The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Rhiannongriff on September 03, 2018, 04:34:03 pm
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Hi, I am thinking about breeding a few extra hens and maybe selling a few on. Are there any rules / regs I need to follow? I have way under 50 birds. Would anything change apart from registering with apha if I went over 50? Would I need to vaccinate or fill in any forms etc. Many thanks, all advice is appreciated.
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No regulations. - always worth thinking about what sells and what people want. - maybe dark or blue egg layer? Most eggs?
-Smokey grey, Partridge or speckled feathers often liked?
Keep an eye on costs and have a plan for cocks.-sexing and culling day old chicks of auto sexing breeds is harsh but saves a lot of food and space compared to rearing unwanted males to often just give them away.
some mature fast, others heavy and slow to mature. They eat a lot more and won't start laying till later but often fetch same.
Often bantams sell for same price as full size, but can fit many more in inci, brooder and runs and less food.
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Hi Steph, many thanks for your advice xx
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I've hatched a few and sold them. The main thing that puts me off is that 50% of your hatch will be cockerels. I can't vent sex so had to wait until around 4 weeks before I could start separating what I suspect were cockerels. Culling them at that point just didn't sit well with me and if you raise them to adult birds it will totally swallow your profits.
I suppose if I was starting from scratch I'd visit a poultry auction and see which birds are selling well.
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Hi, OK, many thanks. I wonder whether day old chicks may be better as with some breeds you can tell cockerels apart very early on? (so I've read!).
I've had a quick chat with Defra, who say I may need to fill out a form, something to do with egg hatching establishments? Does that ring any bells? It sounds ott as it'll be very very small numbers. Also I am guessing if I go over 50 birds then even if there are no bird flu threats in place I'd have to follow strict biosecurity practice by law? Many thanks for any advice or experience with this.
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Hi, OK, many thanks. I wonder whether day old chicks may be better as with some breeds you can tell cockerels apart very early on? (so I've read!).
Do you mean buying as day old chicks, or selling as them? ???
If you buy day old chicks from a laying breed (as opposed to meat), they will usually have been sexed at hatching, and the males removed (let's not beat about the bush - killed) already, so you will only get females, which you can then raise to point-of-lay and sell.
If you're hatching them yourself, you have a choice of hatching a breed or more likely cross-breed where you can tell the sex on hatching and get rid of the males yourself (known as 'auto-sexing'), OR a breed (most likely a pure breed) where you can't tell when young, and need to wait until they're a few months old before you can accurately sex them.
If you're still starting out and learning, I'd start by buying some good parent stock of a hardy breed that you like, hatching a few, advertising locally and seeing how they sell. You won't make much money that way, but it will get you started. As long as you don't go over fifty birds, there aren't any regulations to worry about, but do make sure you have a plan for what to do with the boys first. I keep seeing facebook posts along the lines of "five young cockerels for sale - must go to good home, only £10 each" - don't be that person!!
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Cream legbars can be sexed at hatching also welsummers.
There's others too, but get don't come to mind at the moment.
If I were you I'd do what womble suggested, buy yourself 3/6 hens and a cock of your chosen breed and then trial and error till you know what you're doing.
I hate killing day old chicks. Any chicks. But unless you want to read to adulthood and then have a skinny soup carcass, there's very little point. Ate my neighbours aged cockerel on the weekend (he didn't want to have to kill it) but sat fine with me, he's had a fine, free range life and made thick yellow soup for my kids.
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Hi
Many thanks for the responses, re: day old chicks, yes I meant buying them (girls) then rearing them to sell. I do like the cream legbars. I'll have a good think about it, thanks again everyone! xx
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Friend of mine buys hens aged 16 weeks, sells at PoL makes £2 per bird, does it in quantity, but as part of his whole operation. Contracting, sheep,cows as well
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Not wanting to be a killjoy, but if you are buying day old chicks and rearing them, you will have to have a pet shop licence: https://www.gov.uk/pet-shop-licence (https://www.gov.uk/pet-shop-licence)
The reason I bring this up is that person that we used to buy our hens off has now packed up as the local authority came along asking for £££. What is worse is that there is no set cost - it is what the local authority decide to charge.
Chris
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Not wanting to be a killjoy, but if you are buying day old chicks and rearing them, you will have to have a pet shop licence: https://www.gov.uk/pet-shop-licence (https://www.gov.uk/pet-shop-licence)
The reason I bring this up is that person that we used to buy our hens off has now packed up as the local authority came along asking for £££. What is worse is that there is no set cost - it is what the local authority decide to charge.
Chris
I think your supplier might have been misled.
What counts as a pet shop?
A pet shop is any building where animals are sold as pets, including your own home.
Backyard hens aren’t pets, they are bought to produce eggs.