# Making a living?



## Apopkacluckers (Apr 15, 2013)

I'm just curious if anyone out there is actually making a living from chickens? 

Selling birds? Chicks? Eggs for hatching or eating? 

My 80+ chickens are a hobby for me but I haven't tried to sell anything including our blue ribbon show birds. 

Trying to get the math to work but not seeing a way right now 


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## hellofromtexas (Feb 16, 2014)

With plain eggs, You only make back enough to pay the feed. 

With fertile eggs and straight run, you may make a little. but the in and out of cost don't make it very profitable.


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## Olof (Jun 16, 2013)

Depending on breed and quality you could make enough to pay for costs and some fun money. But living? You would need a good working website and good advertising.


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## piglett (Jun 21, 2012)

Olof said:


> Depending on breed and quality you could make enough to pay for costs and some fun money. But living? You would need a good working website and good advertising.


no REAL money in eggs unless you have thousands of birds & sell to retail stores.

i can sell a dozen eggs for $3 or i can uncubate them for 21 days

& get $36 for a dozen straight run chicks

or i can wait 8 weeks till i can sex them

sell the 6 pullets for $8 each (should be a 50/50 split males/females)

that leaves me with 6 cockerels that i can put on pasture if it's the rite season.

they can bring $15 or more once they are filled up but you better have a large pasture.

i also know a lady on another forum who only sells rare breed chickens

they eat the same amount of feed as a chicken that sells for almost nothing

but they bring in a whole lot more money

she was a dog breeder for years & she is a sharp lady

she makes enough to stay at home & only her husband has to work

is she getting rich, nope

but is she making money, well yes she is

having said all of that

making money from chickens has up front costs

i already have 2 buildings full of birds & i'm needing to add more

at the moment i also have muscovy ducks & bronze turkeys

along with 4 breeds of birds

it's not for everyone but yes with the rite setup you can make money with fowl


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## Jim (Sep 26, 2012)

I make enough to support my hobby. We sell eggs at $5 a dozen, and that just covers feed. We also retail the feed we buy, but we sell for low mark-up, and it mainly covers my gas that is used to pick up the feed, (I sell it about $8 less than the other stores around), and we have found the same as piglet when it comes to chicks and hatching eggs. Although all that money goes back into new brooder boxes and improved grow out pens, at least it covers part of my cost. Can I make a living, nope, but as long as it is fun, I will keep at it. Plus, all the great people I have met. 


Jim


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## piglett (Jun 21, 2012)

Jim said:


> I make enough to support my hobby. We sell eggs at $5 a dozen, and that just covers feed. We also retail the feed we buy, but we sell for low mark-up, and it mainly covers my gas that is used to pick up the feed, (I sell it about $8 less than the other stores around), and we have found the same as piglet when it comes to chicks and hatching eggs. Although all that money goes back into new brooder boxes and improved grow out pens, at least it covers part of my cost. Can I make a living, nope, but as long as it is fun, I will keep at it. Plus, all the great people I have met.
> 
> Jim


oh also the up side for me is that my freezer stays full


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## Fiere (Feb 26, 2014)

I sell my eggs and that helps cover feed. Every so often I'll part with a meat bird but that really isn't profit for the very rare one I sell. I can sell chicks from my breedings for 5-10$ a chick, or keep them till they're sexable and sell for 15-25$ a pullet. Maybe get 10$ a rooster (any excess roos I get are done in here for my dogs).

I would have to be way more industrialized before any profit is being made on my birds. The money I get from them right now just helps offset costs of current keeping. As a hobby farmer, that's really all I strive for is to offset costs. My business (farm related but not poultry related) is slowly starting to offset my animal keeping costs to the point where I can cover about 2/3 of my animal feed. As it grows I will be able to break even, then start making profit. It's not an easy road. A lot of it depends on where you live as the market differs in each area. Rare breed poultry is not something a lot of folks look for here, so my stock doesn't fetch high prices and I can't hatch out huge numbers.


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## matt_kas (Mar 11, 2013)

My uncle used to be a farmer, he told me that my 50 chickens won't make a profit he said once I get 50,000 in a huge chicken house that is one of the only times to make a good profit from them 

( not trying to be negative, I'm just saying what he said)


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## hellofromtexas (Feb 16, 2014)

matt_kas said:


> My uncle used to be a farmer, he told me that my 50 chickens won't make a profit he said once I get 50,000 in a huge chicken house that is one of the only times to make a good profit from them
> 
> ( not trying to be negative, I'm just saying what he said)
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Chicken Forum


If you build a a chicken house and go to a huge chicken company, you will be in debt forever. They always want upgrades and you won't any say in any matter (chicken treatment, conditions, etc) because they will hold a contract over your head.

There is just little to no money in chickens. Most of the ways mentioned barely cover the cost of feed.


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## Jim (Sep 26, 2012)

I think that is why most of us are in it for the fun of chickens, the fresh eggs and meat, and being able to supply a small community of like minded people with fresh eggs. We also enjoy the people we meet along the way. I say, the day it is no longer fun, I will quit. 


Jim


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## kirsten4chickens (Nov 26, 2013)

Agree, I just love taking care of chickens because I enjoy their company. Sometimes it occurs to me if I can make money taking care of them, but I guess I wouldn't like to cramp a bunch of chickens just to maximize profits. I'd like to keep my chicken rearing as enjoyable as possible, I guess it will just remain a hobby for a while.


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## nj2wv (Aug 27, 2013)

I break even with feed only. It is an enjoyable hobby raising chickens and selling eggs but no money in it. If I get more chickens for more eggs then there is more feed so I would still break even lol. 


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