Breeding- what sells best?

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Going to get myself an incubator and next year breed some chickens as I am always getting asked to sell some!

So what would be best to breed? what would most people be looking for in their back gardens for a few eggs?

Out of these... which is what I already have....

Light Sussex - one cockerel 8 hens
RIR's - One Cockerel 13 hens
Copper Blacks - one cockerel 27 hens
Brown Leghorns - one cockerel 9 hens

Have various other breeds but no cockerels and have enough of them already :)

Also what is the best ratio of Cockerel to how many hens?

Thanks in advance :D
 
1 cock and 6 hens max, and all of them breeds will sell ok. You must have a bloody big garden! :-)07
 
First question you need to ask yourself is are they good examples of the breed, because if they are not you will end up trying to sell substandard birds in an already flooded market of rubbish birds pertaining to be good quality.

Quality always sells faster and better prices than rubbish.

Once you have got a reputation for selling good stock people will come to you.

Every poultry sale you go to is full of pens of birds not fit to carry the name of the breed they represent. Breeds that the originators worked for years to produce.
 
mightymohan said:
1 cock and 6 hens max, and all of them breeds will sell ok. You must have a bloody big garden! :-)07
Click to expand...

More a field than a Garden, its a 1/2 acre :D
 
Castle Farm said:
Quality always sells faster and better prices than rubbish.

Once you have got a reputation for selling good stock people will come to you.
Click to expand...

Totally agree, I have selected some that I want to breed and there are some that are strictly egg layers, I have went through the same myself, getting birds that don't really resemble the breed.

My Brown leghorns are beauts! as are the light sussex, some of my RIR's I wouldn't breed although a few are amazing. Still looking for the right cockerel for my RIR's as the one I have just doesn't cut the mustard :)
 
Your Brown Leghorns will sell without doubt and the LS if they are good examples. Both these breeds are stalwarts of poultry keeping and will always be held in high esteam.

I didn't breed from my French Marans this season and have bred a dozen replacement pullets in my Exchequer flock if they pass the selection test.

Just going through some of this years birds myself and making some space in the freezers for surplus cockerels.
 
The Brown Leghorns and LS would be my favourite so I think I will start with them! I'll get a few photos and stick them on here.
 
All the above are popular breeds, although they take a long time to sex, you also will have to get used to culling the cockerels as most people only want pullets.
The better the quality the better they will sell. I had a gentleman that came all the way up from Cardiff to myself in Chester at the weekend for 2 light sussex pullets. Get the best birds that you can afford, correct markings, type and size is very important.
Good luck with your venture

Sue
 
I take on board everything everyone is saying - but some of your 'future customers' will probably be novice / backgarden keepers so I would also think about the RIR X LS cross to get sexed hybrid layers at day old.

Overall, they would be cheaper to produce, cheaper to sell and should be very fit and healthy birds.

To be really good at this, you could keep some hens for a year and record their egg numbers so you know how well your strain performs against other commercial hybrids.
 
I think Tim makes some very valid points. I di not get into poultry to start selling them, however, i have been approached by quite a few people in the short time I have had them. I have been asked if I would part a few of my stock on many ooccassions.

There are thousands of people out there who are looking at getting into keeping a few hens. The majority of them do not give two hoots for the breed or anything else, other than, "Do they lay eggs"? and "How many"?

I dont doubt there is the many purists out there also who look for the best of the best and will pay good money for them. But I honestly believe they are far outnumbered by the amount of everyday folk who are looking for a pastime that supplies eggs at little cost (at little cost!, thats a laugh, Lol).

Anyway, I believe there are all sorts of customers out there for all qualities of hens, I suppose you have to look for the niche in the market that best suits your own flock and your own pockets and take it from there.

Cheers

steve
 
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