Raising while also Profiting from Chickens??

[suebgbr]

Again I don't know how it works over there but people with big incubators or not using theirs for a hatch will rent their services. The people pay to bring their eggs to you (or buy them off you) and you incubate them for them for a flat fee. It doesn't matter if they all hatch or none (unless there was a mechanical problem), they are paying for the space in the bator

 

[aoxa]

I think he was probably factoring the egg to hatch, not feeding it, more of a "if I sell the chick as a day old, I have x amount invested in it already" situation. If you factor in that he already has an incubator, then the power used to run it and heat it spread throughout however many eggs he has in it would be close to 15 cents a chick possibly.

Oh I see what you're getting at.. but you do have to factor in the cost to maintain the parents to get them to lay the eggs... eggs are not free.

 

[enola]

To be totally honest with yourself about whether you are making money or not you have to KNOW AND KEEP RECORD of all of your chicken expenses.

I never kept any records, I just figured if I could sell eggs, chicks and adult chickens and have money left over in the cookie jar after buying feed, I was doing OK. After all, this is a hobby for me.

 

[tnmommy]

Where are you that you are getting twenty for backyard breed eggs? I will rarely get over a dollar an egg for my backyard utility bird eggs.

 

[sarahandbray]

Oh, no, I'm only getting $8/dozen for eggs that are mixes. Parents are purebred, chicks will not be.
Locally, people with purebred eggs are getting $20+/dozen for basic purebred breeds. $30-40 for Black Copper Marans or Wellsummers or Lav Orpingtons, etc.

 

[ocap]

there is an ad on Craig's list that rents coops, runs, and hens to go with them to "see if you enjoy the hobby"

http://columbiamo.craigslist.org/for/4845966575.html

 

[kyexotics]

We're now up to 3 bators full of eggs 24/7 from Spring thru fall as well as doing once a month Saturday "poultry swaps" AND selling chicks on craiglist...We sell, when rockin, 2-300 chicks/ducks a year with only Silkies and various ducks...Our goal this year is to double that, if not triple it, and we've added Pekins, Sultans, Polish and Sebrights to our menu which has upped the $@bird rate considerably...We were going to add Lakenvelders but found demand for Sultans to be very high so we're doubling up on those for production...Xtra eggs we give away if we can't eat them all...You can make money selling birds, we don't ship and we don't even live in a populated area...It won't be your only source of income but it can surely supplement one...

 

[Kusanar]

Oh I see what you're getting at.. but you do have to factor in the cost to maintain the parents to get them to lay the eggs... eggs are not free.

Yes, but they said that person was a show breeder, chances are, they would have the chickens for showing anyway and the eggs are a bonus and actually are free because the main purpose of the hens is showing not laying.... if that makes any sense...

 

[enola]

There is no such thing as a 'free' egg. The only way you could claim you get free eggs is if you do nothing to sustain your hens.

 

[Kusanar]

There is no such thing as a 'free' egg. The only way you could claim you get free eggs is if you do nothing to sustain your hens.

I got free kittens once simply because the cat I already had as a pet got pregnant and had kittens. I did nothing to get the kittens, did not pay the Tom cat, did not take her to the vet or give her anything extra, she may have eaten a little more, but the cats get free choice food,so who knows. If I had a show chicken that just happened to lay eggs (as they tend to do) without me paying more for a chicken that lays eggs versus one that doesn't, then that makes the eggs free provided you were going to have the chicken regardless of if you got eggs from her or not.