought I stole them, but it what I offered, unseen, expecting to get older hens. Got hens a little over a year old.

So if you can get $15, go for it. I would not expect to get any more. If you do sell her a rooster and she is uncomfortable processing it, maybe you could take it back. Might get a few more bucks if the we're "guaranteed pullets".

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

The price for just starting to lay hen's I've always been told is $20.00. Roosters $10.00, but I've always just have away. Where are you located? You may be able to sell them rate here in BYC. Hen's feathers do grow faster than rooster's, and depending on how old they are the rooster's combs should be getting big and red.

 

[Member 482121]

They are about 5 weeks old. I understand that the only effective way of sexing them (short of the professional way that requires digital examination of the cloaca) is by observing the hackles on the neck and the saddle. Males have sharper, more elongated feathers there; females have more rounded feathers. But mine are still too young to sex this way. Yes, I think that $20 per hen is a fair price. And even if they cost me more individually to raise them until I can sex them, I'd sooner sell them at a loss to someone who wants to raise them for the eggs than butcher them.

 

[RWise]

Here chicks run $3.50 - $5 straight run, pullets near laying and hens $15 - $25, old hens $5 - $10, Roosters Free to $15 (OK I see adds at $125, and I wonder if they sell). This is for common birds, less common demand more. Your local CL (craigslist) would be a good place to look for local pricing.

 

[Percheron chick]

I will raise around 100 pullets a year to sell and add a few to my flock. To get them to 18-20 weeks when they are most attractive to buyers, figure 20# feed, $2 for bedding, water, electricity and the cost of the chick. You have close to $13 invested by that time. You can't figure any capital improvements into the cost. Those will take years to absorb. So if you sell pullets for $15 you only make $2. Solution still sell for $15 but sell in the 10-12 week range. Now you're making closer to $5. I sell mine for $20 ($7/ pullet profit) but I live in the metro Denver area and people like the service. At 5 weeks, there are clear signs who the girls are. If you are willing to take back any cockerels and exchange them for pullets, no skin off your teeth. You are in the exact same situation then if you feed and raised them to process.

 

[aart]

They are about 5 weeks old. I understand that the only effective way of sexing them (short of the professional way that requires digital examination of the cloaca) is by observing the hackles on the neck and the saddle. Males have sharper, more elongated feathers there; females have more rounded feathers. But mine are still too young to sex this way. Yes, I think that $20 per hen is a fair price. And even if they cost me more individually to raise them until I can sex them, I'd sooner sell them at a loss to someone who wants to raise them for the eggs than butcher them.

'Lorp gender should be apparent by 4-6 weeks by size and color of comb.
You and she will have to work out the when and how much..... for POL bird $20 sounds good.