Raising chickens can be fun...and profitable. Here's how...
Keeping chickens and other poultry can be a wonderful way to supply yourself with fresh chicken and the best-tasting eggs around but you'll find that chickens can also be a great source of revenue. We've broken down some of the top ways to take your chicken business to the next level.
Here are a few ways to turn a profit with chicken or other types of poultry.
Raising Chickens for Meat
Broiler Chickens
First up on our list is raising meat birds. These birds are raised quickly, sometimes as fast as 8 weeks. Things to think about are where are you going to keep them, how long you need to keep them before they're ready and when/how are you going to process them. All of these steps need to be thought out ahead of time to make sure that you are going to find profit in this venture. Check with the laws in your area to see if you can butcher the birds which will keep your costs low.
Raising Stewing Hens
When your hens get a little older and stop producing eggs as regularly you might choose to sell them as stewing hens. Depending on your area and the regulations, you might sell them live or if your area allows, butchered for a higher price.
You might also sell hens that are a bit older to locals for their backyard flock. These hens are still laying, just maybe not at the rate you are looking for. You can re-home those hens to a local coop as a layer.
Raising Chickens for Eggs
Layer Chickens
This is an easy one. Many people eat eggs every day and fresh eggs from a flock of chickens with a good diet are some of the best tasting eggs you can find. This is kind of a numbers game with the amount of chickens you need (1 egg per chicken per day). It goes without saying that your stock will need to be good layers-Red Star or Leghorns are good bet. Also, you will also need to keep your light at 14 hours during the winter months to keep the eggs coming. Keeping your flock healthy and in good living conditions is important to your investment as well as the animal's welfare.
Chicken Eggs for Incubating
AKA chicken eggs for hatching
Selling chicken eggs for hatching can make you top dollar. When selling eggs for breeding, you are going to want to have a flock (or 3) that are hard-to-find poultry or chicken breeds. You could also choose a breed that is hard to get a hold of in your area. Pick your stock from a breeder with a good reputation. You can either sell the fertilized eggs or the hatched chicks. Expect some that won't hatch though. To keep a hatching flock so your customers can incubate eggs, you will want to keep about 12 hens and 1 rooster in each type of chicken flock. You can sell these eggs locally or ship them out. We've even seen eggs on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and Craigslist.
Check out this post if you're interested in learning how to incubate chicken eggs.
Chicks For Sale?
Selling Pullets and Chicks
You can also raise the chicks for a bit of time and sell them either right before they're laying or when they start laying. Some people don't want to go through the hassle of raising chicks. After you raise chicks to adulthood, you can sell these chickens at a premium because you have invested the time in raising them for your customers. To find out more about raising chickens check out this article.
Other Types of Poultry to Think About Raising
There are many specialty chicken breeds that people will pay extra for to add to their flocks. People especially like raising chickens for their colorful eggs. Alternative to selling chickens, you might sell ducks, turkeys, quail, guinea fowl, or peacocks.
Alternative Sources of Revenue from Chickens
A few other things to think about selling associated with chickens and poultry are; selling well-aged compost to local gardeners, and feathers to crafters. Bone broth is another item that can be a source of local income.
Remember to keep track of your chicken profits with Farmbrite, farm management software. It helps you keep track of tasks, accounting, livestock/crops, inventory, customer info, online eCommerce, and more!
How to Market and Sell Chickens
Let me take a minute to add that not only do you need to raise the product but you have to put your business hat on and sell the product. Before you spend one dollar on this venture be prepared to get the word out and market your new business. Be professional when people call you about your product (call them back), and work on your marketing.
Learn about ways to market and sell your farm products online. As you can see there are many ways to make money with poultry. I'm sure there are more that aren't listed here as well. The most important thing to recognize as you begin is that there will be some mistakes but you can also learn from the mistakes others have already made. As a new business make sure to keep good records so that you can be aware of how much you're making, spending, and if you're making a profit. Take a look at a farm management software for poultry like Farmbrite.
Here are some additional resources on raising chickens for profit
Wishing you much success!