Which are the best chicken breeds to buy in order to sell chicks or eggs for maximizing profit in la

[DocumentedPure]

I could really use some help from experienced breeders and enthusiasts of ultra-rare breeds and hybrids, and fill me in on what sells, what breeds are worth keeping over the years, do they remain valuable over years periods of time? Could you show me or tell me how these very expensive ones have fluctuated over time? Which factors are most important to buyers when they are purchasing these big ticket poultry? I am poor and have little money to invest. I am terrified that I am going to spend thousands of dollars on chickens to find out that none hold value and that they are all worth around $5 (which is the average going rate for baby chicks) within less than a year.

I am a business major in college, having spent the majority of my life in a city. I have had little farming experience. I got introduced to breeding chickens by seeing an article on facebook about ayam cemanis. However after doing my share of research I have found that the breed is not all it was hyped up to be. I was fascinated by it but later found out that it may be too good to be true, because the prices listed on Greenfire farms and others. Since then I have done a lot of research, from the threads here and other places, and have found that there have been many instances where the chicks are not all black, inside the beaks, claws, white feathers, interspecies breeding, low birth rates, low fertility rates, and other reasons. Especially the price. Two breeders on here are selling theirs for $25 and $35.

From what I have learned from economics, the market decides the price. When the supply equilibrium exceeds the demanded price, then price goes down. How can prices remain stable over time when chickens produce so much offspring so fast?

To me this risk is even greater complicated by the fact that the breed is not even recognized by the Standards of Perfection by the American Poultry Association.

I have been doing lots of research into the most valuable chicken breeds, and what I learn only leads me to greater confusion. There are soooo many different chicken breeds it blows my mind. Which ones that the breeders are stating as rare are actually valuable? Many are lost breeds of the old world reintroduced into New World economy, and they are stating that is the reason which the asking prices are so high. As far as I can see, if I spend a small fortune on some obscure chicken breed, and no one cares about the chicken breed to buy them, then I am stuck with a huge bill and a ton of poultry that I could not give away. Could any of you direct me to literature that explains breed value, what makes them valuable, and which ones are going to maintain high prices over time?

There are so many different types of chickens, and some of them are just genetic mutations that are not easily replicated, and not actually breeds at all. If they are not breeds, and I spend $1000 on some genetic anomaly, that is not expressed in the following generations, then I am a fool. Here are some things that have confused me. Variations of legbar for example. There are a lot of hybrids of them, such as golden, silver, cream, frost white sport cream, white sport cream, etc. Which of these will make money over time? Who is to say that the value will not plummet?

Could any of you enlighten me on which breeds and hybrids are valuable? So far the only reference I have is breeders on sites like Greenfire farms, cemani farms, watson ridge ranch, and others. How can I determine which of those sites have fair prices, and which chickens are actually worth their prices and valuable over time?

Here are some of the breeds I am considering creating flocks of;

ayam cemani
shamo (low birth rate, very agressive, atypical housing)
serama
tolbunt polish
lavender / jubilee
orpington
bekisar hybrid
pelung
laughing chickens
bielefelder
barbezieux
american bresse
bresse
barnevelder
chocolate partridge / lavender wyandotte
deathlayer
flarry eye gray
lemon / gold / silver frisian gull
isbar
ixworth
liege fighter
light sussex
lyyonaise
malines
marans
merlerault
niederrheiner
olandsk dwarf
orust
pavlovskya
queen silvia
silver spitshauben
sulmtaler
swedish black hen
swedish flower hen
twentse
yamato gunkei
icelandic chickens
blue fauvacana
holland
croad langshan
malay
modern game
easter egger
partridge penedesenca


This is a ridiculously long list, and I want to sort this to a few that will fit my needs best. I have no idea where to start. I am concerned that the majority of these birds are just obscure because nobody has wanted to breed them, and therefore people are charging a lot of money for them because they are not common. I do not understand how in the 21st century there can be breeds of chickens that do not all cost just about the same price. Chickens have so much offspring per year, that it makes sense to me that they would, at this point have all bottomed out and cost just about the same, with the exception of breeds that are more difficult to breed, or have higher housing costs.

