What are chickens worth?

[Happy]

I don't pay a lot of attention to prices of adult birds because I've never bought them.
I talked with somebody interested in buying my 3 Cochin hens and 1 rooster. They are 2 years old. I know they can produce decent offspring based on modern's comments from the on-line show. Standard Cochin are also not overly common...ones of decent quality at least. Where do I even start with pricing them? I will also say that ensuring they go to a good home is more important than price. Any guidance is appreciated.

[baronrenfrew]

age, breed (pure or not), season (prices are higher in spring than fall), and a dozen other factors you mentioned go into price

purebreds for breeding $10 -$30 per bird is a baseline for spring prices. as a buyer I would pay $60 to $100 for a quad of breeders (even at two years old they will still lay for two years- not large numbers but enough eggs for the start of a replacement flock). they may be worth more to you or the buyer.

[thegawd]

Well, I think it all depends on what one is willing to pay. I have paid quite a bit for birds but they were of the highest quality and bred by a major breeder/ APA poultry judge. To me I had finally found the perfect birds that I was searching for all along and was willing to pay whatever and jump through whatever hoops I had to in order to get them. Those were my RIR's and they came all the way from Quebec! I haven't really been involved in many sales so I really couldnt give you a good idea, just my experience in being the buyer... I paid $50/bird and bought 8 when all said and done. Man I love those birds.

[JimW]

Well it is Spring time so adult hens are worth more this time of the year then in the Fall. At the auctions this time of year pretty much any hen, even just a crossbreed will sell for $20 to $30 each.

Quality healthy birds, 2 years old, is actually good for breeder birds, they have their adult feathering so the buyer can see what they look like and should not really change, and still decent egg laying left to start a flock. I would say around $40 per hen and $20-$30 for the rooster, so at least around $140-150 for the group in my opinion.

I never buy cheap birds. If someone has quality birds I pay what they ask. I have numerous birds I have paid $40, $50, $60, $100 and $200+ each for, no questions asked.

In the end a bird is worth worth what someone will pay for it.

JimW

[Ontario Chick]

There is many ways at looking at it and some of it has to do more with your personality then the value or perceived value of the birds.
I personally never give birds away, because I feel they will not be taken care of and appreciated as much as birds that were sold for a fair price.
On the other hand, I never expect to actually make money on the birds and always price them so they are affordable to anyone who is really interested in them.
A good quality hen even at 2 years of age has got 2 or 3 years of laying (some breeders never breed hens younger then 2 years) so in eggs only she will pay for her feed and bring in some egg money on top of that and of course a possibility of an amazingly cute progeny. :)
If you really like the environment they would go to I would say $ 25 - 30 for hens and $ 20 for the rooster.

[modern17]

This is a not easily answered question in my opinion... Depends .. as my grand dad used to say .. " there needs to be a buyer and seller to make a deal". Birds are worth what they are worth to the buyer and how bad the seller wants to part with stock. Why we have our birds is another factor that must come into play. Some want to move birds to off set costs.. some are in the mind set they will make money from them, others want them for the enjoyment of having them or as pets.. or somewhere in between all these scenarios ie Show stock that you might be able to sell a few. . I am, as most know, a breeder that breeds for show quality. I sell little for under $50 per bird. If I do sell for less it is simply one of two situations.. 1 ) I have an abundance, or 2 ) I am helping some one out this does not mean they are culls as I look after that all the way along during the growing process.. 75 % of what I sell goes to the US and that is a whole other ball game . Most are pre-ordered and prices agreed upon prior to crossing the border with them . I set my birds at $50 and up (with records if requested) These are breeders. I sell a few birds of show quality for slightly higher ($75-100 per bird) .. these you could compete with . The show winners ( if I get so lucky as to breed any of these) I do not sell. They are for me and what I strive for every year. With that ..there are some breeder birds that I would not part with no matter how many bills are laid on the table. In fact I turned down $300 US dollars for a large fowl birchen Modern male that I had at Ohio last fall . He was more important to me in the breeding pen than that stack of money.. all I can tell you is I made the right decision the chicks out of that male are showing great promise. For me selling birds is not what I strive for each year or overly important ,but rather the "high" of producing that bird that goes all the way ( or at least gets to champion row in its class. If I get to sell a few and I have birds to sell .. so be it .. if not, no big deal. Not the end of the world. I am not rich but do not need to sell birds to have them either. I do like helping out people get started .. I always provide birds that with a little thought and luck , they can breed birds to compete... do I provide champions to the average joe?.. nope as mentioned they are for me.. but I will set you up with birds that you can breed champions from.
In my opinion.. if they are birds that represent the breed that do not have any disqualifications they are worth $10- $30 per bird. If they are hatchery stock .. what ever the market will bare. If show birds with track record and from a know breeder ( directly from not hustle as I bought them from !!!! so and so !!) ( that drives me crazy) ... They are worth about what I stated $50 and up. This is only my opinion and not something that fits every situation. aka My 2 cents.

[Killerbunny]

There are also some people I will never sell birds to again, I'd rather put them in the freezer than have them uncared for but that is just me.

[modern17]

There is always that to Gillian ... there are some that I will not sell to just for that reason.. some want to buy from you and flip them for extra $... No time for hucksters by me. Another reason I charge what I do.. my theory if they pay a little more for them they tend to be more apt look after them ( in theory) .. always exceptions.. I don't cater to that ..
TL

[Happy]

Thank-you everyone for your thoughts. This would be easier if I actually wanted them gone

[baronrenfrew]

at last spring's buy sell trade I had bantam cornish for sale- a quad of decent birds. the hustler who was was outside with a hundred cages came in and tried to buy them from me so I told him $100 firm and he nodded and left. along came a young couple with a four year old and I sold to them for $50.