# Anyone Here Raise Rare Breed Chickens?



## southrngardngal (Oct 18, 2005)

Is there anyone on the poultry forum raising rare breed chickens? If so which breed do you work with? Do you do it more for the pleasure of seeing that breed live on or is there any profit in it?

My husband is retiring the 16th of this month (December) and we are trying to come up with something to add a little (I know we would never make much more than the cost of feed and supplies) to our income. Since we like working with chickens we have been thinking of raising some rare breeds. Not more than two different breeds to begin with. 

Any ideas, info and suggestions will be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks

SGG-Jan


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## RonPaulRooster (Aug 1, 2008)

Buckeyes and Dominiques seem to be older breeds with quite a bit of interest .

Both were bred to be a good homestead variety .

No doubt they could each benefit from more people raising them .

Both can be found at Meyer Hatchery .

http://meyerhatchery.com/


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## sawman65 (Sep 8, 2011)

you may want to look at games or exotic's Jap's, Aseel's or long tails. i raise some and they can comand a high sale price
i once sold a trio of my aseel's for 1200.00 but those sales are few and far between and it was brood stock but the buyer had to have them. most times i get around 500.00 for a trio of my greys they are the Joe Redmond bloodlines 300.00 for the aseels and japs. its a tricky business, you have to line and inbreed, raise many and keep only the best i practice the 10% rule i may hatch 300 of a breed and keep only 30. you have to cull ruthlessly. and yes it has been profitable for me. but these fowl have been handed down to me from my father as his father also did. some breeds have been "in the family" since the early 50's don&#8217;t know where they will go after i am gone my son has moved away from the farm and made it clear he has no intent on coming back when me and my wife pass he will probably sell it to some developer...shudder the thought


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## lisa's garden (Apr 1, 2010)

I can't offer advice on the breeds so much, I have a flock of mixed breeds that I keep for eggs and meat. I'm planning to butcher the whole flock in the spring and start fresh, since these ones have CRD and I want to disinfect and start over.

But I just wanted to mention that we have several Pioneer and harvest festivals in our area and every year they have families that bring in heritage breeds of farm animals, turkeys, chickens, pigs, etc. And they have their brochures out for people to take who are interested in purchasing the meat or eggs. That might be a fun way to drum up business. They usually dress in period costumes for the event and I always enjoy talking to them about the animals.

Just a thought. Good luck!


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

southrngardngal said:


> Is there anyone on the poultry forum raising rare breed chickens? If so which breed do you work with? Do you do it more for the pleasure of seeing that breed live on or is there any profit in it?
> 
> My husband is retiring the 16th of this month (December) and we are trying to come up with something to add a little (I know we would never make much more than the cost of feed and supplies) to our income. Since we like working with chickens we have been thinking of raising some rare breeds. Not more than two different breeds to begin with.
> 
> ...


You will not find any rare breeds sold by hatcheries. Best to look for private breeders.


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## LFRJ (Dec 1, 2006)

Somebody on here raised Coronation Sussex. He/she claimed they were pretty rare. Gorgeous birds. I think they were from Florida. StoneUnhenged was the member name? Expensive, and wouldn't be my pick if i were raising rare birds - but he/she might be able to give you more info about the operation.


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

We bought some Golden Lace Wyandottes from the "rare breeds" section of the hatchery catalog and they have been good hens. They are "pensioners" now, 5 years old, but they laid real well their first year, almost an egg per bird per day. They did OK the 2nd and 3rd year, and 4th and 5th years they have been pretty slow. We free range them and they are busy foragers.


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## RWDitto (Jan 23, 2009)

Dont buy any rare breed from a hatchery!!! Buy from a breeder to be sure you are getting pure stock. We raise Barnevelders, and sell hatching eggs and chicks. They are rare and sought after by people who are interested in Heritage breeds. Just read about different heritage breeds, and pick one that has the traits that you are interested in.


