What breeds do you find sell the best?

I am trying to come up with certain breeds that sell better than others so I can make my decisions on what to raise. I am looking at turkeys, ducks, geese, and chickens (standard sizes), and silkies in what color? Also, do the colors really make a difference in the sales? I am looking at 4-5 breeds for the chickens. I have fairly large pens, and have plans to build some larger chicken tractors to seperate the breeds into. I am actually thinking of starting out with just 1 or two breeds and then increasing over time for the chickens. They layers (leghorns) will have no rooster, so I can put my silkies or a brown egg layer group in with them, which cuts down the number of tractors I would need. The turkeys pen will have a divider wall in it so I can have the two breeds, and seperate them easily enough (I already have the two buildings for them.)

So far my choices are:
Turkeys: burbon red, and royal palm
Ducks: blue swedish and muscovy
Geese: Pilgrims and sebastopols ??
Chickens: blue copper marans, australorps, lavender orps, cochins, ameracauna
Silkies: bearded in black, white, self blue(lavender), buff
layers: leghorn

If anyone would care to share their thoughts or experiences on this please let me know. I am looking for opinions on my choices and what your choices would be. I am looking at selling eating eggs, hatching eggs, chicks, and possibly the odd older birds. Please feel free to add your choices and letting me know if my choices will not work for what I am looking at doing! i am not wanting to make money, but rather cover as much of my costs as possible. THanks

The problem with having 4 different breeds of chicken is that you need a pretty good set up to be able to get purebred eggs early in the Spring so you can get hatching eggs from them.
I often wish we had picked only 1 breed of chicken...although it is so hard to choose Iknow!
Just think how delightfully easy that would be to have 1 breed of duck, 1 of chicken, 1 of geese and 1 turkey....you would only need 1 facility for each and could produce purebred stock yearround!!

I don't think there is one true, easy answer!!!

You have to do your homework and research things. Go to auctions in your area. Talk to other chicken people in your area and see what they are doing.

It has been mentioned before; what sells good this year can be over run with selection next year. Therefore, making it hard to make sales!

The best piece of advise I can give you is to raise chickens because its what you want to do as your hobby, not because you think it will make you money!!! If after time you find your niche and things start to pay for them self, great! But until then, enjoy the birds because they make you feel good!

I agree with Miry, for starting out I would pick one breed of turkey, one breed of duck and one breed of goose. The chickens do not require as much space as those three other species but you will have to have the right set up for pure eggs.
I think the good old Australorps are a good breed to pick, they will lay their hearts out for you so when you are not hatching you will still have a good supply of eggs to sell. The other breed I would go with would be a cold hardy breed (Wyandotte, Chantecler, Ameraucanaetc), that seems to be the top on my chick order list this year.
I find if you try to offer too much to too many areas you are going to be bogged down. If you want to have some birds that you can breed close to standard your better off starting with 2 breeds of chickens and working up to some good flocks of them. When selling hatching eggs you want nice sized flocks to pull from so the eggs are fresh, some places can take up to 4-5 days to get there so best to have 1-2 day old eggs shipped out there.
The benefit of selecting the Ameraucana's or even easter eggers would be the egg color, that seems to be hot on the orders this year as well so people can add to their color basket.
Silkies are silkies, many people just want fuzzy little birds to brood eggs and be pets, so I would pick one color so you are not mixing. My daughter does blue because with the blue gene you actually end up with 3 different colors and makes people happy to have an assortment of colors, but you only need one breeding pen.

Dark Wing and Hidden said what I feel as well. Find a breed or 2 that you really like, for the breed. Then work to get them the best that you can. People will come when you get them there cause they know you have put the time and effort into them. That is how I feel anyways.
I have trouble with the people that just get into breeds for the trends and money. They don't want to do the time, they want quick bucks and don't care about the quality of the birds they are producing, just the numbers. Kind of like what the hatcheries are doing.
I think a person soon learns who to buy from and who not to by getting burned by poor quality birds, or birds that are not even close to what they should be.
Just a bit of a personal opinion I have, I know not everyone feels that way.
So I think pick the breeds you really like. Common ones and more obsure ones will all sell, just depends on the market you want I guess.

Amaraucanas and leghorns are far and away the best sellers here; barred rocks are also popular.

I agree with what has already been said. When many people are starting out they get into heritage chickens with the idea of providing many breeds for people to choose from, and hatching lots and lots of chicks to sell. For many, (myself included) this all changes as you begin to realize that what you are selling may not be up to the standard...both the APA standard and your own. That was when I knew I needed to make some hard decisions, cut back on breeds and get serious with a proper breeding program and the best breeding stock I could find.
It is hard to decide what breeds to choose. There are so many factors to consider:
- First and foremost, it has to be a breed that appeals to you.
- It has to be a breed that others will want to buy.
- If there are 4 other breeders already established in your area selling a certain breed, you'll have a harder time finding customers.
- If it is too rare of a breed, you'll have a hard time finding good breeding stock.
- Some breeds like Sebrights have more issues with fertility making them difficult to reproduce.
- A more agressive breed will make it harder to keep a selection of roosters over the winter if they are constantly fighting amongst themselves.
- Breeds with large combs need good winter facilities on the prairies to keep them feeling good and looking good.
etc...

