The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Coximus on August 31, 2015, 10:52:39 am
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Im looking at getting some chickens for the table; but also would be interested in keeping some to sell
IM thinking obviouslt numbers 50+
Does anyone sell direct to butchers / abbatoirs as Im aware of no market that takes them live, so Im currious how people go about selling them!
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Unless you can find a market and get around £16 each your gonna lose money.
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Why is that exactally?
I get feed wheat for £110 a tonne, and have access to rolling and crimping machines so can do that myself, and have access to fodder beet and brassica tops for various prices between £9-25 a tonne, so food cost is not a major issue - am I missing something huge, other than housing, feed and water/ time?
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Unless you're getting your food VERY cheap your total food costs are going to be just the same as if you feed a commercial ration and if you're rearing a small number they're going to eat a lot more.
They'll just eat a lot more of it and take longer to get to the same size.
I reckon Castle Farm is about bang on the button for cost, I always reckoned around £15 but depends on the size you're looking at.
You're also getting onto mixing your own feed which for poultry meat production to sell would mean a another load of legislation to adhere to.
If you're not selling live birds you need to have them properly culled and dressed by someone certified to do it with the proper equipment, electric stunner, chilling facilities, packing with source ID etc etc
If you can find someone willing to do small numbers you're going to be at least £4 a bird.
Chick cost £1
To raise a 2Kg liveweight bird you're going to be at least £4 in feed
So you're at almost a tenner already before all the other overheads are added, heat, electric, equiptment, time, fuel etc.
Its a great pity but the small producer had virtually been priced out the game.
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One thing's for sure. no butcher will buy chickens off you at a price that will make you a profit. So you're left with selling them yourself direct to the consumer. You're then faced with satisfying all the relevant rules and regulations regarding slaughter and processing. It's a non starter in my opinion.
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I was looking at selling live primarially.
Hmm shocked on the feed prices, and blending own food requires clean storage regs, thats all animal health have told me , to which I already adhere as I blend my own creep for sheep when needed.
I work my cost out basically as £0.18p/kg for feed so was hoping as most people buying in feed spend closer to 40p/kg I had an edge.
Also who do people take their chickens to for slaughter?
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Selling live wouldn't be a problem, if you could get enough for them to make it worthwhile.
Your 18p a Kg is for what sort of feed?
The benefit of commercial rations is that they are pretty accurately balanced.
Unless you know what you're doing nutrition wise mixing your own rations you can create an unbalanced one which they'll just eat more of to compensate.
If the bird eats 200g per day of a 20% protein commercial ration to get the 40g of protein it needs and you feed it a 10% protein ration it will just eat twice as much feed.
I thought about selling live turkeys at Christmas but there's hardly anyone nowadays who would know what to do with a live bird.
If you could find a niche in the market, a local breed free ranged and fed on locally produced organic foods etc you might be able to make a small profit but you'd need to charge a fair premium.
There have been a few people on TAS looking to do similar to what you want to do over the last year but as far as I know no one has found a processor willing to do small numbers (20-100) they all want to do the large jobs, its probably not worth their while to set up to do a small lot.
A game plucker and dresser I know said he'd pluck and dress chickens for £4 each but they'd have to be delivered already culled and in refrigerated transport which doesn't help, you'd still need to sort out that side of it.
His advice was for the grower to contact the council and get certified to kill and process themselves which takes you right back to the start.
Its just not viable small scale.
If it were I'd be doing it! :)
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It's a sad fact that rearing quality and ethical livestock doesn't pay. Smallholding is a hobby/lifestyle that drains money, but we all keep telling ourselves it's worth it.
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Yep, I rear birds for my own use, I use the commercial meat birds due to their growth rate but I've no idea what they cost me to produce. I'm afraid to sit down and work it out! :)
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It's a sad fact that rearing quality and ethical livestock doesn't pay. Smallholding is a hobby/lifestyle that drains money, but we all keep telling ourselves it's worth it.
That's not entirely true. It can be made to pay. However it's a long hard road with a lot of potholes to negotiate and will require some proper financial commitment in the initial few years. We're in the third year of retailing our pork and this is the first year we'll make a profit. Recouping all our investment will take a few years longer but it will happen You've got to go for it properly and not fanny about with too many things on the go at once. If you treat your enterprise as a hobby/lifestyle you're on a loser from day one. It's a business so treat it like one.
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I was always told sheep wont pay, but But I made small numbers pay and pay well - its all about chooseing wisely and managing costs.
My feed is about 18% protein but can get crushed peas at 22% if needed to balance and they're #130 a tonne.
Hmm I shall look at processors as If I could sell 100 a go, it may be worth it.
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Let us know if you find a processor for small numbers.
What is your 18% protein feed made of?
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The market for any smallholder produced product will depend on your location.
You need to get around £60 minimum for a' commercial' type bred lamb at around 42 kg. This year lamb producers will be struggling on selling price. A lot have held lambs back, but will have to move them on before to long. Ewe lambs for breeding next year are around £65 depending on breed and quality and at the moment are the best buy to run on as yearlings if there is fodder available.
As for protein and poultry It's going to waste if your not taking your birds at the optimum time of growth, as it will all go to fat.
The need for Indian Game in the strain should be considered, as most 'pure breeds' are now poor examples of what the breed was 50 years ago.
Using a RIR over LS was one of the best crosses when I was a lad, but not many quality examples of those two breeds are available any more.
My advise to you would be breed quality old fashion pure breeds, as there is always a ready market for good birds, but finding them may prove difficult.
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well I think I will get 5 or six and play for a year to get a feel for what works before thinking on it any more;
As for my feed, its mostly 2nd quality feed wheat rolled. Some barely and some rained on oats.
As for sheep - My break even cost is 22 pounds for a 39kg lamb, or about 0.56p/kg, thats including fuel costs etc but excluding labour, and this year Ive gotten between 55 and 70 per lamb depending on its grading. The folk who struggle are all so often running the wrtong breeds for their land or buying in too much food, if you have to buy in food your on a loosing streak!