Hens or chicks?

What are people asking for this year from you?

I have had only one person that wanted any chicks. Yet I get calls a few times a week from people (without advertising ANYTHING) looking for ready to lay hens. They just say that they heard I had chickens. How it is this year so far for every one else? Is April normally when people are wanting older birds? For me it is normally May.

I get calls all the time, all year round wanting ready to lay AT chick prices!

It is labor intensive and costly to bring fertile eggs to point of lay, people looking for point of lay hens know this. Unfortunately chickens tend to be thought of a valueless, thanks to the commercial industry. I guess you must look at from your own aspirations. If you are working toward a show bird, or quality heritage stock, then cost is less important than the end product and it is nice to let your unwanted hens go to someone who may give them a good life as layers. Quality birds rarely get sold for what they are worth, but as a hobbyist you hope that they get good homes and live happy lives.
Thats my take on it.

I was just curious what people were getting calls about. I have not previously gotten as many calls for ready to lay this time of year as I have before.

On a personal note, the cost isnt that bad for me. I raise my own feed and do my own mix. Everything I sell, I am honest with people and tell them they are my culls. I have set prices according to age. For me it isnt an issue if people buy them or not. I know that sounds stuck up, but it really isnt. See, in the fall, who ever is not being kept for breeding stock, I send off to be processed and I sell them afterward. I have never been able to produce more then what people want to eat, so I have an end outlet.

It was pure curiosity. I just guess I am surprised because I have not advertised anything and I have people calling.

I've had both kinds of calls this spring. Mostly for chickens but I have had a few requests for laying birds. The last gal that wanted laying birds ended up buying some of my January hatch as I do not have any layers for sale.

Mostly I find people are wanting point of lay hens, or well started female chicks. I have had a few calls from urban chicken keepers who can only have hens. I don't mind so much letting the females go in the heavy breeds, as I have a use for the roosters. But it makes it difficult being left with all the males in a breed that is less suited for meat. I guess I will be experimenting with butchering some cochin roos this year. Even if they are mostly all bone, maybe they will be suitable for the soup pot.

I sold some chickens, but most people ask me for hens at point of lay as well.
I just don't have those always, so they often will take chickens home

People need to be charging more for point of lay pullets in heritage breeds. Nobody wants the cockerels, well not many people anyways, and this makes it cost twice as much to raise the pullets. If they want only females they must pay for them I think.
I believe they are far to cheap in this country, far to cheap. If you have a good quality, healthy female that is a good representative of the breed, they are worth more than the stupid commercial hybrids. Just my opinion of course, but purchasers have to educated about the value of them over the straight layers.

coopslave wrote:People need to be charging more for point of lay pullets in heritage breeds. Nobody wants the cockerels, well not many people anyways, and this makes it cost twice as much to raise the pullets. If they want only females they must pay for them I think.
I believe they are far to cheap in this country, far to cheap. If you have a good quality, healthy female that is a good representative of the breed, they are worth more than the stupid commercial hybrids. Just my opinion of course, but purchasers have to educated about the value of them over the straight layers.

I agree Coopslave. If people are wanting females only, the price for them should (at least partially) include the cost of raising the males too.

I have probably received an equal number of requests for pullets/hens as I have for chicks. Many people don't want to deal with either the brooding stage or the roosters.

I charge $25 for laying heritage pullets - young sexed birds with lots of years of laying in them.

ChicoryFarm wrote:I have probably received an equal number of requests for pullets/hens as I have for chicks. Many people don't want to deal with either the brooding stage or the roosters.

I charge $25 for laying heritage pullets - young sexed birds with lots of years of laying in them.

I know that it might be difficult to get much more but it would cost you much more than that to raise two chicks (one female and one male) to point of lay. Especially if you are buying bagged feed. Personally I think that the only way that people will appreciate the value of a Point of lay heritage pullet is if they have to raise and feed some pullets and cockerels to the age of Point of Lay.

I don't know about chicks, but the prices for livestock in general throughout Alberta oseems to be up from last year...and there is very little to be had!

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I know that it might be difficult to get much more but it would cost you much more than that to raise two chicks (one female and one male) to point of lay. Especially if you are buying bagged feed. Personally I think that the only way that people will appreciate the value of a Point of lay heritage pullet is if they have to raise and feed some pullets and cockerels to the age of Point of Lay. [/quote]

For $25 I don't for a second think I'm making money or getting what they cost me. It's just that the 'average' chicken buyer won't pay more and I only sell them at that age because of downsizing or keeping my best, not because I am responding to any requests to grow them out for them.

I have started telling these people who are responding to my fertile egg adds wanting laying hens that it is so much time, energy, and money to get chicks to this point that I wouldn't part with any my hens for less than $150 each! (tongue in cheek of course, but I am trying to make a point) Basically, they are not for sale! Raise your own!
I would appreciate it if every other poultry enthusiast would insist that these heritage poults are worth something. This isnt McDonalds, nor is it land of the cheap easy food either. If I were to sell point of lay hens, I would ask 25-30$ each, no less.

I have found people want females period. If you can sex them out early then they will take them young, but anything unsexable is not selling well for me as mid aged chicks.
Now chicks are selling well, I book and incubate as required, so I am not left holding a bunch of chicks waiting for people to buy them as females.
I did an early hatch this year, sexed out the females, took them to this sale with a few roosters as well and 90% sold were just pullets. I sold 3 pairs I think in the young chicks (8 week olds).
As for pricing I charge the females out at double the price. So I charge day old price, plus the cost of a day old rooster, and then brooding fee. So right now my 8 week old pullets are $20 for most breeds. So going on this schedule they would be $32 at 20 weeks, which is about right. Of course the rare breeds I do charge more for as day olds so POL pricing will reflect that.