Keeping several different breeds will make it necessary to build more enclosures and if you are hoping to make a profit, this will sure cut into your profit margin...unless you are handy yourself and can get a hold of bulding materials at a good price.
Speaking of making a profit, Our barn needed pretty extensive improvements to make it into a suitable breeding barn with spacious pens and outdoor runs. I know that selling chickens is never going to pay for the labor or materials that went into that project. But then I was never expecting to recoupe those expenses. This is first and foremost my hobby and I really love it and don't mind working off the farm to help support it.
I do hope to sell enough chicks and breeding stock to cover operating costs, though. I'll keep better records this year of what I spend on breeding stock and feed and I do hope to come out ahead.

I am looking at the ducks and geese being more of my hobby for now, and the chickens and turkeys being ones that I will hatch and sell more of. I already have the two pens for my turkeys (or at least the majority, just need to put the divider in), and they will be suppliers for me first and then any extras will be sold, so again, more of a hobby style. I have 5 pens for the chickens, one of which is my layer pen, which leaves me with 4 other pens for chickens. I am really leaning towards the australorps as I have some beautiful birds that I ordered hatching eggs from last spring and hatched them out. I just have not decided on a second or third breed at the most. I am really looking towards a chicken that will be on the larger size so I can hatch some of my own for butchering also. For the first few years I will end up keeping one pen for broilers as hubby wants some of them also.
The silkies will also go in with my layers, so they will not take up an extra pen as the layers will not have a roo with them (leghorn-hatchery stock)

If you are thinking of a breed to have for breeding, laying and butchering I would suggest having a look at the Chanteclers. Mine lay well throught he winter and the males have been very good eating. Not as much breast as the broilers and they grow slower, but I am growing cockerels for breeding anyways. I am happy to eat the ones I don't keep for the breeding pen.
They are kind of a Jack of all Trades and Master of none.
I found the whites last year grew bigger than the partridge, but they took longer and were not as stocky when done (the ones I had anyways). The partridge matured a little quicker and were a bit thicker and shorter than the whites. Both had great flavour and texture, again, different than the broilers.
I really like how they cope with the cold too. No insulated coop or heaters here. Just dry and no drafts. They are outside everyday unless it is really windy and then they hang out in the coop a little more.
I have decided to stay away from anything with a comb, I do like the dark layers and do have one pullet and may get another for the layer pen, but I just do not like frostbite and I know it would happen to the poor boys here.

I just wanted to add I really like the Australorp as well. They are a great breed and I have had them before, they just don't work here for me.

I too like the Australorp!!! They are one of my favourite breeds!
I don't care what Sue says or is going to say about them!!!

I would not breed more then one large fowl. My rule of thumb is one Large Fowl breed and tops two bantam breeds.

You need to pick a breed that appels to you and you alone! Don't buy a breed because you think it might sell good.

call ducks wrote:I would not breed more then one large fowl. My rule of thumb is one Large Fowl breed and tops two bantam breeds.

You need to pick a breed that appels to you and you alone! Don't buy a breed because you think it might sell good.

Good call, Call Ducks

I agree - if you choose one you like I think you will be able to sell it better. One of the secret of great salespeople - truly believe in your product.

I have two breeds, White Chantecler and Buckeye and agree with Coopslave - winter laying and no combs is the way to go for me. The neighbours who have some sort of commercial layers are blown away at the volume of eggs I'm getting already, and have been ramping up ever since the days started growing longer.

The one other thing I like about both these breeds is that the roosters are really mellow.

That's not to say I'm not constantly tempted by other breeds, but I'm trying to be disciplined. I find it helps me develop an eye for the breed if I only have two breeds I tend to notice differences in individuals within the breed more.

I had bantiies this past summer of breeding age and could not sell chicks or the older birds for more than $5.00 a piece for birds that were 3-4 months old. I decided to not continue with bantiies except silkies and then only because I love my silkies. I am planning on going with the australorps and I am thinking maybe the Marans as I really like the dark eggs. Will keep considering what everyone has said

Also as a side note, i don't see how "breeders" can "Specialize in" like 7+ breeds

dictonary.com says this is the Deffination of Specialize: to pursue some special line of study, work, etc.; have a specialty: The doctor specializes in gastroenterology.

So i see how some one could specialize in up to 3 breeds because that's a low number. And that's what i do. But i only keep one breed of large fowl and two of bantams (right now only one bantam but adding another this summer) But you would have to be a master breeder to "Specialize" in any more breeds then three

call ducks wrote:Also as a side note, i don't see how "breeders" can "Specialize in" like 7+ breeds

They mostly don't, they just hobby around or try to make a buck or two by selling eggs and chicks, far from specializing that's for sure. It is easy to get caught up with many breeds tough. They are all addictive. There is plenty of breeds to choose from at different producer, but if you want quality rather then straight good luck shots, you will have to do some careful research. The best breeders are most often not "stores" and will only part with some of their works if they have confidence in and like the breeder who is interested.

