people will surprise you.!

[laura29532]

I'm not real sure how to put this but, I went to the market to sell some young chickens.
I don't like pricing them real high but your never going to get back what you put in.!
I'm sitting there, people ask how much for the little ones, being 5 week old white Rocks
I say $ 8.00. They are like omg.! Well how much for the next bigger ones.? Again, white Rock
9 week old chicks. I'm like $ 15.00, in a couple weeks they will be ready to eat or kept for
breeding/eggs. The guy about passed out.! he is like omg thats way to much. I am thinking
at this point he just wants them for nothing, cheap.! so I say okay, have a nice day, being as
polite as I can be. All day morning this is the way it was.! what is wrong with these people.?
I picked up my cages and went home with all my chickens intact.!
If they were to buy chicks, right now baby chicks are selling for about $ 6.- 8.00 it all
depends on the breed. then you buy the feed, I do Organic all natural feed and veggies,
treats. then you buy the bedding, dishes, waterers etc. add in the electric for heat lamps
and you got pretty penny tied up in a few chickens.! I ask how is that making out better
than paying for someone elses headaches, time spent feeding and cleaning not to mention
a safe place to house these tiny things.? I've fed and cared for them for a month or two and
people have the nerve to say your killing us with these high prices.! I have a beautiful
Rhode Island red rooster and three hens, a guy offered me $ 25. for all. slap me in the face.!

 

[MotherofOrpies]

I think people have gotten used to mass production they no longer value quality, here, the egg laying hens are „waste“ after 1.5 years, you can get them for 1€ a piece, and most of them are still good layers, if you buy hybrids, they cost about 8€ ( may have gotten more expensive, I just buy hatching eggs) a purebred hen with „faults“ you usually get for 30€, just before she starts laying, if you buy at an exhibition, prices range from 60€- whatever is hyped right now, which will get expensive ( over 100€)
It really dependes on circumstances, the last exhibition I went to, they sold 1/3 bantam chicken for 30€, they said they won’t take them back home, cos they might have caught some bug at the exhibition. They would just kill them ( and hopefully eat them) since I can’t keep bantam chickens, the hooded crows have it out for them, I didn’t buy them , after the covid epidemic, many breeders of regular size chickens have stopped breeding them or switched to bantam breeds cos they are cheaper to keep

 

[Finnie]

I'm not real sure how to put this but, I went to the market to sell some young chickens.
I don't like pricing them real high but your never going to get back what you put in.!
I'm sitting there, people ask how much for the little ones, being 5 week old white Rocks
I say $ 8.00. They are like omg.! Well how much for the next bigger ones.? Again, white Rock
9 week old chicks. I'm like $ 15.00, in a couple weeks they will be ready to eat or kept for
breeding/eggs. The guy about passed out.! he is like omg thats way to much. I am thinking
at this point he just wants them for nothing, cheap.! so I say okay, have a nice day, being as
polite as I can be. All day morning this is the way it was.! what is wrong with these people.?
I picked up my cages and went home with all my chickens intact.!
If they were to buy chicks, right now baby chicks are selling for about $ 6.- 8.00 it all
depends on the breed. then you buy the feed, I do Organic all natural feed and veggies,
treats. then you buy the bedding, dishes, waterers etc. add in the electric for heat lamps
and you got pretty penny tied up in a few chickens.! I ask how is that making out better
than paying for someone elses headaches, time spent feeding and cleaning not to mention
a safe place to house these tiny things.? I've fed and cared for them for a month or two and
people have the nerve to say your killing us with these high prices.! I have a beautiful
Rhode Island red rooster and three hens, a guy offered me $ 25. for all. slap me in the face.!

It probably depends on what market you took them to. If it’s a swap meet type of market, those draw people who are looking for cheap deals. They also draw people who believe in haggling. It’s a good idea to price them slightly above what you actually want for them so that you can let folks “talk you down” a little. But yeah, you are always going to find lowballers.

I don’t think your prices are bad. I don’t know what part of the country you are in. Some areas won’t support decent prices. But here (Central Indiana, close to both city/suburban chicken keepers and rural country) I price my day olds at $3 each for BYM and higher for pure breeds. Then I add $1/week of age to pay me for my costs and efforts. Some people are willing to pay that and some people aren’t. Too bad for them.

When chicks are old enough to sex, I hike up the price of the pullets and keep the cockerels at $5-20, depending on breed and age. The pullets continue to go up $1/week from their new price. If they are still here when they reach point of lay, to me those are valuable birds, so I expect customers to pay good money for them.

I do give a discount if people are buying a large group of birds. And I almost always give a free male with a purchase if I have any available and if the buyer wants a male.

You are right that some people don’t care about how much work, time and money you put into raising chicks. But there are good customers out there. They have done the calculations and know that paying more money for a group of POL pullets is well worth not having to buy chicks, feed and equipment and doing all the work themselves. You just have to deal with all the tire kickers while you wait for the good customers to contact you. They eventually will.

