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Starting A Chicken Farm Business on The Side

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Getting started in the poultry farm business can be very easy, but it takes a great deal of time and commitment. You have to be prepared to spend long hours working with your chickens, so planning ahead is essential. 

This article will assist you in learning more about everything involved with raising chickens so that it’s easier for you before getting started yourself.

What Will I Need To Raise Chickens? 

The first thing you’ll need is a suitable location that provides shelter for your chickens and their coop and run area that is fenced in securely with high enough fencing material that keeps predators out. You should also have fence posts already installed before getting started because the posts can be expensive. You can read more about chicken coops and raising chicken in-depth on Mr. Chicken Coop. 

The next thing you’ll need is feeders and waterers to provide your flock with fresh, clean water and food, which should either be bought or made yourself. You will also need a broody hen for hatching the eggs that your flock lays, although this does not have to be purchased right away since they are usually given away free by people who already own chickens.

How Much Money Do I Need To Get Started? 

The first thing you’ll want to do before getting started is sit down and calculate the costs involved with running your own farm business

This way, you can figure out exactly how much money it will take to start up, plus the amount of income you’ll earn each month, so that way, it’s easier for you to stick with your goals.

What Type Of Poultry Should I Raise? 

To make a good profit from raising chickens, you’ll need as large a flock as possible for the size of your farm business. A decent-sized flock would be around three hundred chickens, which is considered an excellent start-up size for anyone with little to no experience raising livestock.

Many different kinds of poultry can be raised, such as chickens, ducks, quail, and geese, just to name a few. The more common kinds of chicken breeds include Leghorns, Rhode Island Reds, Plymouth Rocks, and New Hampshire’s, just to mention a few of the most popular ones.

How Do I Pick My Customer Base? 

Deciding who your customers will be is just as important as knowing where you’ll get the money needed to start your poultry farm business.

When deciding who your ideal customer base will be, take into account what they want in their chickens so that way it’s easier for you to fill their needs instead of wasting time and money by raising something that no one wants. 

For example, some people out there only want their laying hens for egg production, while others may just raise broilers for meat.

How Do I Hatch My Own Chicks? 

To have a steady supply of baby chicks coming into your flock, you will first need a broody hen, which takes a lot of patience and time to find since they are not easy to find, plus super expensive. 

Once you find a broody hen, simply place her into your coop and allow her to start setting on eggs, which she will do every day until the entire process is over, which usually takes about twenty-one days.

How Do I Care For My Chicks? 

After hatching has taken place, you’ll need to make sure each baby chick receives the proper care they need to stay healthy throughout their upbringing, especially if you want them to grow up nice and fat.

This includes keeping feeders filled with enough food and water dispensers full of fresh water at all times, along with making sure there’s no overcrowding inside of the brooder coop, which can cause diseases.

How Do I Feed My Chicks? 

Growing your own baby chicks may sound easy, but if you don’t know how to properly care for them, they will most likely not survive. If you think that you need help with raising your chicks, there are many online articles and forums available to aid in the process.

What Is The Best Type Of Feed To Use? 

When starting on a new business venture, such as raising chickens for a living, it’s important to consider all aspects before getting started.

Many people do wrong when growing their own chicks by themselves by neglecting to read up on their food intake since each breed has different feeding needs. This will be especially helpful if one of your birds becomes sick and needs to be treated separately to recover properly.

chicken feed
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What Is The Best Location To Set My Farm? 

A good farming spot should allow your birds enough room outside of their coop to roam freely while also being a safe distance from predators who may kill them. The ground you choose should be mostly slopped, so that way it’s easier for water and feeders to slide down, especially if they’re too heavy when filled with food or liquids. To help from prey try an automatic chicken door.

How Do I Market My Product? 

To avoid having your chickens just sit around waiting for customers without any incentive, learn the most sought after ways on how you can get more out of each batch of chicks that are grown which include:

  • Selling chicks by the dozen instead of individually, like most farmers.
  • Raising chickens which are known to do well in the area where they will be sold.
  • Selling your eggs as high as possible instead of selling them super cheap.

If you feel as if you aren’t getting enough customers, it’s a good idea to lower those prices competitively since many people assume that food doesn’t cost much to produce and therefore keeps prices low. 

Making sure your farm is clean, and sanitary goes a long way when involving potential customers into buying from you instead of raising their own birds themselves. 

Showing off healthy and happy chicks will also give you an upper hand, making it much easier for potential customers to see how much effort you put into caring for them throughout their upbringing.

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