Piet

From my own experience (and some people I know);

Silkies are popular for 4H projects. Need to hatch early for that market.

When I stopped keeping Leghorns, I could barely give them away. Not much in demand around here.

Likewise, I find demand for Cochins to be lower than I would expect or, possibly, there is just a lot of them around so I don't encounter people looking for them around here.

As I said before, the Ameraucanas are sought after by people looking to add to their backyard flocks. The Maran and Australorp are good choices too (I would actually like to get back into Australorps myself).

I have had my silkies for a few years and when I wanted to get a pure bred large fowl I went to sees which were on the not common to try to help with ther population. I love my Orpingtons. I was given 9 chicks last year and they were raised in my basement so they are super tame. I grew up with Barred rock we would go out to my aunts moms in the fall and the flock would be processed to put in the freezer. THe PEnedesencas well I had a a trio of bantam cochins that were just plain mean and I traded them for the big birds. Which by the way are very freindly. I had hoped to get a few differetn large breeds tosupply us with eggs and concentrate on the the orpingtons and rocks to show. I have buffs but love the color blue. I have Blue american rabbits blue rex and mini rex and would like to have blue orpintons of anyone will sell me chicks or eggs. I have studied the APA standard of perfection and I know my birds need improvement and I have already made contacts to try to get better stock. Our chicken club has an annual chicken and critter sale and bout 3 years ago someone brought a beautiful beautiful orpington rooster He was huge a such a color Thats when I decided to have them as my man breed. The rosecomb well hes BLUE! lololol

As many of you have realized by now I can't type worth chicken poo
I meant to say main breed not man breed.
I might add that no matter what breed you have you should do your best to have the best of that breed. I guess I have been breeding and showing dogs for too long.
Geri

[ I know that selling chickens is never going to pay for the labor or materials that went into that project. [/quote]

Another way to make something off your chickens is to let raw feeding dog breeders and let them know you have culls for sale. I have people waiting for birds and rabbits but I don't have enough as I feed raw to my dogs. Chickens are easy, dispatch the bird and put into the freezer whole feathers and all. No work involved cleaning wise anyway . When I feed them I take feathers and skin off and feed whole. They can be any age or size.

KathyS wrote:
- First and foremost, it has to be a breed that appeals to you.

^ Lots of great advice here, but I really think this is key. If you have a passion for the breed you’re investing in, it will shine through and people will notice. It’s a lot harder to sell something you don’t believe in, be it birds or vacuum cleaners.

Best of luck with whatever breeds you choose!

The question you must answer in your own mind is - Who I'm I selling mail order stock or exhibition stock. Big big difference. I won't comment on mail order stock because you can fine those type of birds any place. Exhibition stock birds from breeders is a different story all together. As an Exhibitor/Breeder myself I will not sell chicks or eggs. I will only sell mature stock after I have culled out all the undesired ones that don't meet my standard. To be able to sell good exhibition stock birds takes along time to establish yourself as a breeder or good exhibitor. Selling exhibition stock birds is not a money maker because you sell or keep maybe 1 out of every 25 to 30 you hatch.

Mail order bird or hatchery stock is different as I mentioned. Sell eggs, chicks or adult birds so you can make some money at it but people who buys these birds don't really know the quality they get. This is why 99% of the time these type of birds never win at shows. If you are not interested in showing then mail order stock is fine. Each to their own. You need to establish what type of stock you are going to sell.

Good post Rico!!
I have yet to make my million dollars but I think my birds have cost me thousands of dollars to feed and show but it's a hobby and I love it and it keeps me out of trouble.

Heather

Sebas49 wrote:The question you must answer in your own mind is - Who I'm I selling mail order stock or exhibition stock. Big big difference. I won't comment on mail order stock because you can fine those type of birds any place. Exhibition stock birds from breeders is a different story all together. As an Exhibitor/Breeder myself I will not sell chicks or eggs. I will only sell mature stock after I have culled out all the undesired ones that don't meet my standard. To be able to sell good exhibition stock birds takes along time to establish yourself as a breeder or good exhibitor. Selling exhibition stock birds is not a money maker because you sell or keep maybe 1 out of every 25 to 30 you hatch.

Mail order bird or hatchery stock is different as I mentioned. Sell eggs, chicks or adult birds so you can make some money at it but people who buys these birds don't really know the quality they get. This is why 99% of the time these type of birds never win at shows. If you are not interested in showing then mail order stock is fine. Each to their own. You need to establish what type of stock you are going to sell.

As an exhibitor of dogs for over 20 years I agree that you have to have good stock in order to show. The only problem is finding someone who will sell you that good show stock. I know what wrong with my birds. Thats why I am trying to get good show stock.
geri