Which are the rare breeds in highest demand now? Which ones will still maintain a high price tag in

[DocumentedPure]

That is very interesting actually. It is a very strange concept to think about isn't it? The "rare" breed has true breeders that more than double the "common" breed. I am going to look into how dedicating myself to a group of like minded people could bring back the RIR or others to their original glory. If that were the case, exporting the chickens to poor countries could dramatically help communities stay healthy and not dependent on external factors, improving the quality of life for many. But also maybe there is some way to offset the costs by improving the demand for the classic original super producers. I will look into this. Thank you for your input.

 

[DocumentedPure]

Except they're only willing to pay that high price tag if there's a well known, reputable breeders name attached to it...

Rome wasn't built in a week, but it sure burned down in one...

With all due respect, you guys are both breeders of rare chickens. If you could go back in time, what would you have done differently to be successful in this?

 

[junebuggena]

The reason true Rhode Island Reds are so hard to find is that poor quality hatchery ones are so abundant. The hatchery birds bare little to no resemblance the breed standard birds. They no longer have that trademark brick shape, and it's next to impossible to find a hatchery bird that is the right deep shade of red. They seem common, but it's to the point where hatcheries aren't actually breeding Rhode Island Reds at all, but are really passing off slightly darker red Production Reds. 99% of what people think are Rhode Island Reds are actually Production Reds. Similar to what they do with Easter Eggers and labeling them as Ameraucana.

 

[junebuggena]

With all due respect, you guys are both breeders of rare chickens. If you could go back in time, what would you have done differently to be successful in this?

They didn't get into their chosen breeds to make money off them...
Success depends on your priorities. @RavynFallen is trying to improve the breed and is focused on quality over quantity and, in those respects, has been incredibly successful.

 

[Pyxis]

With all due respect, you guys are both breeders of rare chickens.  If you could go back in time, what would you have done differently to be successful in this?

Depends how you would define successful. I would say Ravyn and I both consider ourselves successful breeders. I know I do. Because I don't make a huge profit doesn't mean I'm not successful.

 

[BYC910]

Depends how you would define successful. I would say Ravyn and I both consider ourselves successful breeders. I know I do. Because I don't make a huge profit doesn't mean I'm not successful.

Chickens for sure fad chickens lose that high price amazingly quick . You have to be the first one to find promote and market them to make the big dollars off them . Only a hand full have managed to do that . Then comes the next tier of the pyramid and the next and the next and each is wider and before you know it everybody and their brother has some for sale .
Starting any business is a loss from the beginning. Depending on what your business plan is and what start up cost are . I've always practiced the see a need and fill it plan . It is not truly a profitable business until all startup cost are paid back and income exceeds expense. If and when one achieves that then it is a profitable business . That does not mean it is a lucrative business only profitable . Supply and demand location lacition lacition . Most breeders who either build a breed or improve a breed rarely show huge profits . If the goal is breed improvement then Pyxis and Ravyn are as much a success as anyone in the chicken industry . If they are breaking even or showing a profit then they are a huge success .Can't wait to hear how you make out with your endeavor keep us posted .

 

[DocumentedPure]

Chickens for sure fad chickens lose that high price amazingly quick . You have to be the first one to find promote and market them to make the big dollars off them . Only a hand full have managed to do that . Then comes the next tier of the pyramid and the next and the next and each is wider and before you know it everybody and their brother has some for sale .
Starting any business is a loss from the beginning. Depending on what your business plan is and what start up cost are . I've always practiced the see a need and fill it plan . It is not truly a profitable business until all startup cost are paid back and income exceeds expense. If and when one achieves that then it is a profitable business . That does not mean it is a lucrative business only profitable . Supply and demand location lacition lacition . Most breeders who either build a breed or improve a breed rarely show huge profits . If the goal is breed improvement then Pyxis and Ravyn are as much a success as anyone in the chicken industry . If they are breaking even or showing a profit then they are a huge success .Can't wait to hear how you make out with your endeavor keep us posted .

