What should I be selling my chicks for? Cause apparently...

[chicken_china_mom]

Makes me wonder what my Marans chicks will go for next year. I see people selling them for $10 a piece, and sometimes higher here on BYC. I'll have BCM and Blue, and Blue Copper. EE's don't sell for much around here. Cochins, they usually do, and Silkies sell ok too. Not sure what large fowl birds sell well around here though. Seems like everyone wants BCM, BLRW, and Lavender Orpingtons right now. But only as eggs! So, the market and the need change from year to year. That's gonna stress me out cause I'll always and forever be at least a year behind the current market. Look at me now, I'm just now getting into the Marans! Yeah, I suppose if it comes down to it, I can just give away the mixes. What a waste that feels like since I spend so much feeding them. I'm referring to the ones that are weeks old, not the day olds. Day olds, it's just the time and energy that went into incubating the eggs. Out of this last batch I think half were pure and half were mixed. Maybe 2/3 were pure if you exclude the standard chicks. The standards were going to be mixed because I don't currently have an adult Marans hen. My Marans hens are only 7 weeks old! Lol. But of the bantams, there are 24, and I believe 14 are pure. Might be less though. 1 pure Silkie, the rest pure Cochins. And then the various mixes. It's mind numbing to think of how many eggs I'd have to incubate just to try and get some pures. Until I can divide my flocks. Ugh...frustrating, the whole thing is sooooooooooooo frustrating...

 

[CorralitosSunflower]

I don't think I would pay that much for a mix. To tell you the truth I am not really sure why. One of my favorite chickens ever (got eaten by a bobcat sadly) was a silkie cochin mix whom someone gave to me. I would certainly pay it to get HER back. Is there anyway to stop getting the mixed chicks? I don't think you will ever be able to sell them reliably even if you do get a few customers that don't care... You would be better off selling chicks as day olds as well. I only want to buy day olds or hatch on my own because I ENJOY the process of raising them from the cute little fluffballs. I know what they eat, I get to socialize them the amount I want and form what I like to think is a connection with my chickens. Even with the risk, additional cost, and time involved in the process it is one of the brief stages that is over all to quickly. Even though the chickens probably don't know the difference I am very attached to being their mommy not having someone else do the work for me.... That being said, no, I do not think you are charging to much. We all know the amount of time is put into changing bedding, food, water, and handling the babies not to mention the cost of food, bedding, and electricity. It would seem difficult to break even unless you managed to sell ALL of them in a relatively short time. It is all about supply and demand whether what you are asking for is "fair".

 

[dancingbear]

Maybe you should advertise that they are from breeder stock, not hatchery trash. I have hunted all over heck and half of Georgia, looking for breeder stock of the breeds I want, and it's not easy to find them. When I have found them, people want an arm and a leg for them. I mean, we're taking a pair for $60 and the like. Or more, depending on the breed. Just try and find breeder stock standard Cornish. It's hard, and expensive, and none of them are anywhere near me. I think most people don't have any idea about the difference, so you'd have to find customers who specifically want breeder stock... like me.

BTW, I looked in my atlas to find Tab, IN, where the heck are you? Tab wasn't listed. I'm in KY, and wouldn't mind getting some standard SS, breeder stock, if you have more this summer. I'm not ready right now, it'll be at least a month before I can take on any new birds. And it depends on where you are too, I can't afford either the time or the gas if it's too far!

Wouldn't mind some Marans, too, and do you have any full-blood Brahmas? Wouldn't have any Dorkings, would you? Or Salmon Favs? I think $8 for those is a reasonable price, for breeder stock, full blood rare breeds. Now the mixes....that's harder. I have some wonderful mixes from crossing breeder birds, because I've got a breeding experiment going on, and I have a few folks interested in buying some of them, even though it's too early in the process to be where I want with them. I have some bird from breeder stock, and some from hatchery because I couldn't get breeder stock. But most people don't want mixes, and for the birds I need for my breeding program, I mostly don't want mixes either. I might be tempted to make an exception for a Wellie/SS mix, but I wouldn't want to pay the same price as for purebreds.

