subject: How To Raise Chickens Profitably [print this page] If you are a small property owner, learning how to raise chickens can be a profitable sideline business. Chickens are the perfect livestock animal for your small farm, or micro farm, or even a big back yard. It's possible to make a 60 to 70 percent profit on your meat birds, if you do it right. Here are some tips and tricks to raising chickens to make money.
How to raise chickens profitably tip 1: Select the right breed
One of the keys to raising chickens is to select the right breed to raise. If you are raising chickens for the freezer (i.e. fryers or roasters), don't use the so-called dual-purpose birds or alternate meat birds. They grow more slowly and rarely get as large as actual meat-type birds. Order the meat chick recommended by your hatchery or feed store, usually a rock-Cornish cross. These birds will efficiently convert feed, and quickly grow to a marketable size.
How to raise chickens profitably tip 2: Select the right feed
The demand for fresh, local, and organic food is growing steadily. Consumers are increasingly concerned about what's in the food they eat. And they are willing to pay more for clean, healthy foods. This means that free-range organic chicken is a premium product. The profit margins on organic food items are typically higher than for conventional foods. It makes sense to raise your meats chickens on organic grain and pasture, and claim a higher price for your birds. This is especially important for the small producer, where you have to take every advantage over industrial agri-business. Keep your little birds on organic chick starter feed for the first 5 weeks, then switch to organic chicken grower. Don't fight it out at the bottom of the market, go after the top. Raise a healthier chicken, get a healthier paycheck.
How to raise chickens profitably tip 3: Keep them sheltered and safe
Every bird you lose takes away from your profit. Here's how to raise chickens to minimize losses. First, you have to keep your baby chicks in a warm, predator-proof enclosure, such as a broody box. The little birds will need supplementary heat in cool weather. They will be fully feathered at about 3 weeks of age, and won't require additional heat. Second, don't overfeed the birds. Twice a day feeding will keep the birds growing steadily, without gaining weight faster than their systems can handle. Third, make sure they always have fresh water, especially in hot weather. This means you should visit your birds more than twice a day. And finally, protect the chickens once they go out on pasture. Provide them with a coop for night-time shelter, and use portable electric fence around the coop to deter predators.
How to raise chickens profitably tip 4: Keep good records.
Like any business, when you are learning how to raise chickens you need to keep track of your expenses to ensure you are actually making a profit. Typical expenses will include the cost of buying the day-old chicks, feeders and waterers, organic chicken feed, the cost for housing, and the fees at the abattoir to process your chickens. Once you have figured out your total expenses, you can price your chicken to make a profit. You can potentially make a profit of 60 to 70 percent on each batch of meat birds you raise, but the only way to verify this is with good record keeping.
If you follow these tips on how to raise chickens profitably, you can create a nice second income on your small farm or rural property, and have some great chicken dinners for yourself for free.
