[sarahdean_66]

I'm starting with chickens as a bit of a business having kept them as pets for years now. I'm looking for general advice really some dos and don'ts from people who have already done it! Going to rear chicks from heat to pol and sell, sell eggs both hatching and eating, hatch chicks and sell at all ages and rear some meat birds as well. Also got some pol hens for eggs and a group of frizzle hens cocks and chicks which I can breed more from. Any hints and tips?

[Steph Hen]

Start with the best stock you can. Market research, what sells in your area (or what would people like to buy?)

Decide what you are doing with boys before you hatch.
Work out all your expected costs/profits.
Record everything you spend, including electric for incubator and lamps, sawdust, wormer, etc. and the time you have to keep males for, till you can Id them.
Good luck!

[Castle Farm]

Your going to be spending a lot of money before you get it back.


Pointless breeding rubbish from rubbish, as the market is swamped with lookalikes and hybrids. Getting a reputation and keeping it can be difficult.


Do not make the big mistake of getting to many breeds.

[sarahdean_66]

Thanks guys some useful points!

[sss]

There are quite a few 'chicken sellers' around Cambridgeshire. Have a look at the competition and see what they are offering. You need to then have your own unique selling point or go into direct competition with them.

With eggs go and speak to your potential buyers and see if there is a market for you either shops, markets, pubs/restaurants or 'joe public'. You need to work out how much you can get for the eggs and if it is cost viable.

Do the research and costings prior to purchase, whilst not a guarantee to a successful business it may prevent a huge failure.

[sarahdean_66]

Yes there is a few around and one of the big pol sellers is closing down and not due to lack of sales for other reasons. Im fairly sure I can sell the eggs, and I can match the prices of the other pol sellers just about mainly due to the low rent on the plot of land I have. I'm not expecting to make a fortune either. The points made about not too many breeds and there are a lot of hybrids about are good ones. I have frizzles as I said and some wellsummer hens so might get a wellsummer cockerel. Also looking at getting some cream legbar hens and a cockerel plus have some hybrids and will probably get a few more.

[Steph Hen]

How many batches can you hatch a year? How big is your incubator and brooders?

I can easily cover my costs and make a bit ( enough to pay for dog food) but then I don't rent land and get free barley and wheat. I was given my incubator and had wire to make pen no.1. But I think it must take years to cover start up costs if buying everything new. How are you at diy? ?

[sarahdean_66]

Shed donated, run made by diy. Will need more but been offered another free. Been given incubator it holds 30 and can use the frizzles as broodies as they hatched chicks for previous owner. Rent includes land used for horses and sheep as well so bit for chickens is tiny on scale of things. I can hatch as many batches as I want really.

[nutterly_uts]

What about a small side bit of a handful ducks for eggs and meat birds? Might be something a bit different for a unique selling point Or quail?

[hughesy]

A very basic calculation. For arguments sake you set 30 eggs every 3 weeks, more likely 4 weeks by the time you've waited for stragglers to hatch, cleaned the incubator etc. Let's say you average a very good 80% fertility and 75% hatch rate so every 4 weeks you hatch about 18 birds. Half of them are males so you're down to 9. You then grow these to POL and sell them. Is selling 9 birds a month worth the bother? Plus setting eggs every month you're going to need about half a dozen houses and runs to accomodate them all. I would say stump up the cash for a big incubator, say 400 eggs at least. Or maybe just buy in a nice big flock of egg layers and concentrate on egg sales. Breeding chickens to make a living is no easy task.

[Marches Farmer]

An autosexing breed like the Cream Legbar will help avoid raising too many cockerels.  Research your target market - pretty chickens for gardens, rare breed enthusiasts, etc.  If buying in stock have a quarantine system in place or the whole lot could be wiped out.  I raise three hatches a year and keep only two replacement cockerels of each breed as we've found that on average the older the cockerel the meaner he gets. 

[sarahdean_66]

Thanks guys I have got a few ducks as well any way so should have some eggs and meat from them too I also have a good source of day old hybrids which are sexed as well.

[shygirl]

don't underestimate the cost of electric incubators and heat lamps running 24/7.

[devonlady]

To make a living from chickens especially laying birds you have to think in terms of thousands of birds, meat chickens and ducks in terms of many hundreds and have the facilities to handle them to meet regulations.
I think in terms of dozens which barely covers the cost of keeping them but they are my indulgence

[sarahdean_66]

I dnt need to make a living from them just cover costs and help towards m hay bill as well!