 

[laura29532]

It probably depends on what market you took them to. If it’s a swap meet type of market, those draw people who are looking for cheap deals. They also draw people who believe in haggling. It’s a good idea to price them slightly above what you actually want for them so that you can let folks “talk you down” a little. But yeah, you are always going to find lowballers.

I don’t think your prices are bad. I don’t know what part of the country you are in. Some areas won’t support decent prices. But here (Central Indiana, close to both city/suburban chicken keepers and rural country) I price my day olds at $3 each for BYM and higher for pure breeds. Then I add $1/week of age to pay me for my costs and efforts. Some people are willing to pay that and some people aren’t. Too bad for them.

When chicks are old enough to sex, I hike up the price of the pullets and keep the cockerels at $5-20, depending on breed and age. The pullets continue to go up $1/week from their new price. If they are still here when they reach point of lay, to me those are valuable birds, so I expect customers to pay good money for them.

I do give a discount if people are buying a large group of birds. And I almost always give a free male with a purchase if I have any available and if the buyer wants a male.

You are right that some people don’t care about how much work, time and money you put into raising chicks. But there are good customers out there. They have done the calculations and know that paying more money for a group of POL pullets is well worth not having to buy chicks, feed and equipment and doing all the work themselves. You just have to deal with all the tire kickers while you wait for the good customers to contact you. They eventually will.

I get that. Thank you. I'm in southern SC. and egg prices and chicken in the store is outrageous. and your right, people want to get something cheap, exactly why I folded up and took them home as not to say anymore. lol some of these are rooster pullets just for meat. I feed my chickens top feed from Azure (Organic) or Kalmbach all natural feeds. I don't expect to get a higher price just because I feed mine high dollar feed and organic herbs and veggies. but some people could know what they are buying and prices before being so rude and ugly. I sell more from my front door than I did today so lesson learnt.! Thank you

 

[BigBlueHen53]

If you have signs with your prices clearly marked, people can either look and walk on by, or stop and see if you will negotiate. Either way, saving you the hassle of dealing with the rudeness. Or some of it anyway. There may still be some rude enough to give you the "are you kidding" routine. You can stare them down and say "take it or leave it," or "nobody's forcing you to buy."

 

[Ponypoor]

It probably depends on what market you took them to. If it’s a swap meet type of market, those draw people who are looking for cheap deals. They also draw people who believe in haggling. It’s a good idea to price them slightly above what you actually want for them so that you can let folks “talk you down” a little. But yeah, you are always going to find lowballers.

I don’t think your prices are bad. I don’t know what part of the country you are in. Some areas won’t support decent prices. But here (Central Indiana, close to both city/suburban chicken keepers and rural country) I price my day olds at $3 each for BYM and higher for pure breeds. Then I add $1/week of age to pay me for my costs and efforts. Some people are willing to pay that and some people aren’t. Too bad for them.

When chicks are old enough to sex, I hike up the price of the pullets and keep the cockerels at $5-20, depending on breed and age. The pullets continue to go up $1/week from their new price. If they are still here when they reach point of lay, to me those are valuable birds, so I expect customers to pay good money for them.

I do give a discount if people are buying a large group of birds. And I almost always give a free male with a purchase if I have any available and if the buyer wants a male.

You are right that some people don’t care about how much work, time and money you put into raising chicks. But there are good customers out there. They have done the calculations and know that paying more money for a group of POL pullets is well worth not having to buy chicks, feed and equipment and doing all the work themselves. You just have to deal with all the tire kickers while you wait for the good customers to contact you. They eventually will.

POL pullets here from a hatchery are about $25 but need to take 10, otherwise they charge a fee for buying a ‘small number’ of birds.

Prices vary here and depends on the time of year. I just spent $25 ch for two day old silkie chicks to throw under my dingaling broody who wouldn’t stop.

My luck both will be Roos and I’ll be out $50. Roos do not sell here at all, and being silkies no one will want them - can’t eat them….

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Can't eat them? Why not? I see them cooked and presented as delicacies on cooking shows.

 

[MotherofOrpies]

I‘m just saying, coq au vin , nobody notices the dark meat in a red wine sauce, or look for Chinese people, they consider silkies a healthy delicacy

 

[5Australorpasaures]

Your prices really aren't out of line +/-. Hens around my area that are about to come into laying are going for around $15 each. People always seem to want birds when there's panic, (ie) covid and now the egg shortage with the high prices then toss in the bird flu. What I look for next is for feed to start creeping up. Don't worry about it. We paid $49 for 4 hens and a Roo BLK AUS from a breeder of many types and didn't feel a bit bad about it because it was right in there with other local breeders.

 

[Ponypoor]

Can't eat them? Why not? I see them cooked and presented as delicacies on cooking shows.

I‘m just saying, coq au vin , nobody notices the dark meat in a red wine sauce, or look for Chinese people, they consider silkies a healthy delicacy

I have no issues with them for meat, the big issue is finding someone to process them. Nearest place is about 2 hr drive away. I won’t do it first off I don’t know how to cull them and would be afraid of harming them and not killing them outright. Also I have cleaned chickens and ducks and geese before. Feathers are just darn messy!