Sigh... where / how to sell extra birds

[exop]

I'd like to thin out my Jersey Giant flock, and also find new homes for a few of my Crèvecoeur roosters... all of the birds which I have kept and still have today are "special" (essentially pet birds, who I'm fond of and who trust me). Especially with the Crèvecoeurs, I also feel a burden of responsibility because it's such a rare breed.

I had high hopes of finding somebody via BYC, but that hasn't worked so far... I've tried posting in breed-related threads and using the new auction forum. I've also tried out the auction sites Bidbird.com and Featherauction.com. No bids. Ebay Classifieds, Craigslist: no responses. (I'm not near a major city and the closest Craigslist locations don't see much traffic).

I even bought some of those insanely expensive bird shipping boxes in hopes that I would need them.

For those of you who successfully sell your own birds, have any of the auction sites worked for you? How long has it typically taken? Have you any tips which might help?

What's worked the best for you: your own website, an auction site (which ones?), Craigslist, fliers posted in feed stores... ?

I'd like to emphasize that I'm not trying to turn some crazy profit. It's frustrating that people don't think twice about spending $400 for a puppy but don't seem to want to pay $20 for an attractive, friendly, healthy adult 1 1/2 year old crested rooster from a critically rare breed. Sigh. $20 barely covers his "pet value" let alone all the nice organic feed he's eaten in his life...

Anyone in the same boat?

Best - exop

 

[Buns]

I routinely check craigs list ads far from my home and have driven several hours one way if someone has what I am looking for. I would try expanding your listing with craigs list to places further than you think would respond. I think there is also another ad site called kijiji or something like that you might try. I haven't been there in a while, hopefully it is still there.

Just as a person who has raised and sold horses for many years, I can say that the value of a good photo is immeasurable. I don't know what photos you are using, so I'm not making a comment on that, just saying that with my large livestock a great photo makes a big difference.

My last thought - with such a rare breed it would personally hold me back to get just a rooster as I know the odds of me finding a hen would be slim to none. If anything, I would have to buy a pair later and then I'd still have a spare roo.

You might try local flyers also. Never know if there is someone waiting to be mentored just around the corner. Or maybe an older person not online who would love to have a fancy rooster for their ladies.

I'm sorry for your difficulty. Where are you located?

Good luck.

 

[Katy]

The sad fact is there are too many roosters.....whether they're a rare breed or not. I consider myself extremely lucky if I get 8-10 bucks for my extra roosters at my local poultry auction......and I've got some nice purebred roos.

 

[Mrs. Turbo]

It is almost impossible to sell a rooster without a hen unless someone was specifically looking for a nice rooster in the breed you are selling. We only get $5-$7 a rooster at the swaps around here so we give them to a friend and he trades us feed......or you will save money on feed just giving them away if you can't sell them. Try craigs list.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

I go to local swaps. This year I went to a swap in May and sold out of all the chickens, all that I brought home was a couple duckings and goslings. I went to a show in September and brought a bunch of extra silkie roosters, and some pairs. Sold everything. Several people just wanted roosters.

I also use craigslist.

 

[exop]

Well, all... I've been trying to post birds on Craigslist, and thought I was simply getting no bites... but as it turned out my ads were going into some sort of limbo and disappearing. Apparently a lot of people have had this problem and the Craigslist help board is filled with entreaties from those whose ads never posted properly. They call it "ghosting" and there seems to be disagreement about whether it is caused by text formatting within the ads, "wrong location", or cross posting.

I'm sad because I am out in the middle of nowhere in NW Indiana, which leaves me at Craigslist's mercy:

1. I'm not really in any locality: Lafayette, Champaign-Urbana (ie: Danville) and Chicago are all equally valid choices, and in the past I've tried one or the other... which could look like cross posting if you were unaware of my location on the map

2. We can only get dialup here, which means that my IP address seems to be located in Georgia (where my internet provider connects to the network).

I find the situation bizarre and frustrating. From what people have said it's only been like this for a few months, so I'll hope that someone fixes it.

In the meantime, I will have to try something else. Has anyone had success with Kijiji / now eBay classifieds?

Best - exop

 

[HBuehler]

Are you NPIP? If not you can't ship by rules..and can't ship to certain States even if you are.I know some do but it's not a good idea.Like the others have said chances are no one is going to pay much for a rooster or pay the high shipping fees involved unless he's a top rooster.Being rare isn't enough.I travel hundreds of miles and will pay top dollar for breeding birds but won't travel very far just because it's rare..
We sell our birds all the time through CL and other venues...we don't do any swaps being NPIP it's not allowed...unless you know the birds are not coming home.Our common roos are mostly free.When we have a good breeder prospect I do sell those. Had someone come for 8 yesterday and left with 14

 

[stoneunhenged]

Ah, the surplus rooster dilemma.

You can greatly limit the number of surplus roosters you need to deal with by having the discipline to sell only hatching eggs, unsexed day-old chicks, or pairs of birds. If you do this, the only surplus roosters you will need to deal with are the ones you retained for your own breeding program. I'd recommend you grow out those roosters for 4-6 months, then cull all but the best. You can either eat them or give them away to people who will fatten them and eat them. You may find more takers with recent immigrants to America who come from a tradition and have the knowledge to actually kill and clean a chicken. For example, I know a guy from Trinidad who will eat all the roosters I care to give him.

As for demanding and getting the real value of chickens, you can take some comfort in the fact that chicken values are increasing for excellent birds as people become more aware of the rarity of the birds and the skill, cost, and time required to breed excellent stock. The major factors affecting value are the desirability of the breed, the number available to sell, the wealth of your target audience, and your marketing skills. For years cockfighters have thought nothing of paying $1,000 for a trio of top birds. That same mentality is new to backyard hobbyists but not completely foreign. I've approached several people in 2010 to buy rare chickens in America, and more than once I've been quoted a price of more than $1,500 for a pair. And you know what? That's not crazy. They were getting their price because those birds were not available anywhere else.

As for marketing, the best investment you can make in your chicken business is a decent camera. You can now buy an excellent digital camera for under $250. Study chicken pictures and find out what works. It shouldn't surprise people that blurry shots of birds taken from from above while the birds are standing in their own manure won't often result in strong sales. Take the shots in good light from ground level. That alone will put you ahead of 90% of the people trying to sell eggs on eBay.

Best of luck in your venture. You're asking the right questions. You'll get where you want to go.

 

[Sillystunt]

i agree with the abundance of roosters!!! You'll be lucky to get 5 to 10 bucks for him, regardless of breed. Unless you put him with a hen or 2 and sell as a breeding pair, you'll have little luck.

I run mine through auction & get what i can for them. i do not know what happens to them after & don't think about it. I know it seems ruff but i had to except the fact that i can't have 30 roosters on my property......LOL.

Maybe lowering your price & just finding him a good home would be better then trying to recoop your costs. sometimes you just have to bite the bullet & do things like that. It totally stinks but is a hrash reality of raising chickens.

Hope you find him a home & Best of luck!!!!

 

[Illia]

Yep, the ONLY chance you're going to get a good sell of roosters is that they're good quality.

I myself may get a Crevecoeur rooster, as they're beautiful and it is indeed saving a rare breed, but I need proof that the owner/breeder has good quality, not hatchery quality. They truly need saving, not overpopulation of "junk" (sorry)

My success is in Craigslist when it comes to extras, however most of my roosters just plain get eaten. Family needs food. If the rooster is of good quality, I sell it. And it usually gets sold within 2 weeks. But you must also consider, right now is NOT a good time to be selling roosters. Very few people look for chickens for sale at this time of year. Especially roosters.