Raising Chickens for Profit: A Rewarding Side Hustle
A Family Adventure
Does your family raise chickens for eggs? Are you thinking of turning your flock into a side hustle? Raising chickens for profit is an easy way to make a few extra dollars and let the chickens pay for themselves.
My family has been raising chickens for 12 years. We started with four little pullets in a neighborhood, back in the early days when we only had two little boys. We loved our little chickens, and I blame them for our move to the country two years later.
Our family and our flock have grown. Eventually, our chickens became a fun side hustle that doesn’t pay all our bills but does cover the cost of raising them, with a little extra. It also gives me joy to sell healthy eggs and meat to our local community.
Why Raise Chickens for Profit?
If you are reading this, you have probably already discovered many fun homesteading blogs. Two of my favorite homestead resources have this to say about raising chickens for profit:
“Raising chickens is not only fun but also incredibly rewarding. You get to enjoy fresh eggs, teach your kids responsibility, and make a small profit along the way,” says Jill Winger, from The Prairie Homestead.
According to Hobby Farms, “Chickens can provide a steady income through eggs, meat, and even fertilizer for your garden.”
Ideas for Raising Chickens for Profit
There are several ways to turn your chickens into a money-making enterprise. Consider these ideas:
Sell Eggs
If you already own chickens, you might have experienced times when your chickens lay a lot of eggs. It is a great feeling of abundance when you have something to share, give away, exchange, barter, or sell.
Our family tries to raise enough chickens to provide eggs for our family and enough to sell to cover the cost of keeping them. We buy our baby chicks from Cackle Hatchery, a family-owned hatchery in Missouri. We have had great success with healthy birds and believe they offer competitive prices.
Our family of nine eats a lot of eggs. We maintain a flock of 20–30 chickens and 1–2 roosters and are able to sell about six dozen eggs a week for $4/dozen. This isn’t making us rich, but it is a fun enterprise, and we enjoy it. It covers the cost of feed and care of our chickens, so we eat eggs for free!
To sell eggs, you will need a reliable supply of egg cartons. We initially invested in a giant package to get started, but friends and neighbors have also saved cartons for us. It feels good to reuse cartons instead of discarding them after one use.
If you need to buy a large quantity of egg cartons, we like these from Amazon. They are perfect for selling to customers.
Sell Hatching Eggs
Hatching eggs are fertilized eggs that people with incubators often seek. If you are selling hatching eggs, you will need a rooster to fertilize the eggs.
If you have a flock of chickens and a rooster, you can incubate your eggs and sell baby chicks. This venture is highly profitable as many people buy chicks throughout the spring, summer, and fall.
My 8 year old daughter got this incubator for Christmas and she is excited to start her own business this spring selling baby chicks and ducklings.
To get started, you will need fertilized eggs, a good quality incubator, and a setup for your baby chicks. Baby chicks require high-protein chick feed, clean water, and a heat lamp to thrive.
Sell Pullets
Pullets are young hens that are just about to start laying eggs. Many people prefer buying pullets over chicks because they don’t want to deal with heat lamps or waiting months for eggs. Selling pullets can be highly profitable, as you can charge much more for them than for chicks.
You can find buyers for pullets and baby chicks on local homestead Facebook pages, Craigslist, and through word of mouth.
Raise Meat Birds
The most profitable (and delicious) way we’ve made money from our flock is by raising Cornish Cross chickens, a breed specifically for meat. These birds grow quickly, reaching harvest weight in 8–9 weeks. We process the birds ourselves and raise enough to feed our family and sell 25–50 birds locally.
Raising meat birds requires a different setup than laying hens. You will also need to learn processing techniques. We recommend following Joel Salatin, a pioneer in sustainable farming, for advice. His methods are practical and inspiring and his wisdom might change your life!
The main piece of equipment needed to efferently raise meat chickens is a feather plucker. You DO NOT want to hand pluck 20 or more meat chickens! We recommend this Yardbird plucker from Amazon. It is a game changer!
How to Succeed in Raising Chickens for Profit
Start Small
Begin with a manageable number of chickens and gradually scale up as you gain experience. This approach minimizes risk and allows you to learn the ins and outs of chicken farming.
Network Locally
Build relationships with other chicken enthusiasts, farmers, and customers in your community. Farmers’ markets and local social media groups are excellent platforms for selling eggs, chicks, and pullets.
Maintain Healthy Chickens
Healthy chickens produce better eggs, grow faster, and require less medical care. Ensure your flock has proper housing, clean water, nutritious feed, and regular health checks.
Final Thoughts
Turning your hobby into a side hustle is an exciting journey. Whether you sell eggs, raise meat birds, or offer pullets, raising chickens for profit can be a fulfilling way to connect with your community and teach valuable lessons to your family.
I hope you consider these options and take the plunge into raising chickens for profit.
Already started? Share your experiences in the comments!
Visit the Homeschool Hobby Store to explore research tools for chicken breeds, including the “Chickens on the Farm Copywork” booklet, which is perfect for handwriting practice and animal science.
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Very informative, good practical tips. Thanks!