Selling It: How are you pricing now?

[brandywine]

Well, I've taken complete leave of my senses, and now have 100 JM Colored Rangers peeping away in the basement. (They are known as the McNuggets.)

I've ordered my electronet fencing from Premier, and am going to get cracking on the range shelters next week. (Chicks won't be moving out to pasture for a while -- they'll go from the potato box in the basement to floor brooding in a stall in the barn, then to the pasture when they are feathered.)

I'm exploring a few options for processing, which I expect to be around the end of June or beginning of July.

And I'm being inundated with requests to buy from friends, family, and my SAR teammates -- including a friend who lives halfway across the country, and is on a strictly "no additives, no chemicals" diet at the moment.

These will be raised on non-medicated feeds, in pasture -- not in chicken tractors, but with range shelters, protected by electronet at night, and possibly confined by it during the day -- but we have so much space, I think they may totally free range, like my laying hens. So a very natural, humane, sustainable upbringing -- but not organic feed.

I have no idea how to price the birds.

Per bird or per pound?

How much?

Those of you who sell -- how much are you getting this year for whole dressed birds?

If I can get pre-orders on the scale that is threatening, at a price that covers my cost and a little more for the trouble, then I'll order another batch to be ready to go when these guys vacate the range shelters.

How much do you have people pay on pre-orders? Do you discount fully-paid pre-orders that come in before a certain time?

I'm in Western PA, if that makes a difference. Not a ritzy area, but not hardscrabble either.

 

[jaku]

I sell my birds for $10 each. It's luck of the draw whether people get a large or small one. That being said, right now I'm just selling to coworkers and friends. I sell live birds and offer free processing. That way, you avoid the regulations.

You have to be licensed and inspected to process and sell meat. However, there are no regulations for selling live chickens. There are also no regulations on processing meat if you aren't charging to do so. The key is that you have to ACTUALLY be doing it, which means you need to presell the birds and have people specifically say that they want the birds processed. You can't charge more for additional services (like cutting them up,) and you can't sell the extras from your freezer. My customers pay when the birds are delivered, as I don't want to deal with refunds if some of the birds die early.

 

[chixrus]

lol jaku, i sell mine the same way! i get them processed, though, is that legal then? either way, i'm only selling to friends

 

[jaku]

Quote:
I'm not sure- the processor is most likely licensed, but you should check with him as to the legality of RE-selling the meat. I would think you'd be fine though, if you are pre-selling live birds, and charging by the bird.

 

[Ameraucana Momma]

I just had 26 rock cross birds butchered
they cost $27.00
Feed $107.00 All Natural no animal By Products
Sawdust $10.00
Processing $52.00
_______
Total $196.00
Thats $7.54 per bird in costs
We sell them around here for $2.50 a pound
The birds averaged 5.3 pounds
That is $13.25 per bird making 5.71 per bird
There is a lot of work getting these birds to thrive and stay alive
They have to have clean water and a clean pen plus all the food they can eat. I let them run out of food about 9 at night but they always have some in their feeder so they can peck around and not become stressed in the morning when I fill the feeders again. Keeping them clean is the real problem as they drink up to 10 gal a day and their bedding is always wet. I use hay chaff and straw and clean them out about every 4 days at the end.
Its all a lot of work and if you loose birds you loose your profit.
I didn't loose any but we had ideal cool conditions their last two weeks. Hot weather will kill them faster than anything.
I will not do this for anyone else the birds I raise I enjoy all winter long.