What?! A WEEK?!

[McCord6]

I got a flier from the local feed store and called in but got NO answer at all! The phone number provided was disconnected. STRANGE!

Well, I went on Craigslist and found an ad for chicks for a $1 EACH! Good DEAL! Called the guy up, spoke to him and he said he'll give me 10 chicks for $5 due to our situation. WOW!

Problem is... We won't be able to get even $5 until FRIDAY!

Hubby's paycheck was a real SUCKER and left him barely enough for gas to get to work and school for the week (if he is lucky).

I really want to get my own hatchery started so I can help hubby with fiances. I cannot work at all, rather pregnant or not, due to BADLY needed surgery on my hips (I have little to no cartilage between the joints of my hips which is causing my hips to wear out and the bones to briddle). The best I can do to help him out is do some work at home and the best I can think of is learning as much as I can about raising, selling, breeding chickens and eggs as well as (my other idea) learning to raise goats to use their milk for Beauty Products (Goat Milk Soap, stuff like that).

 

[littlekit]

I don't think backyard chickens will help you raise money. The food alone for the chicks is more than $5. Maybe some home computer work? Something with no start up fees. Sorry for your rough situation

 

[Chickenaddict]

I have to agree, there is no money in this unless you are set up for a major operation and even then feed especially this time of year will cost you a fortune. Pine shavings, feed, preventative care ect is alot of work. I have 51 birds (all bantams) and they have been going thru the feed faster now that it is colder outside. Like 150 lbs of feed in 2 weeks at 11-12$ per bag

 

[onthespot]

around here people trap feral pigeons under freeway passes and sell them for a few bucks to gun clubs... that is quick easy money besides the cost for a trap, which you could probably make from scraps. Could you donate plasma/blood for start up capital? Not trying to poke fun, just saying what people I know have done that were in very tight spots... babysit? Check craigslist under "gigs" and you may find some odd jobs, one time only for weird stuff, like watching college class during a final exam to catch cheaters, help assemble gift baskets or wedding favors. Sorry you are in a jam. A lot of people here have been in tight spots and we feel your pain. Sometimes extraordinary circumstances require extraordinary escape tactics! Good luck to you though. I don't think the chickens will make you money before they COST you a ton to get to the money maker stage. You could post on craigslist for free hens, but even those would need to be fed. If you just sold eating eggs from them you would go broke. They would have to be hatching eggs, and from a breed that people will pay premium $ for the eggs. Most people don't give away hens like that, but sometimes they do. Never hurts to ask. Are you zoned for chickens, AND a roo? The roo is key to selling hatching eggs. No roo, no dough.

Well, I'm sure you are sick of hearing what I have to say already... so I will just wish you well one more time and lay off. Good luck, and DO keep us posted. There are plenty of people on here who care and are a good support for people in tough times.

 

[cafarmgirl]

If your looking to get chicks it's definitly going to cost more then $5.00 to get started. Do you already have a brooder box set up for them? You'll need a heat lamp, feeder and waterer as well as bedding and feed for them. I would hold off as they will be another expense for you to deal with, even when they do start laying.

 

[Katy]

Like others have already said....you need to be in this "business" because you like it, not because you're hoping to make money. The ones who are making any profit are few and far between!!

 

[vstoltzfus]

My heart goes out to you. My husband is self-employed, so I understand how the recession is hitting people. But I must agree with the other posts. Raising chickens is probably not the best way to raise money, especially if you're starting from scratch (no pun intended). On a small scale, chickens are more of a hobby than a money maker. You might be able to break even, but not much more. Good luck to you.

 

[McCord6]

hmmm maybe it's different for everyone. The guy I spoke to about the chicks to replace the ones I lost, said he raises chicks for a LIVING. Everything that he has fiancially are from the chickens. His wife started the chicken buisness as a hobby (just like me) and it leaded to being their only fiancial recources.

I don't want to do this chicken buisness as just buisness, but as a hobby as well and if it can provide for us, Im all for it. I did do research around the area and spoke to several of the privately owned grocery stores/ farm markets in the area and they said they are willing to pay $5 per 12oz cartons of FRESH eggs from me when my chickens start laying. Also, Im planning on breeding them as well, so hatching eggs would be available also as well as chicks (Im going to do both).

I guess, if you do your research and really into the buisness, you can make a living off of soemthing like this. Yes, I agree that it'll cost for feed and beddings but to my calculation, it's not much you will be paying for those things as much as you will be recieving. 1 carton of eggs or 1 chick would pay for one 20lb bag of feed or 1 big block of beddings. Also, hens and roos around here are sold for maybe $25 to $50 per bird depending on what breed (for RIR, which are VERY VERY Popular in this area, they are being sold as adults here for about $45 per bird). Plus local meat houses are also paying good prices on meat birds.

Brooder boxes, coops and all that are built and uses from recycle materials. I have a brooder box made from an old race car toddler bed. The sheet metal (is that what it's called) is also recycled materials. My incubator, my mom baught me as a gift but we are building a bigger one out of recycled kitchen cabnets. Bolbs for heat lamps are only $2 to $4 and the heat lamps are only $9 which probably only need to be replaced once or twice a year (average). It costs money to do a buisness, no doubt, but it's not impossible to maintain a buisness if you have the right resources.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Wow, 10 chicks for 5 dollars sounds like a great price. Hopefully you will be able to get them soon.

Good luck with your business.

 

[Katy]

Quote:
Yikes...where on earth do you live that you can get those prices per bird?

How many birds are you planning on maintaining for your laying flock and your breeder flocks? I don't know how many birds you're used to having at one time, but the numbers of birds you're going to have to have keep up your supply of eggs to the stores will be quite a number.

Don't get me wrong I hope you can make a go of it, but I don't think you'll find it quite as easy as the guy may have led you to believe.