Small Scale Chicken Hatchery Questions

[Ramblin Rooster]

Hi guys,

I have a few questions on what I would need and how much it would cost for certain things having to do with starting a small scale chicken hatchery. Here are my questions:

1. How many chickens do I need to sell yearly to make a good profit ($50,000+)?

2. What can I do to make the chickens more valuable to buyers?

3.What are the best breeds to sell for profit?

4. What breeds can I sell that will make my hatchery unique?

5. How can I raise/ breed/ hatch chickens more humanely (free range if possible)?

6. What advantages would I have by raising them in a year-round warm climate (ex. florida)

Please answer these numbered like above, and answer what you can (ex. 4. rhode island red).

Thanks for the help it really makes a difference!


- nflriverman

 

[brahmabreeder]

1) I would love to know the answer but all I know is it would have to be a ton of birds sold to make that much. My end goal in life is to run a hatchery and have that be my only job/source of income. I will tell you this the sooner you sell them the more profit you will make. If you put $30 worth of feed into a birds to get it to maturity, then you have to get that much back out plus profit. That tends to get a little harder to find buyers. I would also become NPIP certified if I were you. This will allow you to ship to places. Then you will have a larger selling market.
2) To make them more valuable raise quality birds. People will pay more for quality birds. This means I would go to a breeder and get like two trios to start with. Breed them for a few years and build up stock. That way you can build up your stock. Obviously the more hens you have the more eggs you get and thus the more money you get.
3) I would get dual purpose/hard to find breeds. Dual purpose breeds will appeal to both people who want eggs and if you end p with extras you will have some meat birds to sell. I would also do a breed or two that are specifically just for eggs. I wouldn't raise ornamental breeds. They don't lay well and then you won't make as much money on them.
4) Breeds that will make your hatchery unique are ones that normally people can't get their hands on easily. Rare color patterns are an example. People also tend to pay more for breeds that lay unusually colored eggs. Such as dark chocolate eggs and blue/green eggs.
5) Free ranging is an excellent idea. A few problems present themselves though. First off the breeds can't mix otherwise you won't have pure breed chickens. I don't know what you area is like but around here hawks will pick off my birds the first chance they have. Free ranging would allow for a lower feed bill on the up side of things.
6) A year round warm climate is a good idea. This will allow the hens to lay year round. With my area winter would mean I am just feeding hens and not getting much return.

Hope this helps.

 

[countrygirl5]

5.) I would also set up a fodder system, since you wouldn't be able to free-range, unless you only sold one kind of bird. With a fodder system, it's better for the birds, and easier on the wallet.

4.) I would also sell unique/fun birds like silkies and frizzles. I am having a terrible time finding a local hatchery to get them from, (I don't want 50, just 2 or 3).

1.) I would tour a hatchery and ask them all these questions too.

HTH,
Emily.

 

[Ramblin Rooster]

Thanks! What's a fodder system? Do you have photos or a link or description?

 

[brahmabreeder]

x2 I've never understood the whole fodder system thing either.

 

[brahmabreeder]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/713334/growing-fodder-for-chickens Did a quick research and it is basically just sprouted seeds.

 

[StewedMammal]

5. If your going to have multiple breeds then the closest you'll get to free range is pasturing or have a stationary coop and multiple pens to move the birds onto fresh grass.

 

[Syerf]

1.) I would tour a hatchery and ask them all these questions too.

Touring is likely out of the question if the hatchery is at all serious about biosecurity.

1) Its really a quality vs quantity deal. Either sell tons of chicks or take the Greenfire farms route and charge obscene amounts of money for rare/semi-rare breeds.

2) Line quality is obviously important.

5) Free range should be better in terms of animal welfare but presents logistical issues. For hatching you could try only selling non-sexed eliminating the need to deal with unwanted cockerels but this will likely deter some customers who don't want or can't raise cockerels. Though of course depending on the breeds you choose you might not be able to sex them anyway.

 

[countrygirl5]

Thanks! What's a fodder system? Do you have photos or a link or description?

I don't have any photos right now (my camera actually died yesterday). :-( But you can look it up on youtube for vidoes and such. It's just barley that you rotate and water for 7-10 days depending on much grass vs how much seed you want and then feed it to your animals. It's a great money saver and great for the animals. My chickens and rabbits LOVE it!! They'd love it even more if all the gnats would go away so they could actualy enjoy being outside again. I have around 15 chickens, 3 adult rabbits (and their offspring) and I use about a dollars worth of barley a day.