Thank you for your insight. It is impractical to start a business without there being some way that you can contribute or add to what is already there. Or as you say, "See a need and fill it" I like that. It is catchy. I appreciate your input. You know, if I had any idea I was going to catch so much flack for starting this thread, I would have focused my efforts on reaching out in other ways, to get help from people. I would imagine that people would be excited for someone to come along, make super rare breeds more accessible, and affordable. But, whatever. People here have no idea who I am, or what my values are, just because I make a post about interest in making money doing something I would enjoy. all the sudden I am the anti-Christ? Just because I plan on keeping more than five chickens does not mean I am running a factory of 100,000 in my basement clipping beaks.

I could see selling trying to buy all the equipment and be trying to sell leghorns or cornish cross buying 25$ feed bags at a time. That, would be impressive. Hear me out man. Lets do some numbers. Lets say that cream legbars sell for $20 a pop today. They have been around for like five years now right? IF I bought ten legbars, for $1.000 a piece five years ago, and they dropped down to be worth $20 THE VERY NEXT DAY, and stayed that price until today, Over five years, I would have made back my ROI. That is generally the shortest time period economists plan for. I could have made money on that deal, caeterus plurubus. But you are right man, most industries plan for zero sum end result. You are a wise man. I understand there is risk. I am about 700 hours of research into this project, I have risk staring me in the eye from every direction, and I have sworn up and down that I was going to quit about half a dozen times. Honestly, I will be about $10,000 into this project, and have put in close to 1500 man hours, and will not make money for half a year. It is a big risk I am going to take, and most people do not feel comfortable doing that, nor wish to afford to take that risk. But I like risks. I like to live dangerously. But I am not stupid, I am putting in the work. But hey, I guess instead of a business loan I could buy a shinier, lower mileage car, (acceptable, normal type of debt) but how much does that really help me down the line?

Honestly, if I could just make a comfortable living, afford health insurance, and get out of debt, I would be happy. I am not an oil tycoon. I talk like this because this is what I I studied in school. Now I am a broke college student and who is $30 grand in debt. **** right I am concerned about money, I have bills to pay. Maybe some of the rest of you have great jobs, are on disability, or are stay at home moms or whatever, but I have to make a living. I would sure as hell rather raise living breathing creatures than review other people's Excel Spreadsheets all day, if you know what I mean.

But anyways, thank you for your input. I would be happy to let you know how it goes. Wish me luck. It may be the end of me.

 

[DocumentedPure]

That which is high will usually become cheap and that which is high is usually cheap! A fool and his money are soon parted. Sell good birds at a reasonable price and you'll stay busy, sell poor birds at an outrageous price and you'll be out of business.

Wise advice, thank you for the wisdom. I would like to imagine we are on the same page. I have been studying my butt off to prevent being the fool you are mentioning. My biggest concern is that I will not have buying customers. So my goal is to sell for cheaper than others, and to sell high quality, healthy birds. I do not think I am going to be a millionaire any day soon, but I think I would get a lot more job satisfaction from this than I got from my previous career.

 

[DocumentedPure]

That is true, but many of the orpington morphs have kept their value over a surprising long period of time. Does anyone here sell orpingtons? What are fair prices on those chicks? I was extremely skeptical when I first started reading about these things, just as you are, but from the breeders I have talked to, and the prices I have seen breeds go for over time in the forums, many do not depreciate nearly as fast as I would have at first imagined. I have not payed too much attention to bantams, because I do not even want to try to figure out why those hold value, but he ones that seem to hold value longer are the ones that also serve a practical person's interests well, either in size or egg production.

 

[Ravynscroft]

What would I change? Not one thing... every single step in this process has taught me something, brought me closer to my goal, kept me going forward even when it's been steps backwards...

If you had asked me even just a few hours ago if I was successful, I would have said no... why? Because my breeds are not where I personally want them to be, quality wise... but then I saw something amazing, and for me, incredibly humbling... I have a reputation that even people I have never agreed with acknowledged... and that's not something that comes overnight... there's many, many more well known breeders who have much more time, money and care invested in their flocks, but this small step means a lot to me... and it does mean I am succeeding... thank you for bringing that to light...


