The Moonshiner's Leghorns

[RiverOtter]

Thread drift! Done after this, promise.

Yes I do.
You have to if you want to imprint them.

For certain! I know that some breeders think they end up with better breeding birds if they are parent raised, so sometimes leave some.
The theory is that too many breeder birds are pets that had issues, so people pair them up instead and then we're breeding meaner, fussier parrots.

While I can see that, I think that many parrots just start having perfectly natural, predictable issues at sexual maturity (like every teen) that most folks can't deal with, and that's the source of the issues, so we're not actually breeding difficult birds, just getting them from unprepared folks.

 

[Redhead Rae]

Oh, another suggestion, join a mess of Leghorn fancier groups on Facebook (I've done this for Cornish). You can probably put up a poll in these groups and ask people what varieties they are most interested in and then another asking what they would be willing to pay for the eggs before shipping. You can also ask other breeders what they charge.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Would I just start with what I have the most of and start with selling just a couple varieties and add more ever year?

Go with whatever I happen to have and just sell my pick grab bag specials?

Those two options sound the most feasible to me. If you have a lot of something, you probably really like the colour, right? Other people likely have similar tastes.

Judging by the eggs available on Ebay, most people who buy eggs like blue and lavender, and deep mahogany red. The traditional e+ pattern seems favored for gamebirds and other light-bodied types.

I would have to charge enough to make it worth it and I'm afraid that number would make me feel uncomfortable.

You're the only person who has a lot of these varieties. $70/dz (including standard shipping) sounds very reasonable to me. (And I'm a cheap person, so you could probably go a lot higher.) I think you could make a profit with that price.

Flat rate for any and everything or different prices depending?

Personally, I'd flat rate standard, and buy a scale to calculate if they want anything else. Can't get fairer than that, right?

*I have never sold chickens, or anything else, online in my life. My experience in shipped eggs is from getting them off Ebay. My experience with purebred chickens is from going "Oh, that looks cool" and throwing them in with my mixed flock to breed. But this is the internet, so I tossed out my two pennies. I hope they spend well.

 

[Miami Leghorn]

Thread drift! Done after this, promise.

For certain! I know that some breeders think they end up with better breeding birds if they are parent raised, so sometimes leave some.
The theory is that too many breeder birds are pets that had issues, so people pair them up instead and then we're breeding meaner, fussier parrots.

While I can see that, I think that many parrots just start having perfectly natural, predictable issues at sexual maturity (like every teen) that most folks can't deal with, and that's the source of the issues, so we're not actually breeding difficult birds, just getting them from unprepared folks.

We have one baby from this pair last year that we did not socialize,we left him with mommy and daddy until fully flighted... so he will be used for breeding, but this Trio that you saw in the pic? Those will all be pets. So they have to be socialized and imprinted.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I've gone back and forth about selling eggs recently. If I did decide to it would surely not be until next year at least so no one get excited or anything.
I'd have to change directions a bit and focus on having enough birds to have access eggs to sell. That means more costs to maintain them for me but $$$ from selling them could offset that. So that brings up a couple of questions.
Some varieties a have a few of and some only a couple of etc. So with that and the number of different ones I have it isn't like I could make available everything within a year. How would I go about that? How would I know which would bring the interest or should that matter? Would I just start with what I have the most of and start with selling just a couple varieties and add more ever year? Try to figure out what people would want and focus on those? Go with whatever I happen to have and just sell my pick grab bag specials?
I'm not sure how to go about it that would make the most sense and be feasible. If that makes sense.
Another question is what to charge. I would have to charge enough to make it worth it and I'm afraid that number would make me feel uncomfortable.
Id end up wanting to sell them cheap and that would probably end up good for everyone but me.
Flat rate for any and everything or different prices depending?
IDK. Just thinking into it this much has my head spinning and thinking would it even be worth it.
Seems it would be a lot of thinking and figuring. Not the kinda things I like to put my energy in. LOL

Personally I think grab bags are cool, especially if it's just the color that's a mystery and not the breed.

You could always put shipping as a separate price. In theory that makes people a bit more willing to buy them, because it would be X price plus Y, not ST to buy. It makes them look cheaper

 

[pozees2]

@The Moonshiner you should do what you are comfortable with. Grab bags are fun, and I've seen some breeders offer that as an option along with 6-12-18 of specific breeds/colors if someone is set on having that specific thing depending on what they consider excess. Never jeopardize your own goals in order to fill orders. Hatch for yourself first and foremost. I've bought eggs from people who hatch what they want in February and March, in the south anyway, where a lot of birds start laying consistently pretty early in the year, especially in cases where lights are used to get them started early, and then sell hatching eggs for the rest of the year, or until fall if they want to hatch more for themselves.

I personally have such a difficult time hatching shipped eggs (5400 feet of elevation) that I almost always try to save my pennies and buy chicks if I want to add something. I've bought locally whenever possible, but hardly anyone here has much interest in purebreds. If you were to sell and ship chicks, I'd want on your list in two shakes of a lamb's tail.

Earlier this year when I needed some eggs as a control group to dial in my incubator settings and determine whether previous hatching issues were equipment or my flock, I bought two dozen local barnyard mix eggs for $8, hatched 13 of them (they definitely helped me dial in the incubator settings, I weighed and adjusted, lost some that were viable due to said adjustments needed, also had some unfertilized) and sold them for $20 the day after they hatched to someone local to me who just wanted chicks. A wash in terms of $ spent but very valuable to me for future hatches of my own eggs.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Man that was a lot of replies. Great stuff and thanks for the input.
I think I'll just keep hatching and growing out to see what I end up with come spring.
There's a few I'm trying to get good numbers of because I can use them for a couple different projects. In other words come next year I should have a few varieties that will give me more eggs then I absolutely need.
I'll keep seriously considering selling eggs at some point and continue to think of what all that will take and if it would be feasible to do so and still continue with my personal plans.

 

[Redhead Rae]

Man that was a lot of replies. Great stuff and thanks for the input.
I think I'll just keep hatching and growing out to see what I end up with come spring.
There's a few I'm trying to get good numbers of because I can use them for a couple different projects. In other words come next year I should have a few varieties that will give me more eggs then I absolutely need.
I'll keep seriously considering selling eggs at some point and continue to think of what all that will take and if it would be feasible to do so and still continue with my personal plans.

You could also just sell eggs to people you know want them to continue and improve the variety, that way you have a backup flock if you lose yours.

 

[Miami Leghorn]

Man that was a lot of replies. Great stuff and thanks for the input.
I think I'll just keep hatching and growing out to see what I end up with come spring.
There's a few I'm trying to get good numbers of because I can use them for a couple different projects. In other words come next year I should have a few varieties that will give me more eggs then I absolutely need.
I'll keep seriously considering selling eggs at some point and continue to think of what all that will take and if it would be feasible to do so and still continue with my personal plans.

Boss man put me on the list.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Boss man put me on the list.

Let me guess....
3 or 4 dozen mille fleur and a dozen each of everything else?