11/14/2025
Food for thought on birds.
Everybody wants hens, rarely roosters, drakes, gobblers, c***s, males. Yet nobody wants to pay the price they should for a good hen.
Poultry enthusiast strive to hatch, grow, and maintain good, healthy birds. Lots of work goes into it, lots of money goes into it. Back when egg prices were ridiculous guess what that lead to? You got it, another raise in feed prices. But here's the kicker, egg prices have come down yet feed remains the same price.
Not to mention the other costs needed. Materials to build a reliable, safe coop; materials for nest boxes so your eggs stay as clean as you can help it and hens happy and healthy; material to build runs because free ranging is unsafe or so that you can separate certain breeds, etc; if you hatch the costs of your incubators (yes, the incubator really DOES make the difference), plus the electricity you go through to run said incubators, and heaters/heat lamps on young chicks; vaccines if you choose; antibiotics when/if needed; other vitamins, supplements, etc... I mean the list is ongoing... And yes, I am aware several of these mentioned are a one time costs, but can take years just to make the money back on those one time costs.
This is just about costs. Let's not forget the many hours of cleaning coops, waterers, feeders, incubators, brooders, etc. Trimming toenails if/when needed, feathers if necessary, and things of that nature. Some people even actually give their chickens baths on a regular basis!
How do we make up for it? Let males go fairly cheap or keep them to fill your freezer or future breeders, and increase prices on hens/eggs. Then you get told your prices are too high, you're ridiculous, etc. But here is the thing, many of us spend good money on good birds (yes, even as high as $70+ for a good quality hen of certain breeds). Then Sally over there sees your new, gorgeous, amazing quality, high priced hen and decide they gotta have one too, so they inquire about obtaining some. Perfect! Happy to help you out! Then you tell them the price, to receive responses like this: "Did you bump your head?" "You're insane!" And yes, there have been worse responses that I will not list here.
Now, in the past I have let my soft side get the better of me and gave people DEALS (and I do mean deals!!!) on my good birds, leaving me with not even a quarter of what I have in one of these birds. After some careful thought, I have been juggling the idea of no longer selling hens, at least not pullets or prime aged laying hens, unless of course someone is actually willing to pay the price that is worth it for me. Now, I may consider parting with older hens that have began slowing down as far as laying since those are the only ones I can see selling for the prices people are willing to pay for "good" hens, but usually by then I am attached, so they stay here til the pass from old age.
So next time you inquire about a hen, please take into consideration the costs, time, and effort to get her to that point, trust me $15/pullet and $25 point of lay/already laying is not ridiculous or outrageous. Granted, I charge more for my pure birds (prices vary on breed), but why should I shovel out $50+ for ONE, and then give you 5+ for the same price? And my mixed flock has just as good of birds mixed in as my pure flocks, just also some not so good quality and many because I lost the mate for that bird so tying up a breeding coop is senseless.
Sincerely,
A broke, frustrated farmer
