- #Free range poultry farm plus#
- #Free range poultry farm free#
Pullets are bought in as 17 week-olds and can start laying at around 18 weeks.
keep a laying flock for the production of eggs for human consumption. Pullets are generally reared from chicks bought in from a specialist breeder (mentioned above) and then reared in a controlled environment until they reach 17 weeks pullet rearing to supply 17 week old birds to laying flocks. The chicks are usually sold at one day old They are then transferred to hatcher cabinets for three days and hatch on day 21. The hens lay in nesting boxes the eggs are then placed in incubators for 18 days. The ratio of female to male birds is usually around 13:1. To do this you will keep a breeding flock, generally housed in a temperature controlled environment with slatted or deep litter floors. breeding and hatching chicks to supply to other poultry units. There are several different types of poultry enterprise and you may be planning to operate as one or more of the following: #Free range poultry farm plus#
Research current trends, plus legal and tax issues Taking the time to do this type of research may ensure that you have a market for your produce when you start your enterprise.
#Free range poultry farm free#
You may find from talking to prospective customers that, for example, there is unmet demand for organic and free range eggs and poultry meat in your area. If you are planning to sell a large proportion of your produce through local retailers and catering outlets, you could consider carrying out a survey of those businesses to identify the sector of the market that you should aim for. It is likely that farm gate sales will not represent a particularly large percentage of your overall sales.
if you take a regular stall at one or more farmers' markets. For example, you may be the only organic poultry farmer in your area if there is something that differentiates your produce from that of your competitors. if your local area is not well served with shops. Holiday makers are often keen to buy fresh produce - and you may find that they are prepared to pay higher prices if there is holiday accommodation such as a camping or caravan site nearby. Factors that may increase the number of people that will buy direct from you are: If you plan to sell produce direct to members of the public at the 'farm gate' or in other ways, try to make a realistic estimate of the number of people that will buy from you in this way. 
contact other poultry enterprises and find out if they would be interested in having you supply them with chicks, if you plan to start a breeding enterprise. This might be better quality, lower prices, more regular deliveries or a better service 
Don't forget that if they are already being supplied you will have to give them a good reason to change.
make a list of local retailers and catering establishments that you think may take your produce and approach them to see if they would be interested. There's also helpful gross margin information available in publications like the John Nix 'Farm Management Pocketbook' You can get average packer-to-producer and other farmgate prices from Defra statistical publications on the Gov.uk website. contact egg packing stations, supermarkets, wholesalers and processors to find out what price they will pay you for your eggs and/or poultry meat and what entering into a contract to supply them would entail. Try to find out whether you will find a market for your produce among these customers and whether the price they're prepared to pay will leave you enough profit. 
other poultry enterprises (sales of chicks from a breeding enterprise). Depending on how your business is going to operate, your trade customers may include: It is likely that a large proportion of your sales will be trade sales. Similarly, intensive egg producers that house their birds in enriched cages operate on fairly slim profit margins.ĭepending on how your own business operates, you may have a mix of trade and retail sales. Outside of these large organisations there are smaller producers that target more niche markets, such as organic. The vast majority of the table birds that are sold in supermarkets are produced by a handful of very large producers whose economies of scale and tightly controlled processes allow them to supply birds that can be sold at the retail level at very competitive prices. You will need to make an estimate of the type and number of customers who might buy your products. Our practical guide will help you start up and run your poultry business.Įstablish your target market Estimating demand If you're planning on running a poultry farm you'll need to decide whether you'll focus on egg production or on producing birds for the table.
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