Please help me navigate through all of this. I need help from people who have followed the market over time.

Thanks again,

Cory

 

[PD-Riverman]

I attend a Chicken Auction weekly "again"(Bird-flu shut alot down 2 years ago)--have for several years. The breeds you mentioned are nice and some people want them. A friend that got into some of the more expensive breeds told me----"I can sell one of my chicks for as much as you can sell 5 of yours for" True I said, but you can only sell your expensive breeds to a select few local, sure a lot more if you get certified where you can ship out of State. Most buyers that I run into want eggs, layers, and don't care for the high dollar breeds that Most do not lay great---just pretty. That year He sold about 80 of his high dollar chicks for a total of about $1000---I sold 6000 of my cheaper chicks for over $20,000 plus I sold a lot of Adults/layers in the $20 range ea---he kept all his..

2 weeks ago someone had some of the Ayam Cemani chicks----not a One sold---could NOT even get a $5 start on them--then the seller spoke up and said well if anyone wants them I will sell for $25 each-----hey Wake Up Woman---no one would not even start the bid for $5. But I sold All 60 of my few day old chicks I carried for $2 and $2.50---RIR, YB, Barred Rock, White Rock and Black jersey giants. Then there was some Lavender orpington adult pairs---first pair went for $27 ea $54 for the pair, the second pair went for $25ea/$50. The 3rd pair no one started the $20 min bid---so the owner had to take them back home---so only 2 people were willing to pay a little higher price for those.

Then the RIR adult hens sold for $15 to $22 each---probably 75 of them went for that price and some YB and some Golden Comets went in the same price range----even those breeds of adult roosters sold for $10 to $15. The last ones sold for as much as the first. You gotta sell what people want---if you want to sell a lot.

Its according to what you want and what you want to do and if you are in a area that you can sell these high dollar chickes/chickens. Yes the High dollar breeds do Cost a lot more to get set-up and Yes a lot of them drop in price quick. Yes Demand and What People want is what makes a difference----until the market is flooded!!

Someone like me rather take $100 and buy 45 day old pullets and 5 cockerels in 5 different breeds---then in 8 months be selling 200 to 300 chicks for $400 to $700 a week than trying to find buyers for a few $10 to $20 chicks or even $50 to $100 day old chicks----BUT, BUT, BUT you might be where you can find those high dollar chicken buyers----not here. Good Luck

 

[Blooie]

This comes up every once in awhile and it always makes me a little sad. Oh, I get why it seems appealing - chickens are small, don't take up much space, most folks like eggs, chicks are adorable and can be sold, but somewhere along the line the idea of making profit and "marketing" to just a certain type of clientele takes precedence over the fact that these are living, breathing creatures with real needs beyond living in a cage and the owner raking in the cash.

Chickens aren't egg Pez Dispensers. What are you going to do if the "wrong" rooster gets into your hen pen? Think you won't let that happen? Think again, it happens every day. And then that hen is no good to you until a good month has passed and his sperm is no longer viable. What about another bird flu epidemic, when producers such as you are talking have to destroy their entire flock and wait to start over? What happens if you lose a clutch of "valuable" chicks to weather, or predators, or diseases? What happens when the breed you worked so long to build up suddenly isn't the "breed of the week" anymore? Are you willing to go out there yourself and cull birds that need to be culled? Will you take birds back when the owners, living in an HOA or restricted area, are suddenly told chickens - even rare ones - aren't allowed?