I need all pullets, because I'm crossing various breeds of hens with Standard Cornish, to see what I get. I have a Cornish roo, not breeder stock, I'd love to find another one, a better one, but this guy will have to do for now. BTW, I don't want a completely SOP Cornish, becuase they have fertility problems. the longer legged ones hat have the good body shape genes, but wouldn't win any shows, are what I'm looking for. I prefer dark Cornish, I'd settle for white laced reds or whatever, at this point.

If you get desperate, lower your price, but maybe you just need to change you advertising a bit.

 

[silkiechicken]

Local market can make or break an enterprise.

One year x breed is it, the next year x is out and y is in. That said, many are not looking for "breeder" quality, and if they were, often they will look for someone with breeder birds and not just birds from birds of a breeder. Seen 20 week old pullets in Seattle go for 15-25 each, while in other areas, nobody would even bother looking at the birds for that price.

 

[dancingbear]

Oh, I forgot to say I only want LF, not bantams, so are any besides the SS's full size birds? Thanks!

 

[chick_magnet]

Quote:
why won't you eat silkie i've heard it tasted the best,however i never had them. I dont really mess with batman breed

 

[Oven Ready]

Hey, what's wrong with eating Bantams !

I can't bring myself to eat a Cochin mixed chick though, especially a bantam. What a pathetically small meal they would make.

We only have Japanese and we eat all the cockerels, unless they are particularly pretty, at about 5 months old. They don't taste like chicken (from a shop) they taste like chicken is supposed to - chickeny !!

Two chooks, some ribs and a couple of small fish from the pond make a great BBQ.

The rest of the chooks enjoy to pick over the leftovers before the fish get anything that's left.​

 

[Southernbelle]

I try to sell chicks as young as possible to avoid the expense of feeding. That's where you really lose money.

I sell mixed-bred standard chicks for $1 each (and people snatch them up at those prices)

Purebred chicks I sell for $2-$3 each. When the feedstores sell chicks in the spring, they're selling them for $2.50 for sexed females, so I don't stray too far from that for straight run birds.

If I grow out a batch of babies, as soon as I can tell the gender, I sell pullets for $5 each (purebred or mixed). And give away the cockrels.

Hens at the point of lay sell for $10
Established young layer $15
Older hen $5

 

[debo4702]

We sell chicks and chickens from our place as well and trends do happen. This year people (including myself )want purebreed dark egg layers that are of heavy breeds. Marans and wellsummers esp. and will pay a very high dollar. Hens and Roos at the last sale auctioned off at $35 dollars and the hatching eggs from 15 to 37.50 a dz. And that is at auction! I almost fell out of my chair! If you sell from the farm with pure breeder stock that is not a cull the price doubles or more. It is all about what you have and if the buying crowd wants it. I sell large breed brown egg dual purpose breeds b/c that what people seem to want around here. I can get a decent price if I sell day olds I get aroung 2 a chick SR only and the price goes slightly up from there. Most buyers here want chicks or point of lay to layers only no in between. So if chicks don't sell we hold on to them and double our money and sell as layers. We also sell off extra Roos to other breeders or as meat birds both get a good premimum. Mixed birds do not sell well at all. I dont know why. some of the prettiest birds are mixed but i cant move a mixed bird even the hybrid egg layers are hard to move and one of my best egg layer is a black sexlink but would not get a good price here so she is in my home flock and happily lays me an egg a day.If you have a poultry auction near by you can move you birds you dont want there. Thats where we sell our extras and if you have multiple people wanting them you could get more than you think esp. if they have the "looks" factor that someone is looking for. Plus I've met some great like minded chicken people got my name out about what I sell and done more business otherwise. Good Luck and dont give up.

 

[Frogdogtimestwo]

In my area mixed breeds sell for 2.50 or less. I notice a lot of in-between ages going for random prices (like they are trying to get rid of day olds that did not sell) but point of lay pullets in our area fetch 15-20.00. Roosters are generally free or less than 10.00.
The best luck I have had getting rid of extras was at a garage sale, I advertised I would have them available and 20 people or so asked about them and I sold them all.
Our local farmers market will also allow you to have a pen set up to sell away from the food stuff.
We live in a area that is not flooded with them and I am sure that is the difference, good luck, hopefully someone will have some sales strategies for you.