Flea Market chicken sales

treasureacres · #1 07/11/10, 07:29 PM

This weekend I loaded up around 60 pullets that are just beginning to lay ( or very close to it) and hauled them to the sale. This is normally a very good market for me, but no one was buying this weekend. I sold the one goat I took the first ten minutes I was there, but no bites at all on $6 pullets (white wyandottes, white rock, buff orpington, and buff rocks). I lowered to $5 about half way through but still no bites. Last month they sold for $7 or $8 but I only had about 25 birds ready. I decided I had waisted enough of my day so I loaded everything up in the trailer and I was just ready to pull out when an older gentleman asked what I would take for the birds. He suggested $3 per bird, but I said no. He then offered $4, and I said only if he takes them ALL. He did so the day was not a total waist. I figure at least I don't have to feed them anymore so I would be money ahead in the long run. I still have about 120 pullets and we will be knee deep in eggs soon, so I hope the egg market is better than the bird market!

mekasmom · #2 07/11/10, 07:36 PM

I'm in Illnois, and it's common for pullets to sell for $3-$4 here at the salebarn. I did pay $7 each for a beautiful trio of Auracana hens once, but they were already laying. Depending upon how old your pullets were, it was a reasonable price, at least in this area. If they were very young, it was a good price.

Helena · #3 07/11/10, 07:36 PM

I usually incubate and hatch a few dozen chicks a year. I find that I sell better when I put an ad up at the local stores such as Agway. One year I was at the local animal auction and they were selling baby chicks at $4 each. The next week I "ran" back with my chicks and they sold through the auction at....40 cents each !!!

..So you never know which way the sales will go. Hopefully, you will do better with the next chicks. Good LUck !!

treasureacres · #4 07/11/10, 07:52 PM

They were just starting to lay, about 5 months old. I wasn't that disappointed, just surprised how much they dropped since last month. The month before I sold 25 for $7 or $8 dollars a piece, in less than one hour. I did take advantage of others lowering their prices as well and bought 13 chocolate muscovies for $2 each that are about half grown.

Beeman · #5 07/11/10, 09:33 PM

That's giving them away. I have more then that in my small flock and they're not laying yet, close but not there.

tnokie · #6 07/11/10, 10:00 PM

Like an old friend of mine used to say to me"Yeah,but your still in the business". Which meant that although I didn't make as good as I wanted I was still able to make a deal and that was whats important! Congrats on a good sale day!

mekasmom · #7 07/12/10, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by treasureacres

I did take advantage of others lowering their prices as well and bought 13 chocolate muscovies for $2 each that are about half grown.

I have seen full grown muscovies selling for fifty cents to a dollar a piece at times. There is some new law that is scaring people into selling them. I don't know the details. Apparently they feel the gov is going to confiscate them, so they are all selling out as fast as they can?

Patt · #8 07/12/10, 12:33 PM

That's crazy! You can't raise them to pullet size for that price. I don't sell mine anymore I either sell eggs or put them in the freezer. You can sell a free range hen frozen for $14 around here.

menollyrj · #9 07/12/10, 12:47 PM

I've found that as the summer progresses, the price on poultry drops. I can get $10 for a laying hen in March, but come August, I'm lucky to get $6. I think springtime brings out the desire for yard birds...FWIW.

treasureacres · #10 07/12/10, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mekasmom

I have seen full grown muscovies selling for fifty cents to a dollar a piece at times. There is some new law that is scaring people into selling them. I don't know the details. Apparently they feel the gov is going to confiscate them, so they are all selling out as fast as they can?

There have been some problems with "rogue" muscovies breeding so much and causing problems in conservation areas. The guy that I bought mine from just didn't want to feed them anymore as he still had many at home. Around here they will usually sell for $8 -$10 full grown. Many ethnic groups enjoy them and provide a steady market.

Navotifarm · #11 07/12/10, 01:20 PM

Wow! I paid $7 apiece for ten cuckoo marans that were only about a month old and more than you sold your pullets for when I ordered silver spangled hamburgs from a fancy breeder. I don't see how you could have FED your pullets to that size for the price you got, let alone got a return on your initial investment.

There are some sale and swap small animal sales around where I live, out in tractor supply parking lots but somehow I end up going to the wrong dealership on the right day or vice-versa so I've never been to one.

What happened to all the avian flu restrictions? I know many poultry shows were cancelled in Virginia. Was it summer before last?

Pony · #12 07/12/10, 01:31 PM

'Round here, layers generally go for about $4 each. They move fast at that price, for sure. Maybe that's why the sellers set the price so low? <shrug>

treasureacres · #13 07/12/10, 01:40 PM

My break even point is around $3 to $3.50 at this age due to a very cheap feed source, and I hatch most of my own chicks. I didn't make much but mostly I just wanted to reduce my flock as my "cheap feed" is starting to run out, and soon I will be buying things at full price again. I am also organizing breeding pens for future hatches and the ones I sold didn't fit into those plans. I still have well over 100 hens so I will still have plenty of eggs to sell and eat. I am trying to plan things for next year to have more pullets ready for March and April sales where they bring a premium price. Roosters will free range for a few more months and I will sell them to Asian and Mexican population in our area.

Patt · #14 07/12/10, 01:51 PM

Sounds like you have a good system worked out there.

If you are hatching your own that makes a huge difference in price. We hope to start incubating on a larger scale next year.

Do you sell your roosters live or butchered?

treasureacres · #15 07/12/10, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patt

Sounds like you have a good system worked out there.

If you are hatching your own that makes a huge difference in price. We hope to start incubating on a larger scale next year.

Do you sell your roosters live or butchered?

We sell them live

danielsumner · #16 07/12/10, 02:03 PM

I'm shocked at the low prices. I don't live on the Ga farm full time yet, so no livestock. I do however go to the livestock auctions/markets every time I'm there. Last month, point of lay pullets were going for $12 and up for the purebreeds. I've seen them a times starting at $15 and up. They sell roosters for $8 to 20. When I'm ready to stock my barnyard, I want to go to you're neck of the woods.

Daniel

treasureacres · #17 07/12/10, 02:09 PM

These were all pure breds, and very nice looking birds as well. Many other people there didn't sell any the whole day and they had some nice looking birds as well. One reason may be that I am only about 8 miles from McMurray Hatchery and their growers have been selling off all of their hens due to hatch season is over.

Maura · #18 07/12/10, 02:18 PM

Timing is everything. People who want a flock generally have already bought their birds. I lost many of my chicks, bad year for me and chicks, so I bought a few hens at the market. Paid $6 a piece for them three weeks ago. They aren't laying yet, at least not where I can find them.

Patt · #19 07/12/10, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by treasureacres

We sell them live

Do you get a better price for them?

treasureacres · #20 07/12/10, 04:28 PM

The price is pretty consistant $7 to $8. The deal is that I don't feed them much once we let them out to free range so that helps keep cost down, and these are usually unwanted chicks because I mostly want pullets. I have found that the market I sell to don't care for the bloated huge "commercial" chickens, just a good, healthy, normal chicken with average meat on it. Dark feather birds do sell better as well.