Selling pullets

[Hamster0425]

I have been selling pullets for years. Typically150 a year in batches of 25. I start during the holidays so the first batch is laying when most people are starting to think about new chicks. I keep them until they are about16-20 weeks and there is no question to the gender. Selling for$20, I make about $7/bird.
For the first batch go middle of the road. All DP easy going breeds that you would want in your flock. EEs, Wyandotte, BR, BA, BO, welsummer,.. No premium priced birds to start.

You make that much even raising to 16-20 weeks? My thought was 8 weeks, which is longer than the only competitor in town.

 

[BulldogsandChickens]

I made a short list of what I think would be good breeds. Any thoughts or comments?

- Ameraucana
- Buff Orpington
- Legbar
- Cuckoo Maran
- Olive Egger
- Barred Rock
- Salmon Faverolle
- Speckled Sussex
- Welsummer
- Wyandotte

We have capacity for 25 at a time.

From that list I have a Buff Orpington, Legbar, Barred Rock, Speckled Sussex and Wyandotte. I have had Orpington before and are a good all around bird and consistent egg layer. I started raising chickens again in part for fresh eggs but mainly as pets. I am excited for the bounty of multi colored eggs. My Cream Legbar is the sweetest pullet and is beautiful already with her grey/cream feathers and slight black crest. My Speckled Sussex is a hearty pullet and can definitely take care of herself. She is a beauty too and has been a sweet caretaker of the younger chicks in our flock. My Wyandotte is a plump little adventurer. First one to try and fly out of the brooder and loves to roost as high as she can get. Good luck with your venture! Chickens are a lot of work but I find it very rewarding. They definitely have multiple sell points as pullets.

 

[Percheron chick]

$4 for the chick
20# feed (I pay $13/50# store made)
$1 misc (shavings, vitamins, electricity)
I ferment my feed to reduce waste. Mash tends to end up mixed in the bedding otherwise. I have a local feed store that often has older chicks so I buy those when I can to save a little more and eliminate loss. I am also raising them outside off heat by 3 weeks that reduces cost as well.
Run some numbers. At what age do you make enough money to justify the time and work you put into it?

 

[Acre4Me]

@Percheron chick has lots of good info, and personal experience too.

Where are you located? Rural, suburban, urban?

if your market is impatient, but cash-ready, go with 16 week olds, bc they will begin to lay soon, and you should be able to charge more. If your market Is economical minded, go younger on the chicks to sell at a more economical cost.

the other way to look at it is your resources/ limitations. Space and time. You can do 25, so either Batches of 12-14 staggered out, or a bigger batch of 25. Raise for x weeks, sell, restart. However, at some point (Sept/Oct?) people’s interest shift away from chickens, so what is your end date to sell started pullets for the year? Backtrack to see what is the optimal age to get/raise/ sell as many batches as possible In your area.

lastly, you may be in an area where ag fairs are big. Some people are looking for birds to enter. What is the date they register the birds To show? What categories are there? In my county, the chicken show categories are different than at least two bordering counties. But, maybe that is not an important part of your market.

 

[Hamster0425]

This has been helpful, thank you!

We live in a city that has lots of people interested in local food but surrounded by rural farmland. I suspect people want 1) local food from their yard 2) pets and 3) something cute/unique. Most of the potential clients are not ag fair type but more of the home and garden show type

We are a little late this year because we just built up our infrastructure. The plan is to do two rounds of meat chickens for our family, and supplement with selling pullets in between. We can squeeze in pullers in hatched mid June and mid August so I hope we would be OK with timing. Next year we would definitely be better with the spring market.

Interested in knowing more about fermented feed. I'm learning about it for our broilers, but we would be putting out 2x a day for them. Can you do fermented if you just let the gals free feed? How does that work?

The goal is to make a small amount of money and have an interesting project for our kids. They are way too young to do the work yet so they'll have to inherit this crazy project!

 

[Percheron chick]

Limit yourself to an early summer batch. Most feed stores quit selling chicks in May so if people need replacement chicks from predators, roosters, chicken math... they want pullets laying before winter. Test the market. What breeds and age are the easiest to move? My market I s the metro Denver area. Similar sounding in some ways. POL is the best age for me. People want the instant gratification of eggs and the guarantee of no cockerels.. A late batch could mean unsold pullets that you have to absorb. One or two is fine but 15 could be trouble.

 

[Acre4Me]

This has been helpful, thank you!

We live in a city that has lots of people interested in local food but surrounded by rural farmland. I suspect people want 1) local food from their yard 2) pets and 3) something cute/unique. Most of the potential clients are not ag fair type but more of the home and garden show type

We are a little late this year because we just built up our infrastructure. The plan is to do two rounds of meat chickens for our family, and supplement with selling pullets in between. We can squeeze in pullers in hatched mid June and mid August so I hope we would be OK with timing. Next year we would definitely be better with the spring market.

Interested in knowing more about fermented feed. I'm learning about it for our broilers, but we would be putting out 2x a day for them. Can you do fermented if you just let the gals free feed? How does that work?

The goal is to make a small amount of money and have an interesting project for our kids. They are way too young to do the work yet so they'll have to inherit this crazy project!

POL pullets (25) ready for late winter/early spring. 2 batches of meat chickens while another/smaller batch of pullets is growing for 16 weeks. (12 meat +12-13 pullets, then 12 more meat + same pullets). This gets you to June approx. take a 1.5-2 month break, Then a batch of meat chickens for fall butchering. Get next batch of pullet chicks in October/November for growing over winter to be POL by Feb.

Sounds like a fun project! Good luck.