Where to sell excess flock member?

[Buttons364]

Talk to the people at your feed store. They may be able to help. Many feed stores have bulletin boards where you can post

Cute babies!

They sell all day long every day here.. depending heavily on breed and price. Farm and Garden section of CL.. I update or repost either after my post has left the first page or twice per week hitting key days/times depending on the volume of posts being added and what day I posted the previous week.. For example be sure to hit mid Saturday morning one week and early Sunday another.. Noting that to me folks who post and repost every day fully knowing CL rules just seem desperate and devalued.

To me $3 is a very reasonable price.. and I cannot really produce them for cheaper. (we aren't getting the volume discount the big guys do on feed, etc) However, when I can go buy purebred sexed chicks for $5 at the feed store with known lay volume etc and not (in theory) have to deal with extra roosters.. it's a bit of a hard sell.. so timing might be another factor.. early/late in the season say October-February.. NO local feed store (here) has chicks. Some not until April. So based on time of year.. there's a ton of options and competition right now.

But yes.. to me barn yard cross are useless (with exception to genetic diversity) and rarely sell for more than a few bucks a piece. Plus I won't touch broody hatched chicks with a hundred foot pole.. Broody's aren't incubators with no feelings.. they are hopeful mums to be. The main reason though is too much risk of disease that hasn't yet been discovered.

Pure bred birds.. sell for $8, 10, 15+ each, unsexed.

What's harder to sell (in my area) is bantams unless they're Silkies, pure and not crossed.


I cannot believe the CRAP being sold this year and am also very frustrated by it, ya, someone asking $10 for barnyard cross.. it's simply the whole avian flu culling fall out (egg prices) that's giving these folks one good selling season/year.. but it won't last.

That being said.. I wonder if it's about perceived value.. *maybe* you need to up your price to be seen as more valuable?? The opposite of what seems to make sense. Up your price and offer a discount above a certain volume?

Both of my LFS (local farm stores) and TSC have posting boards available.

One of my LFS even sells local chicks and eggs.. which of course means I don't shop there anymore because I care about bio-security. But it might be a good option for you.

Maybe hit up your local farmers market and see if someone let you put up a sign at their booth.. or take them out to the corner on your local farmers market day??

Anyways, just some thoughts and ideas. Best wishes on your chick hatching and selling adventures!

What is your description? Lengthy posts are a definite turn off for me.. if not describing something good. Most should include possible rooster and possible mums that

 

[Buttons364]

I appreciate all the input and good ideas. I was thinking about farmer's markets or the flea market. I originally posted the chicks for 5 a piece with a discount on bulk purchases. The quoted part is what I have in the description currently, which has way too much length.
"I have a variety of chicks at a variety of ages. Some are freshly hatched as of this morning, some are a week old, and some are about a month old. I have an Easter Egger Rooster who has bred with my Rhode Island Red, Amberlink, and Cochin Bantam hens. The Easter Egger x Rhode Island Red chicks and the Easter Egger x Amberlink chicks will lay either olive or brown eggs. The Easter Egger x Cochin Bantam chicks will lay white eggs and the females will be bantams while the males will be smaller than average-sized roosters. You can purchase a specific chick breed or get a mix. They are a straight run as well. I can meet if it is a reasonable distance away from me."
I feel like I should drop the term "Barnyard Mix" and coin the term Easter Egger x Amberlink cross, or whatever the parents are. I feel like that sounds better to the laymen who is trying to get into the chicken game. Another issues is probably my location. Anyways thank you all for the input

 

[aart]

Facebook may not allow it on marketplace but there are plenty of Facebook chicken groups you can join in your state to sell them

Yes, but you still have to be careful about how you word your post.