We live in a free market society and you can certainly do whatever you like. But while months are ticking away and you are waiting for that one elite person to come along for your rare and pricey birds, you are still feeding them. You are still housing them. You are still trying to find and pay for an avian vet (or trying to learn on the fly to become one yourself) if a special bird gets hurt or sick You are still trying to match just that perfect roo with the perfect hen for the exact results you are looking for. You're staying home instead of taking vacations because the odds of finding a "chicken sitter" who can do the kind of job your business needs is slim to nil. You are worried every time someone comes onto your property to look at your birds - what is that doing to your bio-security and are they carrying something in to your birds, or are you going to bring something home yourself? And you're still cleaning up poop and coops and losing chicks and adults to natural causes.

You did a lot of research and laid out a business plan., But don't forget, along the way, that these amazing critters just can't be marketed like cans of furniture polish - they can't just sit in a warehouse until some store orders a shipment. I almost deleted this response, but then I thought that as someone who really appreciates what I have in my own backyard, I owed it to them to try to show the other side of good stewardship. I'm sorry, but that's how I feel.

 

[tmarsh83]

I'm a younger guy, and I too have a degree in business. The once difference I can mention straight off is that I grew up in the country, among farms, and showed horses. So let me start there.

In the 90's every doublewide with two acres and a 10-year-old had a horse. The economy was good. Horses were hot. You cold pick up a grade horse, spend 90 days under saddle, get it trained up, and triple your money. It was nothing to see grade, dead-broke horses selling for $2500. Happened every day at the auction. Let alone on the private market.

The economy took a tumble. That's been more than a decade ago. Now, you can find that same horse, and for $500 you can't sell it.

One of the first things you said was "the market determines price" then you went on for four paragraphs wanting information that defies market price setting principles.

Hobby agriculture is a highly volatile market. Twenty years ago, the market was bloated because of a good economy. Currently, it's seeing a resurgence based on the locavore movement, sustainability, and independence. Novelty birds get novelty traction with novelty markets. That's ALWAYS a tough racket. Scarcity is such because things are widely available, or widely desired.

You're asking market driving questions that could be asked about any commodity on earth.

The simple answer, there is no answer.

You want to "sex-up" the marketing of chickens. I understand the notion. I'm in marketing. The websites some of these folks use are pretty bad. But I'm not buying chickens because of a website. The stock bears the fruit. This isn't a "business" business. It's a commodity business. If the commodity isn't solid, marketing can't save you.

You're pouring a lot of book learning into a pot where experience, know-how, and living creatures don't follow book learning.

 

[PD-Riverman]

Pd-riverman,that's the truth right there.

Thanks---its True here for sure.


Here BCM eggs 3 to 4 years ago were selling at the Auction for $25 to $30 a dozen---at the Auction last week they bid up to $4 for a dozen the seller said gotta have $5---one dozen sold, but A dozen ameraucana sold for $20--go figure!!

Edited to add---LOL knowing both of the egg sellers----I would have not even put them in my incubator to hatch---might be a billy goat crossed with a wood pecker----LOL. About 3 years ago I bought dozens and dozens of BCM, and other breeds--the seller seem like a good seller. Then we were talking and she mentioned she free ranged her chickens---I said all of them----she said Yes----I said well how do you keep them from cross breeding----she said "my chickens only breed with their kind" LOL that explains why later most all my chickes I hatched turned out to be very Mixed.

 

[eggbert420]

A chicken,or a dozen eggs is only worth what the man standing in front of you is willing to pay for them.

 

[Bluechick2u]

I moved to a new state last year, and the area I moved to had a lack of eggs for sale. So I got a bunch of chicks, raised them to laying age, was suddenly up to my eyeballs in eggs that I couldn't sell... because everybody else in the area evidently did the same thing. Oops. Yeah, it's really just a hobby that might pay sometimes, but other times not, and you never can pay yourself for your time in money, you have to work for the joy of having chickens. The hot breeds in my area are black copper marans, cream legbars, lavender orpingtons (only that color though, you can't even give a buff away for free) and 3rd gen olive eggers. I bet a number of people will have those niches filled by next year though, but check your area, and look into local neiderrheiner availability, that's the newest craze where I'm at. Also, look into silkies, they are popular pets for autistic children, and there seems to be a rise in the number of autistic kids.

