Selling Poultry for Profit

Poultry and chickens can be a great source of income for your agricultural business. They can be quick money makers and help your bottom line. They are also characters and fun to have around. Here are a few ideas where you can add poultry to your business.

Selling broilers:
Selling broilers is a quick way of making money with poultry. They can take as little as 8 weeks to be ready. Check in your area for your butchering laws. If you do it yourself you can keep your costs low. You can provide your local area with a CSA or sell to local markets. Work on having these connections before you even buy the chicks.

Selling stewing hens:
After a hen has stopped laying you might choose to sell them as a stew hen. You can either sell them live or butcher them if that is allowed in your area. 

Selling layers, pullets and day old chicks:
Some people do not want to bother with raising the chickens till they lay eggs. You can do the work for them and charge a little extra at the same time.

Selling table eggs:  
A large amount of people eat eggs everyday. They are a great source of protein. They are also a great source of income. Sell your eggs locally in numerous ways and always keep them coming back. Try providing a CSA as well for this.

Selling eggs this way is a numbers game; 1 chicken, (roughly) 1 egg a day. Keep them healthy and with 14 hours of light to keep them laying through the year.

Selling breeding eggs:
Selling breeding eggs to other poultry enthusiasts or helping other farmers introduce new genetics into their flocks is a great way to make a profit. Keeping 1 + flocks each with about 12 hens and 1 rooster will keep this flock going and manageable at the same time. You can sell these eggs locally as well as on Craigslist and Ebay.

Other types of poultry can bring a profit if they are not commonly sold in your area. For instance; fancy chicken breeds, quail, ducks, turkeys, guinea fowl, and peacocks

Other forms of income:
A few other ways to turn a profit with poultry might be selling well aged compost to local nurseries and gardeners, feathers for crafters and selling bone broth locally.

There are many ways to grow your agricultural business with poultry. Start small and grow your way up as you make a name for yourself. Always remember that marketing your product is just as important a component as growing the product your selling. 

Best of luck with you poultry venture!