Turning a Profit from Chickens

[NotReallyTyler]

Now I love my chickens as much as the next wanna-be poultry farmer, but I am seventeen and hate depending on my dad for feed money. I would love tips on how you BYCers make money off of your chickens. Do you sell hens? If so at what age and what time of the year? What about selling eggs? Do you sell them to local restaurants or friends? And if so, how much per dozen? On the subject of more ornamental birds, if there are any silkie dealers are out there, how much do you sell chicks, hens, and roos for? Thanks.

 

[Tuhmu]

It all depends on your location, and so far from my own experience and hearing from others...its hard to make an actual "profit". You can reduce the feed bills a respectable amount...possibly. I sell my eggs to co-workers, some people who the word spread to, and family members usually have some kind of donation; for $2.00. The idea that "farm eggs are better than store eggs and therefore should cost a little more", just hasn't caught on here yet. (but I can get eggs at the grocery store for 99 cents!

, is one I get a lot) Usually, once people start getting eggs, word catches on and more people will start asking.

Depending on your state, you could possibly sell to the grocery stores or restaurants. You will have to look into your state's laws on that topic. North Dakota for example has mostly jump through hoop laws and require you to get a license, but there are states that are much more cooperative.

If you are going to sell hens, you would be better off selling them when they just start laying or about to lay. There again, it all depends on your location as to how much you can sell them for. Seems like more people are looking to take on birds in the spring then in the fall, when they want to lighten the load. Something to keep in mind.

My advice would be to watch your local ads, classifieds, craigslist, bulletin board at TSC, etc. See what other people in your area are offering or looking for.

 

[NotReallyTyler]

Thanks, I'm in upstate SC

 

[Tuhmu]

http://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t39c039.php is a little bit of info one rules for selling eggs to, say, a restaurant etc.

People in this thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/127943/south-carolina may also be able to tell you the going rate for eggs or hens.

 

[blucoondawg]

Location matters a lot, if you were maybe on the outskirts of a more populated city or town you may get much more for a dozen eggs than a rural person off the beaten path selling to other rural people, there is more money in the city and with more people comes more demand, I heard of a poster on here in Georgia somewhere getting 10 or 12 dollars a dozen for eating eggs which is unheard of around here, I am doing good to get 2.50 to 3.00 per dozen for mine. Now if you have a rooster you could sell fertile eggs to people looking to incubate, those eggs will go for much more than eating eggs, even for barnyard cross eggs you should be able to get 10 to 20 dollars for a dozen as opposed to 3 dollars for a eating egg.

Bottom line is to increase any available profit you have to take measures to make sure your flock is the most profitable, adding in free range/pasture time, even if only in your yard, will ease up the feed bill some, and the breed you choose to raise will make a big difference too, for example if you are raising heritage birds, say Brahmas, they won't lay nearly as many eggs as if you have a leghorn or red or black sex linked variety, more eggs laid equals less feed per egg equals more profit from eggs sold. If you like the heritage birds to have a variety in your flock that is fine, that is what I have, but then you have to accept the fact that your flock simply won't be the most profitable.

We can sell all the eggs we like out of our home/farm but we are supposed to get some sort of permit to sell off site, such as farmer's markets or even to deliver eggs to someone's home, or take them to work, we have to get a different permit to sell to stores or restaurants, I haven't looked into this yet as I don't have that sort of flock, some day if I have more room I would like to expand. I wish the State would abolish these laws, in this day and age of people wanting to be more conscious of where their food comes from and buy locally these permits and hoops to jump through just make it harder on people to find good sources of locally grown food, I believe these laws are put into place simply to give market advantage to "big agriculture" and make it so the little guy can't make money.

 

[NotReallyTyler]

Thanks guys, does anyone know the going rate of duck eggs?

 

[Effielin]

Your post about having your dad pay for stuff made me think of one of my mother's favorite stories of her childhood. My mom is currently about to turn 86. Some neighbors gave her chickens when she was a little girl and her dad built her a little coop and run. Her mother bought the feed for the chickens from the local store. Every morning my mother would go down to the coop and gather the eggs, and then sell them to her mother for $0.10. My grandmother would then cook the eggs and feed them to my mother.. My mother says she had a pretty good racket going there..

 

[NotReallyTyler]

I wish I could rig something up like that lol I honestly don't even eat the eggs.

 

[donrae]

Have you considered employment? That's how most of us pay for our feed