 

[bobbi-j]

I appreciate all the input and good ideas. I was thinking about farmer's markets or the flea market. I originally posted the chicks for 5 a piece with a discount on bulk purchases. The quoted part is what I have in the description currently, which has way too much length.
"I have a variety of chicks at a variety of ages. Some are freshly hatched as of this morning, some are a week old, and some are about a month old. I have an Easter Egger Rooster who has bred with my Rhode Island Red, Amberlink, and Cochin Bantam hens. The Easter Egger x Rhode Island Red chicks and the Easter Egger x Amberlink chicks will lay either olive or brown eggs. The Easter Egger x Cochin Bantam chicks will lay white eggs and the females will be bantams while the males will be smaller than average-sized roosters. You can purchase a specific chick breed or get a mix. They are a straight run as well. I can meet if it is a reasonable distance away from me."
I feel like I should drop the term "Barnyard Mix" and coin the term Easter Egger x Amberlink cross, or whatever the parents are. I feel like that sounds better to the laymen who is trying to get into the chicken game. Another issues is probably my location. Anyways thank you all for the input

Yeah, that’s pretty wordy. I didn’t get halfway through. How about, “Straight run chicks, variety of ages. PM for more details.” If you call them Easter Eggers you can bet that someone is going to be upset if the eggs aren’t blue or green.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Anyways thank you all for the input

Way to wordy and also inaccurate.. are Cochin laying white eggs?? not usually (more like cream or tan right?).. and if so the brown or blue of of the EE would be dominant to that.. unless he also is just a white egger gene.. completely possible IMO how many of them are being created these days. What color are his lobes? Are they red or white. One of my (TSC) EE lays almost white eggs.. barely tinted. kinda chalky. So there has to be a whole lot assumption on this part to offer what color eggs the offspring might or might not lay.

I MIGHT post a pic (which also attracts views) that includes something like the following (from google)..

What would sex link the females to be bantam and the males to be smaller than average and what's average.. leghorn or Brahma??

What I would say..

"Mix breed chicks ranging in age from 1 day-to 4 weeks. Starting at $3 each or 12 chicks for $30, price increases with age $1/week to cover feed, bedding, heat etc.

Hatched from my own (____ fill in the blank... pasture or humane raised, whatever fits) flock. Straight run means I cannot sex them or tell their gender.

Rooster is (a bearded or non bearded?) Easter Egger, not sure what color egg gene he carries.

Hens are RIR, Amberlink, and bantam Cochin.

Can include only preferred crosses if you don't want any bantams in the mix, want only bantam crosses or a full variety. Available for local pick up or may deliver for a fee."

coin the term Easter Egger x Amberlink cross

That redundancy.. as the x in the middle already means cross with the breed in front being the sire and second being the dame.

Taking the word barnyard out as you're considering might make it seem more personal and less business. I'm just not sure that coining your new terms is beneficial..

Was I wrong in my deduction that you have 3 hens or breeds in total plus one rooster breed? Because it's a bit confusing.

 

[Buttons364]

I will start from your first question and work my way down. I will attach a pic of Chicken Joe as well. He is the rooster. This is an old picture as he now has all of his feathers back. He has white ear lobes.

Valid point with the Bantam comment.

I have an Amberlink, Rhose Island Red, and Easter Egger(Rooster). I am not 100 percent about breed of my bantams. Attached is pic of bantam

 

[BastyPutt]

Talk to the people at your feed store. They may be able to help. Many feed stores have bulletin boards where you can post notices.

Exactly this - We have a family owned feed store here, and trade our extra chicks to them for whatever we might need from there, usually orchard grass for the goats.

They will sell the barnyard mixes for $5 and anything that is breed specific or inters testing (feathered fee, crested) for $7. I highly doubt that something like TSC or Wilco would even entertain the idea, but the bulletin boards are a great suggestion.

Or, if you have kids - get a box and sit outside of Walmart. Let the kids do the talking and those things would be sold in a matter of seconds from people leaving the store.

 

[5Australorpasaures]

Post a sign at your driveway take them to an auction, feed store suggestion was a good one also Tractor Supply and Agway have bulletin boards. Even a community news paper.