tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post5163927815412237931..comments2023-12-15T02:04:08.213-08:00Comments on meat: Planning for 2011Bruce Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10995706761794063165noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post-65478460248332117232010-12-04T18:29:00.081-08:002010-12-04T18:29:00.081-08:00Great insight into what you do, and cool to hear.....Great insight into what you do, and cool to hear...planning.Kevin Kossowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00162563717624538222noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post-57700768697246725942010-12-03T16:06:57.057-08:002010-12-03T16:06:57.057-08:00I ordered 10 geese, 15 turkeys, and 25 chickens ye...I ordered 10 geese, 15 turkeys, and 25 chickens yesterday. It'll be my first time raising poultry so I only ordered a small number of each this year.shanenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post-17772109746915783072010-12-03T15:06:25.870-08:002010-12-03T15:06:25.870-08:00Thanks for the breakdown. I'm looking at raisi...Thanks for the breakdown. I'm looking at raising some laying hens (though there are a lot of people doing that as well - I figure if they don't sell that's just more eggs to sell), and I'd like to learn to caponize the extra heritage roosters just to see what sort of bird they grow into. I've heard the meat is comparable to a CX, but with a longer 'shelf life' - you can butcher them when you're ready.<br /><br />I've done a lot of research into the CX and I think your numbers are right on. I think the only thing that makes them worthwhile is the quick turnover, as long as you have the customers to buy them. But they do need to be presold to be picked up within 48 hrs of butchering day according to the state rules for poultry processing.StefRobrtshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11786010946464627818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post-56383299758051472022010-12-03T09:55:34.964-08:002010-12-03T09:55:34.964-08:00mt health has (mostly) heritage rooster chicks at ...mt health has (mostly) heritage rooster chicks at $.35/each. <br /><br />http://www.mthealthy.com/product/Bargain1Bruce Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10995706761794063165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post-73353510360987574252010-12-03T09:51:41.726-08:002010-12-03T09:51:41.726-08:00Its taken me a while to find the customer base -- ...Its taken me a while to find the customer base -- 4 years -- but there is a group of customers who really want and will pay for a heritage rooster. I had the opposite problem this year. I raised 100 cornish cross and had trouble selling them. <br /><br />With the cornish cross, if you don't butcher them on schedule they aren't very hardy. So to do it right, you have to do reservations, pre-sell them, and then for the marjority of cornish cross customers, you've also got to process them for them, and it's a reasonably big chore. <br /><br />With the heritage roosters; the chicks are usually half the price of cornish cross and they have a long shelf life. they'll do just fine running around the farm for 6 months if they need to; they're vigilant about eating spilled feed and foraging, and I like their look. <br /><br />$4/lb for a cornish cross is a gross sale of $12 to $16. Figure it costs you two bucks to process each bird (labor, equipment/supply costs) and the chick costs you a $2 (murray mcmurray price, qty 1-10), and the feed costs you another $2-3, and your net is something like $6-10. <br /><br />With a heritage rooster, the chick costs you something like $0.75 (cheaper if you sweet talk your local hatchery). Feed costs are similar at $3, and you do no processing but do have some equipment, so figure $1. <br />So your costs are $4.75 and you sell the bird for $15 flat, which ends up being an $11 profit. <br /><br />And no one else in my area is raising heritage roosters in quantity, and I like that from a competitive point of view. Everyone is raising laying hens now -- 5 years ago I was the only one doing that.Bruce Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10995706761794063165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post-4091654474769722712010-12-03T09:37:16.605-08:002010-12-03T09:37:16.605-08:00Why do you prefer to raise the heritage roosters v...Why do you prefer to raise the heritage roosters vs the fast turnover Cornish cross birds that most people are used to putting on their table? Around here small farms are getting up to $4 a lb for CX (6-8 weeks to grow out) or even the free range broilers (12 weeks to grow out). I'm planning my pastured poultry operation for next year, and I'm interested to hear your experience. Last year I know I had very little luck selling my heritage roosters around here (SW WA).StefRobrtshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11786010946464627818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post-2349110885489755082010-12-03T09:24:47.830-08:002010-12-03T09:24:47.830-08:00Math: I've had mixed luck with lambs; coyotes...Math: I've had mixed luck with lambs; coyotes, dogs and eagles have been the biggest predators, but I've lost a couple due to complications in pregnancy and my inexperience. In a perfect world i'd get three lambs from each ewe, retain the females and sell 45. in practice, my lambing rate is closer to 125% all things considered vs 300% perfect, so that's a rough guess on how many I'll have to sell. <br /><br />Marianne: Mostly recent immigrants. Indians, south sea islanders (marshall, tongan, samoan) and asian customers prefer their chickens live and whole at the farm gate. I also sell a significant number for religious purposes; chickens are used in a number of religions. A typical sale is 5 to 10 roosters. <br /><br />Whit: I own 22 acres and lease another 10. the poultry are on 7 acres; the ruminants are on 10 acres of their own, but are periodially used to mow the grass in the 5 acres I've got for pigs. I could use another 5 to 10 acres to allow more rest time for the land between animals. <br /> Who am I kidding? I'd love 100 more acres, but I'm willing to wait until the right land deal comes up, and that takes a while.Bruce Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10995706761794063165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post-67197448459804892932010-12-03T07:40:32.845-08:002010-12-03T07:40:32.845-08:00Hi Bruce, just curious as you talk about being &q...Hi Bruce, just curious as you talk about being "land bound" How many acres are you working?<br /><br />Thanks as this will help with my planning for my 40 that I just bought.<br /><br />Whitwhitnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post-36380323265847087762010-12-03T07:25:20.772-08:002010-12-03T07:25:20.772-08:00Hi Bruce...
I was wondering who/what is your marke...Hi Bruce...<br />I was wondering who/what is your market for that many roosters? <br />Thanks.Mariannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01993015456186049234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1842136564899097734.post-70985346556839777972010-12-03T05:06:42.052-08:002010-12-03T05:06:42.052-08:00Hi Bruce, why do you anticipate only 15-20 lambs f...Hi Bruce, why do you anticipate only 15-20 lambs form 30 ewes? Do you plan to keep all of your ewe lambs?Math Geekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03568679151202237390noreply@blogger.com