Now, on topic... you are not being judged for wanting to make money off of a living animal, nor are you being crucified for looking to make a living off of them...but your perception is a bit narrow and all everyone has tried to do is give advice and help you to see reality... your response has been to dramatize others reactions, make broad assumptions and to end up insulting an entire forum...

You talk of 1500 hrs into this project and $10k invested and expect to be getting a return on that in 6 months... with what you are targeting, it's just not going to happen... and all we have done is try to help you see that before you experienced a disappointment so many of us have already experienced... it's going to cost much, much more than that with hundreds upon hundreds of hours more, and then it doesn't stop there... maintaining will cost and there is always work to be done, so hours keep stacking up...

And to breed any breed in quality takes much more than 6 months to acheive... it's a constant variable, but even to start you have to grow out your first generation, pick your breeders, then grow out their offspring to see what they turn out like... then cull undesirable traits, and breed back... or acquire a new line to add in, and then that brings in a whole new set of variables and you have to test breed, grow out, see what they're like, adjust your breeding program again, and so on and so on... this is in any breed... and customers are picky, if they're not perfect, they will let you and everyone else know it... so build a reputation of being open, honest and fair... that takes a lot of time investment... this pushes back your return timeline even further...

And then there's the market... maybe in one area, Ameraucanas are a dime a dozen, so you're lucky to sell chicks for $5... in another area, they're in high demand and little supply, so they're going for $20 per chick... but that will shift, things change and people change... ask for what any breed is going for and you'll get as many different prices as you do the number of people who respond... and any bird is only worth what another is willing to pay for it...

Yes, you see a well known breeder selling a pair of birds for let's say $200... nice profit, you think... but what you don't see is the 20 years that breeder has already invested, along with the thousands upon thousands of dollars spent to get to that point... am I exaggerating? Nope, not really... in 3 years alone, I think our investment has been your $10k a good several times over... not to mention my own personal labor costs, because that factors in too...

Don't you think we all would love to make our living doing exactly what we love? I guarantee it, but it's not stable nor is it financially realistic... you expressed concern about getting fertile eggs in winter, but in reality, there is no market for chicks in winter... most people do not want to winter brood, so you'll have to foot that cost yourself as well... you'll get better prices in spring, but come fall, most prices bottom out as well... so money coming in will be seasonal and must be managed to stretch for the rest of the years budget... but then unexpected issues will arise, predators will find a way to get or harass your birds, injuries will happen, hens will get stressed for whatever reason and stop laying... fertility will suddenly be an issue... cockbird turns mean... hens don't get along... etc...

These are things that can happen... will happen... there is no perfection when dealing with any animal, just as there is no perfect bird in any breed... an SOP is what is strived for, a constant goal, not what is acheived every day, or every year or even every 10, 20, or 30 years...

Nobody said you wanted to run a commercial egg plant, or a chicken mill... if you want to run a hatchery, then run a hatchery... expect hatchery prices though...

You want to compete with GFF? I say good luck to you... but realize what they do... they go to other countries, pay their prices, import those birds back, pay the permits and importation and transportation fees... and quarantine time, plus that fee on top of their feed and care and vet care... and then they bring them into their place, breed, grow those out... see what they get and cull, and breed again... and sometimes it ends up being a complete disaster... just because a pair or trio looks good themselves, doesn't mean their offspring will be any good... it's a risky investment, takes a lot of capitol to see it through and there still is no guarantee of any return...

I was not joking about my advice if you want to make some money, get a gold based cockerel and silver based hens, breed simple sex-links and sell the heck outta them... keep 1 large coop and keep your cost minimal... end return won't be a lot of money, but it would keep you in the black... enough to live off of? Eh, maybe a second coop and raise broilers... eggs, meat and guaranteed female chicks will always be needed... that's about all the guarantee you can get...

For rare breeds especially or any breed to produce quality, expect much longer than 6 months before you start to see even pennies returning on your investment... in many breeds, 6 months isn't even long enough for pullets to start laying... much less their offspring...