Help your Poultry Obsession Pay for Itself

Hello Happy Homesteaders and Poultry Producers alike! Whether you label yourself a chicken rancher, a turkey-tender, quail keeper, or any other moniker that might exist in the industry, your love of poultry can do more than just soothe your sensibilities and fill your freezer. Raising a flock of your own is an enjoyable and time-friendly hobby that can readily pay for itself and maybe add a little extra to your pocketbook in the process. Just be sure that you check your local regulations and laws before you make any official purchases or sales.

Purely Poultry has the selection, products, and knowledge to help get you on track for a little entrepreneur venture of your very own. Our best suggestions to help you cash in on your flock are below, listed by breed and product. Find the one(s) you’re interested in and give us a call to get moving on your capitalist venture today!!

Eggs: Our best egg layers will lay 5-6 eggs per week per bird. An order of 15 laying hens will garner up to 7 dozen eggs per week. Considering that the eggs sell for a couple of bucks per dozen in most any market, your feathered friends could pay for their expenses in eggs sales alone. If your egg production drops in the winter, supplying a supplemental light to “trick” your birds into believing that the daylight is still as long as it was in the summer will help your egg production.

Chickens: A 2017 PoultryWorld.net report states that Americans will eat nearly 92 pounds of chicken per person this year and this number is projected only to rise. Why not get in on this trend and raise farm-fresh meat birds? The landed cost of 100 Cornish Cross Broiler to your door would be approximately $150- $200 depending on the breed. Feed requirements for the lifetime of an eight-week-old meat bird (not free-range) are approximately 13.5 lbs per bird. Free ranged birds will eat considerably less. With feed costs averaging $15 per 50 lb bag (that price might vary a bit in your neighborhood) the average investment per bird at butcher weight is approximately $5.50 per bird. When was the last time you saw that price for organic or pastured chicken in your local market?

Turkey: With Thanksgiving being an excellent reason for Turkey Gobbling, I thought it important to include the pricing for our Broad-Breasted variety of Turkey, specifically, as this is most common around the family table for holidays in general. A Broad-breasted White or Bronze turkey will eat approximately 65 lbs of feed in the 16 weeks it takes you to get him to the perfect butcher weight of 23-32 lbs, which will be 18-25 lbs dressed weight. If feed in your area is priced similarly to mine at about $15 per 50lb bag, you could easily have a beautiful, plump, home-raised and chemical free turkey for approximately $27.50 per bird. Even if we didn’t include electricity for the brooder, and other incidentals, this price is still a steal when you consider what you’re getting at your local super-grocery store. The $1.28 per pound of a home-raised Turkey certainly rivals that of the supermarket at $1.39/lb, give or take.

Ducks, Geese, Quail, Pheasant, Guinea:
Many people opt to raise other types of poultry, and there definitely is a demand for these products as well. Bakeries will pay top dollar for duck eggs as they offer a higher protein content which helps the baker’s confections to be richer and tastier. Quail is a delicacy to behold, as are their eggs which make spectacular hors-d’oeuvre and salmonella-free raw egg consumption. Pheasant, both for release or “under glass” is another bounteous bird to keep and sell. Pheasant numbers are dwindling in the US, and these beautiful creatures would be a great seller in your neck of the woods. Guinea keets can be raised for meat production, companion birds to enhance the safety of your flock, or for pest control as they will kill and eat bugs, ticks, small snakes, and rodents on your homestead.

So, as you can see, there’s a great deal more that poultry can bring you besides simple enjoyment. Call us today to see how we can get your feathered friends freewheeling in no time.