Sumatra Thread!

[4Hgirl]

So unhappy I just candled our 10 sumatra eggs that have been in bator for 5 days and no veins. In contrast all 7 eggs from the rocks have veins. I don't even care for them just threw them in for giggles.

 

[Puddin Fluff]

I managed to get a pic with both our Sumatras together standing still on my back patio.

Pretty!

So unhappy I just candled our 10 sumatra eggs that have been in bator for 5 days and no veins. In contrast all 7 eggs from the rocks have veins. I don't even care for them just threw them in for giggles.

Better luck next time.

 

[zach N houdan]

I would like everyone's imput on the following problem I have with some poultry breeders. I see online and at shows people selling "bad quality or pet quality" birds for $30-50! I do not get it. I sell my culls or pets for $5-10. Breeder birds that will show okay but need qualities breed to them to improve for 15-20 and my show quality birds which means birds I would show and put my name on for $25+ because it's a fair an going rate and I have a nice amount of wins but my name is not big so I don't feel like charging $150 for a pair. So back to my problem is that I see way to many bad quality birds being sold for $40+ each. Am I the only one or are my prices too low, let me know and these crazy prices are usually silkies, polish and old English around me. I would love to hear how everyone feels or thinks of this situation. Hope all is well with everyone.
Zachary

 

[BGMatt]

I would like everyone's imput on the following problem I have with some poultry breeders. I see online and at shows people selling "bad quality or pet quality" birds for $30-50! I do not get it. I sell my culls or pets for $5-10. Breeder birds that will show okay but need qualities breed to them to improve for 15-20 and my show quality birds which means birds I would show and put my name on for $25+ because it's a fair an going rate and I have a nice amount of wins but my name is not big so I don't feel like charging $150 for a pair. So back to my problem is that I see way to many bad quality birds being sold for $40+ each. Am I the only one or are my prices too low, let me know and these crazy prices are usually silkies, polish and old English around me. I would love to hear how everyone feels or thinks of this situation. Hope all is well with everyone.
Zachary

Hard to say for sure, but you really need to take into account what it costs to raise the birds. There are a lot of people that charge too much, but there's also a lot of people that charge too little. Many large fowl breeds to get decent quality you're talking at least $50 for a grown bird.

Hard to give advice on pricing not knowing someone or their birds, but figure out what it costs you to raise, and make sure you're not losing your shirt on them.

Let me share the way I price birds and hopefully it will help you since I'm struggling to say what I want to say. It costs me on average $1 a week per bird to feed and any supplements. Because I care about my reputation, I never sell anything with a disqualification, those are what I consider true culls, and they go in the freezer or to a livestock auction without my name attached, labeled as mixed breeds. On the rare occasion I have chicks for sale I sell them $7 - $10 a chick depending on breed and which pens they come from. If I'm selling started birds (usually 16 weeks is earliest I like to see) then I have at least $16 in feed alone, plus cost of chick, so I'll sell for $20-$25. Around 6 months of age is when I sell a lot of the birds that won't be kept, so they're at least $24 in feed, plus the cost of the chick, and I can tell the quality for sure so they're around $50 a bird. By the time they're a year that bird has cost $52 to raise, and made it through multiple culling sessions, so I typically won't sell a fully mature bird personally for less than $75.
Edit: Bantams cost about half as much, so I change them accordingly.

Remember, what you sell is your reputation, if you're selling bad birds at any price it will come back on you. If you're selling birds too cheap, people may think there's something wrong and you're not being honest.

Anyway, that's what I do, hopefully it helps somehow.

 

[zach N houdan]

Hard to say for sure, but you really need to take into account what it costs to raise the birds.  There are a lot of people that charge too much, but there's also a lot of people that charge too little.  Many large fowl breeds to get decent quality you're talking at least $50 for a grown bird.

Hard to give advice on pricing not knowing someone or their birds, but figure out what it costs you to raise, and make sure you're not losing your shirt on them.  

Let me share the way I price birds and hopefully it will help you since I'm struggling to say what I want to say.  It costs me on average $1 a week per bird to feed and any supplements.  Because I care about my reputation, I never sell anything with a disqualification, those are what I consider true culls, and they go in the freezer or to a livestock auction without my name attached, labeled as mixed breeds. On the rare occasion I have chicks for sale I sell them $7 - $10 a chick depending on breed and which pens they come from.  If I'm selling started birds (usually 16 weeks is earliest I like to see) then I have at least $16 in feed alone, plus cost of chick, so I'll sell for $20-$25. Around 6 months of age is when I sell a lot of the birds that won't be kept, so they're at least $24 in feed, plus the cost of the chick, and I can tell the quality for sure so they're around $50 a bird. By the time they're a year that bird has cost $52 to raise, and made it through multiple culling sessions, so I typically won't sell a fully mature bird personally for less than $75.
Edit: Bantams cost about half as much, so I change them accordingly.

