Should I start a small poultry farm? Ameraucanas?

[LaFleche]

Might be a good idea to start smaller and see what the demand will be.

You could increase the amount of birds any time by hatching your own if everything turned out to your satisfaction. But having to feed and care for 100 birds is no minor task and the bills might pile up quickly.

 

[PapaRo]

Might be a good idea to start smaller and see what the demand will be.

You could increase the amount of birds any time by hatching your own if everything turned out to your satisfaction. But having to feed and care for 100 birds is no minor task and the bills might pile up quickly.

Hhm very smart

 

[Cattle dog Mom]

Might be a good idea to start smaller and see what the demand will be.

You could increase the amount of birds any time by hatching your own if everything turned out to your satisfaction. But having to feed and care for 100 birds is no minor task and the bills might pile up quickly.

I agree 100%. That is a LOT of chickens and a LOT of chicks. And Ameracaunas (sp) are on about every corner these days it seems. I see SOOO many people that breed them on different FB groups. (And I mean TRUE Ameracaunas AND EE's both.) So I don't think there would be as much demand as there might be for some other more rare breeds. And many people like to have/get multiple breeds and it is generally easier to get several different breeds at once at a feed store or ordering from a hatchery that carries a bunch of different breeds. Chicks are also generally cheaper from a hatchery or feed store than they are from a breeder. And most people are CHEAP. Why spend say $10 or $20 a chick, when they can get the same kind of chick somewhere else for $5 or less? Shipping eggs and chicks would also COST you money. I'm not saying "don't do it". I'm just saying rather than jumping in with both feet, mabe wade in first and see how it goes.

 

[PapaRo]

Define profit- I sell enough eggs on my roadside cooler to pay their feed bill. I have a nice sign and people come up the drive and I have a large cooler on wheels that they help themselves and leave the money in the cooler. It is close to the house and I have had no problems. I am nine months into this adventure, so not bad. I have had mixed results buying day old chicks and raising to eight weeks old selling pullets. Covid shut down the poultry auctions. If I counted the cost of remaking a shed into my dream chicken coop ($800) I have not recouped the initial cost of set up. So for most of us I do not think a backyard operation makes a profit. It does however make an income.
Do research every labor saving trick you can find that works for you. I do think you can have fun and make income from a backyard set up.

My goal would be to net $20k a year after the 1st year, and scale to ~$50k by year 5, we’re I’ll hand it off to my son if he’s willing and able. ( I will not include property, initial buildings or any infrastructure cost into the P&L)

 

[PapaRo]

Yes ... very good point about those breeds and overall demand.. hhm...

 

[PapaRo]

Would be starting with a 15 bird setup.

 

[Cattle dog Mom]

Also wanted to say that I started a thread on a PNW FB chicken group about what breeds people breed and BBS (and Wheaton) Ameracaunas came up several times. (As well as several other breeds that people posted over and over.) Same with blue red laced wyandottes. And there are many breeds people have nothing to do with only because they are super common and available at every farm store and hatchery. (Australorps, single comb RIR, buff orpington etc...)

 

[Cattle dog Mom]

Something else to consider, do you have pens/brooders to keep any chicks that don't sell as day olds? There are always people looking for chicks old enough to KNOW they are getting pullets. (And they are generally happy to pay more $ for them than day old chicks.) BUT I also don't know how populated your area is for people willing to drive to you and pick them up. Around here, driving a few hours (one way) is nothing. I have to drive an hour to get to Walmart. But other areas, people refuse to drive 30 miles to get anything! (Because they can get everything they want or need closer than that.

 

[LaFleche]

Let us say you could sell the chicks at a reasonable price which is 5$. So you would need to sell about 34 chicks every month at the price of 5 $ each to earn 2000 gross:

34 x 5 = 170 x 12 = 2.040

Multiply by 10 to approach your aspiration of 20K = 340 chicks every month at the price of 5$.


Then you would have to subtract all of the costs:

• acquisition of parent birds or hatching eggs
• incubators
• brooders
• heating lamps
• bedding
• feeders, waterers
• electricity bills
• water bills
• telephone bills
• cleansing and desinfectant materials
• feed
• supplements/vitamins
• possible medication (i.e. coccidiostats, vaccinations, anti parasite treatments as for worms, lice, mites, antibiotics etc.)
• water hoses
• coop repairs,
• gasoline every time you drive out to buy goods needed for your chicken farm
• depreciation for wear and tear
• labour power (how many hours?)
• insurance
• taxes etc etc.

As you can see, this adds up. And if you want your business NPIP certified, the costs are not to be underestimated too.

To set yourself up for success, I think it very important to make calculations as accurate as possible prior to throw oneself headfirst into an unknown business venture.

 

[ScratchNbawk]

A while ago I wanted to make some extra money by running my own business, but I didn’t know what to do. I knew what I was interested in, but if I was going to invest in something, I wanted ensure a high probability of success.
I used the Google Trends website to find out what people were searching for most online. For example, if I go on google trends and search “fresh eggs” it tells me that this is searched for most in the state of Wyoming, but there’s also a high demand in Oregon. It’s extremely detailed, right down to the city. It also says the specific search “where can I get fresh eggs” is on the rise. It tells you any searches related to “fresh eggs”.
I can’t tell you enough how valuable this information was for me. I spent untold hours figuring out how to find the specific info I needed and analyzing data. It took me about a month to start getting sales in a business I previously didn’t even know existed, and I used no social media. You can literally find out anything you want to know when it comes to demand, right down to the types of breeds and colors most popular in your area, and soooo much more. Whether you’re selling online or not, it gives you a good idea of what people want in certain areas.
Sounds like a very exciting time in your life, good luck!