small scale hatchery

[Maryallison]

Well, good luck with it all. You are very young. Like the others said...start with it as a hobby & see how it goes.

 

[onthespot]

You should edit out your reference to your age. BYC does not allow minors to post their age to prevent exploitation. Sorry I came off too mean in the first post. I did not know you were a minor. You have lots of time to hand over your money and get experience. LOL. Start small, and stick with what you love, not what you think will make you money. In time you will start to see which way the money wheel spins and try to get on the right side of it. Sounds simple but it is a lot of work to get there. Good luck to you, and I really really mean it.

 

[morninggloryhatchery]

Good Luck! I am also starting my own little hatchery here in Wasilla, Ak. I was suppose to start this summer but i was WAY to busy cause i had 9 breeds. But now my Max. is 4-5. Start out small and then grow. my breeding pens will have 7 females of the breed i am putting in the pen and i roo the breed ing pen which is 9x9 with a nice 15x20 run.
Good Luck! You may have a rough start when you open it but if you go on craigslist and post your hatcheries name and put a list in the add on what you sell and then maybe you can get a free Website at freewebs.com?
Good Luck again!

 

[Hen_House_Rocks!]

I agree with Wombat- start small and work your way up. As a small business owner, I feel that the three keys to success are:

1. Make 1 yr, 5yr, 10 yr business plans and stick to them as much as possible so that you can make steady progress towards your goals. Revisit them on a monthly basis to keep track of progress.

2. Networking! Make friends with your competition and make friends with your vendors- this will help you in the future. No one is 100% knowledgeable and self sufficient. You may need advise from time to time, and they may need something from you in the future. Use this to your advantage.

3. Customer service. This is key. If your customers are happy, they will continue to be your customer and they will send their friends & family to you, also.

Good luck!!

 

[Rockpile99]

Another option in your quest... FFA/4-H

I realize that you only have a couple more years of school left but both of these programs will help you immensely, not only in the husbandry side of things but also the business / marketing side of profiting from your hobby.

I was just at our local fair yesterday (chicken show of course) and all of the chickens were available for sale after the show. I think all of them eventually sold but it was EASY to see which chickens were in the highest demand in my area.

Don't let anyone tell you, you can't do something but go into it with your eyes open and be prepared for a few failures along the road.

Good luck

 

[mycountrycabin]

Quote:
its fineLOL ive gotta learn and goin easy on me because of my age is not wat i want.
apoligy accepted!!!

 

[Mrs MIA]

Likewise... as someone older with business experience, I was still shocked at how much money it takes, not to mention time. There are business licenses, possibly NPIP testing, pens, stock, FEED...OMG, these birds are pirhanas!... first aid/medications, as well as untilities. I didn't see where you lived, but you will increase your electric usage quite a bit with incubators and brooders. Never one to dampen enthusiasm, but the best advice those of us who have done it can give you is to start out small, and add to it as you have the means. I went gung-ho and spent $10K+ the first year getting started... construction materials, eggs, birds, yada yada. It's a little harder for us here in AK because it's so cold in the winter, but even if I don't count the expense already paid, I'm just making enough to pay the feed bill and maybe help with the utilities. Unless you do it just right, you will probably not make a living from it. You can get a free website from Freewebs.com... it's easy, and user friendly, too. Craigslist frowns on businesses using their free advertising, unless you do it in the small business section which doesn't really have a "livestock" section. Any ads that even sound like a business are usually flagged first thing. I've had mild success posting fliers at the places in town that have sale-boards, but it's more getting your name out there and letting people know you're in business. Do your research... choose breeds that are appropriate for your area, or do a survey to find out what breeds people want to find out which ones to start with.
The search engines are your friend... there's lots of experience here on the boards... good luck!!