Remember, what you sell is your reputation, if you're selling bad birds at any price it will come back on you.  If you're selling birds too cheap, people may think there's something wrong and you're not being honest. 

Anyway, that's what I do, hopefully it helps somehow.

Thank you that helps and I understand you pricing system and it makes complete sense. The birds that are being sold for 30+ are silkies with 4 toes or white skin and that's what gets me. I sell my culls at auction or local people who ask me for backyard birds and nothing more. I try to sell my best since I can't keep everything. Last year I sold a bantam black Langshan pair for $60 since it was a youth wanting to get involved with the breed and she wound up winning Super Grand Champion of the Show and Grand Champion bantam at the Suusex County Poultry Fanciers Junior Show out of 350+ Junior birds. I feel that there's no need to try and take people's money without giving them a bird worth the price. I have only been raisin birds for 8 years so when I first started there were so many breeders and judges that helped me and sold me birds worth the price that I feel it's only way to honor what they did was to do the same that's why it bothers me that people can do such a thing. Or people feel the most expensive birds are the best birds. I was at the Delmarva show and a 4H from my county wanted to get into Rocks, so I found some really nice looking black bantams and bought them for her and she wound up winning Reserve Champion Bantam at a show this past weekend with a $10 pullet I picked out.

 

[BGMatt]

Thank you that helps and I understand you pricing system and it makes complete sense. The birds that are being sold for 30+ are silkies with 4 toes or white skin and that's what gets me. I sell my culls at auction or local people who ask me for backyard birds and nothing more. I try to sell my best since I can't keep everything. Last year I sold a bantam black Langshan pair for $60 since it was a youth wanting to get involved with the breed and she wound up winning Super Grand Champion of the Show and Grand Champion bantam at the Suusex County Poultry Fanciers Junior Show out of 350+ Junior birds. I feel that there's no need to try and take people's money without giving them a bird worth the price. I have only been raisin birds for 8 years so when I first started there were so many breeders and judges that helped me and sold me birds worth the price that I feel it's only way to honor what they did was to do the same that's why it bothers me that people can do such a thing. Or people feel the most expensive birds are the best birds. I was at the Delmarva show and a 4H from my county wanted to get into Rocks, so I found some really nice looking black bantams and bought them for her and she wound up winning Reserve Champion Bantam at a show this past weekend with a $10 pullet I picked out.

Old saying is there's a sucker born every minute, and the education isn't in place for poultry. People see huge prices being paid and figure all birds of that breed regardless of quality should be expensive.

 

[raph]

In Ireland €20 euro would seem like a lot for 1 pol legbar or brahma hen, people would complain that that's to higher price. In England at our local feed store people charge £55 for one pol legbar hen and they charge £60 for one brahma hen! It's amazing how much people will pay in different places.

 

[championsumatra]

One of my blue hens.

 

[ramirezframing]

I have often wondered how people got into the certain breeds of poultry that they have or how/why they got started in poultry in the first place.

For me, I basically grew up with them around. Some breeds that I have now are because of their function i.e. silkies to hatch eggs and turkeys to eat. Some were for looks like the polish and the red golden pheasants. While other breeds were a happy accident that have lead to years of forever looking, lots of road miles logged with new friends made along the way, and some head banging on a wall. Which in the long run have paid off and I hope will continue, just hopefully without so much head banging moments.

 

[troyer]

I saw the pictures in the hatchery catalogs and decided that some day I will raise them. I grew up having chickens all my life, they were either production layers of some sort or Cornish X broilers. My parents had a custom processing business, I got to see a wide variety of chickens, but I don't ever remember seeing any come through that naturally caught my eye.
I liked the Cubalayas from the first time I saw them. I liked the stately look, the calm but alert demeanor and the natural friendliness toward people. Not flighty as in some other breeds. Disclaimer; Not all Cubalaya are calm birds, but every breeder needs to select and breed from calm, naturally friendly birds.
Sumatra are without question my second choice, which is why I just simply can't get rid of every one of them, it seems like I have to keep at least one or two on the property. If it wasn't for the Cubalaya, I would probably have all Sumatra.
In my experience with Sumatra, I've never had a pure bred that was crazy, what I mean by that is, they were not necessarily tame, but they weren't crazy wild either. One thing is noteworthy, I have never had a sick Sumatra and that's more than I can say for most of the other breeds I've had. Somebody before me must have bred for hardiness and vigor and that's a strong

for me.