 

[eggbert420]

Pd-riverman,that's the truth right there.

 

[donrae]

How do you wind up with a small fortune breeding chickens?



start with a large fortune

"Value" isn't set. It's fluid. Depends on what a particular person is willing to pay at that moment in time. Trendy breeds start strong, but as you've pointed out, they populate quickly. Then, the market gets flooded, often with inferior quality birds, and folks can hardly give them away. The Cream Crested Legbar comes to mind. I loved the idea of this breed...pretty, productive, autosexing, colored egg layer. But now, with all the random breeding and lack of culling, you've got birds that are all over the place as to color and shape, half the chicks aren't clearly auto sexing, egg color isn't the greatest.....they're a mess, here in the US. Yes, you can still find good breeders who know what they're doing, but you see far more sketchy birds than quality.

If you're looking at chickens from a purely business model, you've also got to look at infrastructure. Breeding pens, incubators, hatchers, brooders, grow out pens, etc. Feed, waterers that don't freeze in the winter. Predator proof pens, cause one momma raccoon will wipe our your entire flock, she doesn't care if they're thousand dollar birds from Greenfire or hatchery chicks from TSC, to her they all taste like chicken.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, there's a reason you don't see Chicken Tycoons. The money just isn't there. You're not going to get rich on raising birds.

there are a few ways to make it a profitable hobby, or even a bit of a business....

selling eggs. Use sex links or Leghorns, and rotate flock out every year or so.
selling chicks. Yep, some rare breeds do fine, but the classics are classics for a reason.
selling hatching eggs. Rare breeds do a bit better here, but you're still not going to be able to retire.
selling point of lay pullets. this is a decent money maker for me, but it's seasonal and takes enough space to grow the birds out to laying age.
selling meat birds. A whole nother story, and tricky depending on your local market.

You get into chickens because you love chickens, not because you're looking to make money. Most of us are thrilled when we can break even or make enough to cover our next hatchery order

 

[eggbert420]

How do you wind up with a small fortune breeding chickens?



start with a large fortune  


"Value" isn't set. It's fluid. Depends on what a particular person is willing to pay at that moment in time. Trendy breeds start strong, but as you've pointed out, they populate quickly. Then, the market gets flooded, often with inferior quality birds, and folks can hardly give them away. The Cream Crested Legbar comes to mind. I loved the idea of this breed...pretty, productive, autosexing, colored egg layer. But now, with all the random breeding and lack of culling, you've got birds that are all over the place as to color and shape, half the chicks aren't clearly auto sexing, egg color isn't the greatest.....they're a mess, here in the US. Yes, you can still find good breeders who know what they're doing, but you see far more sketchy birds than quality.

If you're looking at chickens from a purely business model, you've also got to look at infrastructure. Breeding pens, incubators, hatchers, brooders, grow out pens, etc. Feed, waterers that don't freeze in the winter. Predator proof pens, cause one momma raccoon will wipe our your entire flock, she doesn't care if they're thousand dollar birds from Greenfire or hatchery chicks from TSC, to her they all taste like chicken.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, there's a reason you don't see Chicken Tycoons. The money just isn't there. You're not going to get rich on raising birds.

there are a few ways to make it a profitable hobby, or even a bit of a business....

selling eggs. Use sex links or Leghorns, and rotate flock out every year or so.
selling chicks. Yep, some rare breeds do fine, but the classics are classics for a reason.
selling hatching eggs. Rare breeds do a bit better here, but you're still not going to be able to retire.
selling point of lay pullets. this is a decent money maker for me, but it's seasonal and takes enough space to grow the birds out to laying age.
selling meat birds. A whole nother story, and tricky depending on your local market.

You get into chickens because you love chickens, not because you're looking to make money. Most of us are thrilled when we can break even or make enough to cover our next hatchery order