Just wanted to post what huge success we've had selling our heritage birds to our local feed store. We have Dominiques. Next year we're also going to offer sex linked EEs (with our Doms giving us the sex-linking barring)... but that's another story.
It's been a total feeding frenzy. The just want pullets, but perhaps other feed stores would be open to straight run if the price was right. The good thing about these heritage DP breeds is even the cockerels have good value as more and more people are wanting to have grass fed heritage meat animals to grow at home. Realistically, the heritage DP birds cost the same or less if they are primarily grass fed as the commercial cornish Xs do. I've got a tractor full of Dom cockerels in my back yard - in town! My yard looks better every week, the weeds can't survive the combination of the chicks grazing and the digging and the higher acidity caused by their urates. I love it!
I never thought you could raise so many birds on such a small space, but I really am doing it right here in the middle of town! All our adult birds are at my partner Rhonda's, but all the chicks are here at my house, and after about 3 weeks the Doms go outside (still with a heat lamp at night) and the feed usage goes way way down. They are out of the tractor most of the day as well, so I don't have to move it every single day. In fact, it seems like if I let them overgraze an area a little it kills more weeds and the grass comes back stronger than ever within a week.
We sell the extra cockerels at poultry swaps. We have spent around $90 total in chick feed this year hatching and selling well over 300 chicks. We have gotten well over $1 per chick, but you can see how even at $1 per chick we would be covering our feed expenses and then some. We usually get $5-$15 per chick, depending on age.
It's been a hectic spring, but it's all worth it knowing that our community will get to know this wonderful, healthy breed!
It's been a total feeding frenzy. The just want pullets, but perhaps other feed stores would be open to straight run if the price was right. The good thing about these heritage DP breeds is even the cockerels have good value as more and more people are wanting to have grass fed heritage meat animals to grow at home. Realistically, the heritage DP birds cost the same or less if they are primarily grass fed as the commercial cornish Xs do. I've got a tractor full of Dom cockerels in my back yard - in town! My yard looks better every week, the weeds can't survive the combination of the chicks grazing and the digging and the higher acidity caused by their urates. I love it!
I never thought you could raise so many birds on such a small space, but I really am doing it right here in the middle of town! All our adult birds are at my partner Rhonda's, but all the chicks are here at my house, and after about 3 weeks the Doms go outside (still with a heat lamp at night) and the feed usage goes way way down. They are out of the tractor most of the day as well, so I don't have to move it every single day. In fact, it seems like if I let them overgraze an area a little it kills more weeds and the grass comes back stronger than ever within a week.
We sell the extra cockerels at poultry swaps. We have spent around $90 total in chick feed this year hatching and selling well over 300 chicks. We have gotten well over $1 per chick, but you can see how even at $1 per chick we would be covering our feed expenses and then some. We usually get $5-$15 per chick, depending on age.
It's been a hectic spring, but it's all worth it knowing that our community will get to know this wonderful, healthy breed!
