So I got myself into a problem 😆

[Stephine]

I think you can make the care a lot easier for you with good large feeders and waterers that don’t need daily cleaning/filling. You should easily be able to find a set up that lasts a week. Same for keeping coops and runs clean - work to make the set up as low maintenance as possible - that’s good for you even when you are not on vacation. Then look for a sitter. 100 birds are not that hard to care for if daily chores are minimal. I would ask around, check with dog and house sitters, high school kids, etc. Should not be impossible at all. Of course you’ll have to pay them well.
I think it is exceedingly hard to make money on chickens and especially when you go about it as haphazardly as you have so far. Serious breeders selling hatching eggs and chicks of rare desirable breeds, yes, but that is a lot of work. Otherwise , no. I don’t think you can make money on started pullets for example. Just think about cost for all the feed, bedding, electricity, that goes into raising chickens. If you give them quality feed and supplements it’ll be very hard to cover even your expenses.

 

[Naturals Farm]

So.... I am up to 120 chickens and have more on the way and I don't want to be a true farmer. Like staying home and not having a vacation to the OBX every year. But there's no one that can chicken sit so I am thinking about letting my numbers go down for now and still putting that incubator to good use. Selling the chicks to be able to go... because it's getting really expensive to rent a beach house. Do you think if I raised started pullets and hatched and sold chicks I would make money over time? Would I sell any? What should I sell them for?
I am also taking trapping school for coyotes to help a farmer down the road that is having problems with them killing his chickens and dragging them off into the woods. I can sell a coyote hid for 25 dollars each ruffly.
Any opinions are welcome! Thanks for your input!

So I have been looking on many pages and it seems a lot of people do buy them. Ive seen babies go for 5-10 each straight run, and then almost laying ready between hens 20-35 each. Seems a lot of people like Silkies, and others that are rare, or hardy, or good layers. But what I see most is ppl want chickens that lay different color eggs. Silkie eggs sell a lot online on FB and Etsy and also having a Farm link or page is good to have. But ya, I think its doable.

 

[Akgmrw62]

My Tractor Supply gets their chicks from Hoover's Hatchery btw

Maybe a tractor supply thing? I'm in Ozarks of Missouri and just got the 2024 catalog from them and it's a Hoovers hatchery lol

 

[Akgmrw62]

So, even if you let your numbers go down, you will still need a chicken sitter for however many you keep. Or are you saying you do have options if you have less birds.
If you have a school with a 4H group, you may be able to find one of them willing to make a few bucks taking care of the birds.
We had a hard time finding a bird sitter ourselves for our yearly two week OBX trip. But we did and she also helps us for other shorter trips ao we aren't constantly tied to the "farm". It is not cheap to have a sitter either.
I totally understand about expensive beach houses. We've rented the same house in Kitty Hawk for 11 years. But this year we are taking our camper to Rodanthe for the two weeks and it costs less than half of the price of the house. The house has about triples in cost over the 11 years. Crazy.

Ok old lady dork here. Seen OP and you referenced "OBX" trip.ay I ask what that stands for? Lol

 

[GirlsHuntToo]

Maybe a tractor supply thing? I'm in Ozarks of Missouri and just got the 2024 catalog from them and it's a Hoovers hatchery lol

Yeah that's where my Tractor Supply gets there chicks

 

[canne50]

So.... I am up to 120 chickens and have more on the way and I don't want to be a true farmer. Like staying home and not having a vacation to the OBX every year. But there's no one that can chicken sit so I am thinking about letting my numbers go down for now and still putting that incubator to good use. Selling the chicks to be able to go... because it's getting really expensive to rent a beach house. Do you think if I raised started pullets and hatched and sold chicks I would make money over time? Would I sell any? What should I sell them for?
I am also taking trapping school for coyotes to help a farmer down the road that is having problems with them killing his chickens and dragging them off into the woods. I can sell a coyote hid for 25 dollars each ruffly.
Any opinions are welcome! Thanks for your input!

Hi Girls…
how long would you be away?
I’m old and becoming decrepit so, my trips to do my hen care are few. This is how feeding 200lbs of laying crumble is a one-time deal for me. I use an extra-large wheeled trashcan. I wheel it out to my car to load the first couple of bags into it, bring it back into my feeding area in the run. I use the white feeding cups near the bottom. It has a tray I placed below so the spilliage is not wasted. This would last my 20+ chickens over a month and a half before needing refilled. Gravity keeps the feed going down. For water, at the height of Summer months with day temps often near or over 100 degrees F. I have two galvanized 5- gallon waterers which lasts about 5-7 days. There are watering nipples and cups which help conserve water and large capacity water tanks connected to flexible tubing would decrease the need to water often. I use deep litter of timothy grass in my hen house and liberally scatter it on the run. This is a desert climate and very little rain comes in the Summer. I keep a drip line into a small kiddie pool with only plain concrete pavers. It’s like chicken air conditioning!
I hope my ideas are helpful!
BTW I keep terriers outside our home who are free to come in or out. When there’s a disturbance in chick house or run. they tear out their special pet door and run them off.
Hope you get your vacay soon!

 

[GirlsHuntToo]

Hi Girls…
how long would you be away?
I’m old and becoming decrepit so, my trips to do my hen care are few. This is how feeding 200lbs of laying crumble is a one-time deal for me. I use an extra-large wheeled trashcan. I wheel it out to my car to load the first couple of bags into it, bring it back into my feeding area in the run. I use the white feeding cups near the bottom. It has a tray I placed below so the spilliage is not wasted. This would last my 20+ chickens over a month and a half before needing refilled. Gravity keeps the feed going down. For water, at the height of Summer months with day temps often near or over 100 degrees F. I have two galvanized 5- gallon waterers which lasts about 5-7 days. There are watering nipples and cups which help conserve water and large capacity water tanks connected to flexible tubing would decrease the need to water often. I use deep litter of timothy grass in my hen house and liberally scatter it on the run. This is a desert climate and very little rain comes in the Summer. I keep a drip line into a small kiddie pool with only plain concrete pavers. It’s like chicken air conditioning!
I hope my ideas are helpful!
BTW I keep terriers outside our home who are free to come in or out. When there’s a disturbance in chick house or run. they tear out their special pet door and run them off.
Hope you get your vacay soon!

Thanks! I would be gone a week.

 

[Lkg123]

Ok old lady dork here. Seen OP and you referenced "OBX" trip.ay I ask what that stands for? Lol

Outer Banks, North Carolina!

 

[aart]

Outer Banks, North Carolina!

@Lkg123
Here's how to add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[Poultrybonkers]

Being cost of feed is high you would be even lucky to break even breeding chickens its just not possible these days to make a living off it.