JB
|
How much for a chicken?Just looking through the local ads for poultry, specifically for light sussex. There's an ad there for a pair, cock and hen, £65 the pair  (the ad does then say "which is a very reasonable price" which immediately to me suggests that the advertiser is aware the price is ludicrous) . How much would you reckon to pay for poultry?
|
Bebo
|
Bought a LS cockerel and two hens for 35 quid last autumn
|
JB
|
| Bebo wrote: | | Bought a LS cockerel and two hens for 35 quid last autumn |
That's more like it. You're fairly near to me, where did you get your LS?
|
Bebo
|
It was at a show at Ardingly showground. Not sure where to get any this time of year, but if you want them in a few months I'll be putting some eggs in the incubator in a week or so.
|
alice
|
Crumbs! I've never bought one. I usually get given them. Hens are very promiscuous up here - I think it's how they keep warm 
|
Tavascarow
|
About £15.00 for a pullet £20.00 a pair plus commision.
Best price at a poultry auction last month was £30.00 a bird for three buff orpington pullets.
|
boisdevie1
|
Much cheaper in France I think. A point of lay hen is about 10 euros. I find it much cheaper to buy day olds and grow them on. 65 quid for a pair - bloody hell. Then again, some people seem to have lots of money - look at the price of the Eglu!
|
leggy
|
pol light sussex are £15 each here just down the road from me,but everyone else in gloucestershire is charging £20-£30
|
Chez
|
About a pound a week in age, up to point of lay, give or take, is my rule of thumb - but depends on whether they're 'show' stock. Make sure you get a utility strain rather than a laying strain.
You could have a look at the buy-sell sections on both the Practical Poultry and The Poultry Garden forums, too.
|
JB
|
| Bebo wrote: | | It was at a show at Ardingly showground. Not sure where to get any this time of year, but if you want them in a few months I'll be putting some eggs in the incubator in a week or so. |
Hence the searching the small ads, Ardingly's shows are month's away, Heathfield is the next big ag. show but even that's at the end of May. So I was looking to get set up before then.
edit - So how long does it take from hatching to POL and how much would you expect to charge? Do you sell as day olds, sexed, POL ... ? (would have PMed you but you don't seem to have that set up).
|
Chez
|
There tend to be fewer POL around at this time of year - people start hatching now for POL in the autumn. So I guess prices tend to be comparatively more expensive.
|
Tavascarow
|
| JB wrote: | | Bebo wrote: | | It was at a show at Ardingly showground. Not sure where to get any this time of year, but if you want them in a few months I'll be putting some eggs in the incubator in a week or so. |
Hence the searching the small ads, Ardingly's shows are month's away, Heathfield is the next big ag. show but even that's at the end of May. So I was looking to get set up before then. |
Check with your local auctioneers some hold regular sales or know of farm sales where poultry has been added to the catalogue from other sellers.
|
Bebo
|
| JB wrote: | | Bebo wrote: | | It was at a show at Ardingly showground. Not sure where to get any this time of year, but if you want them in a few months I'll be putting some eggs in the incubator in a week or so. |
Hence the searching the small ads, Ardingly's shows are month's away, Heathfield is the next big ag. show but even that's at the end of May. So I was looking to get set up before then.
edit - So how long does it take from hatching to POL and how much would you expect to charge? Do you sell as day olds, sexed, POL ... ? (would have PMed you but you don't seem to have that set up). |
This'll be the first time I've used the incubator. In theory 3 weeks to hatch and POL is about 19 weeks old (although can be longer). If you want some unsexed day olds in a few weeks time and are prepared to collect them you are welcome to a few for nowt (if you end up with cockerels that you don't want I'll take them back if you can't find a home for them). If you want them a bit older then I'm sure we can work out a reasonable price. The above is all on the premise that my LS cockerel isn't firing blanks (which I have no evidence of at the moment).
|
Nat S
|
I would pay GOOD money for a cockerel from a proven utility breeder if I needed one, as egg laying ability comes through the male line, and £30 for a POL pullet would suit me too, or maybe more, depends how good she was. There's a lot of time money and effort goes into breeding good poultry the same as any other kind of stock and I think quibbling on the price and trying to get something for nothing does nobody any good - one day you'll be on the receiving end of it.
If I was breeding for show obviously I'd pay high prices for good stock there aswell.
If they were any old hens for a pet flock I would NOT want to pay those prices though! under a tenner and cockerels free 
|
Chez
|
What Ixy said. And given that it costs about fifteen quid to raise a pullet to POL ...
|
Bebo
|
Maybe mine were cheaper as they were quite young (definitely not point of lay).
|
Bodrighy
|
I've sen poultry, ducks & chickens, on freserve down here occasionally. Rghough it is something I would like to do I know little about it at the moment so wasn'tt tempted. Also need to get landlady's permission. (See other thread  ) When we do be sure we'll be asking loads of questions including price
Pete
|
Castle Farm
|
Utility and Show birds are two very different creatures.
As with most things once the Exhibitor/Show breeders get hold of an animal it's days as a natural breed are over.
They have bred Dogs/Cats/Fish/Horses/Cattle/Sheep and everything else into what the e x p e r t s (notice I used that word loosely) think they should look like.
Now personally I would not buy eggs from a so called 'Exhibition breeder'.. as no self respecting breeder would sell his/her eggs to any Tom Dick or Henrietta that want them because they are likely to return with the youngsters and beat them in a show...and you wouldn't want that now would you.
Exhibition Stock has had any utility use bred out of it, sacrificed for shape/size and feather.
Unless you intend to show the resulting birds buy from a reliable utility breeder and stop chucking your hard earned money away on run of the mill farm yard fowl dressed up as show stock.
If you intend to show...Find a breeder at a SHOW..Look at his/her stock and ask advice on breeding to exhibit...even then, unless you know what your doing breeding a winner will be difficult.
|