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## siberian (Aug 23, 2011)

The rare breeds from a hatchery may not be the best way to start. May want to look at breeds and see what you like. Think we all do better with something that catchs our eye. Then look for the best breeder ( not necessarly the one that sells the most) and start there


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

I have blue sumatras, delawares, icelandics, and midget white turkeys. I had penedescencas at one point, but they were non productive.


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## southrngardngal (Oct 18, 2005)

Thank you all for the information. I'm doing some research on each breed you are mentioning. I plan to get info on several different breeds and then hubby and I will set down and decide which ones we want to work with. 

I didn't want to order from a hatchery because I wasn't sure about how true to the breed my order would be. 

Keep the info coming please.


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## chamoisee (May 15, 2005)

You can sell the eggs for hatching from rare breeds for $20 a dozen or more....the black copper marans seem to be especially in demand. Go to the backyard chicken forum....they have a LOT of info on rare breeds there.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

I LOVE black coppers. Wish I had some The hatcheries are selling them for 10$ a chick.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

I don't have rare breed chickens, but I've got rare breeds of waterfowl.

I honestly don't think there is much money in poultry. A few people manage to make decent money, but they really work at it and run it like a business.

There is no way to make money with hatchery quality birds, except in a few areas where you can buy pullet chicks at the beginning of winter and sell them as point of lay hens in early spring. That does not work in every area. There is also going to be a limit to how many you can sell.

I think your best chance of making any money would be to purchase exhibition quality birds from reputable breeders and get out and get a couple of wins at the shows. Then sell hatching eggs. You can sell hatching eggs on eBay, on Backyard Chickens, at Egg Bid, and if the birds are really good quality, through ads in the Poultry Press.

Buyers for quality birds are scattered all over the USA, so you will end up shipping.

Some people who live in areas with a long growing season and who are located close to rich yuppie types can make a bit of money by selling pastured poultry at the farmer's market. A lot depends on your local laws and whether you are allowed to sell dressed birds, or if you must use a licensed processor. Then, what the processor charges and how far away he is.

One thing that seems to be the rage right now is dark eggs. The darker the better. Also there is a newly imported breed that apparently lays a robins egg blue egg, but you've missed the boat for outrageous prices, so at this point, it is better to wait a year or so for prices to level out a bit.

It looks to me like show quality bantams bring the best prices and they eat less and their housing requirements are smaller. I know one of my show buddies said that he stopped raising geese because he got more money for a pair of bantams than he could get for a pair of geese and the bantams cost a fraction of the amount to raise.

You might go to a poultry show and look around. It's a fun hobby and the majority of the people there are super nice. In any competition you run into the occasional bad sport. If you find one, just stay away from them and enjoy everyone else and all the gorgeous birds.


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## homesteadforty (Dec 4, 2007)

pancho said:


> You will not find any rare breeds sold by hatcheries. Best to look for private breeders.


Sorry... incorrect. Many hatcheries carry rare/uusual breeds. Myer currently has 40 rare breeds listed and MacMurray has about 25. A quick google search for "hatchery" and a little look around the various we sites will turn up a pretty good assortment.


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## Oxankle (Jun 20, 2003)

H--Forty; Pancho was referring to quality. Hatchery birds are a gamble at best.


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## southrngardngal (Oct 18, 2005)

Thank you all for your input. I'm reading up on your suggestions. 

I'm trying to find out if we have poultry shows here in Mississippi. I don't think they're allowed but will continue to check.

Hubby and I are discussing a dual purpose bird but we haven't decide just yet as to which breed. 

Thanks again for your help.


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## suelandress (May 10, 2002)

Re: Hatchery vs Breeder. Sometimes your options are limited. It depends on the breed/s you decide on. Everyone in the US got their Brabanters from Ideal. Some think they got them elsewhere, but when you trace them back, it goes back to Ideal.
I got my Brabanters from Ideal and H&H Poultry. H&H got theirs from Ideal, but had been breeding for a while. I'm on year 6, so at least longer than that. If you've got the time and patience, you can breed for the qualities you want from whatever stock is available to you. Granted, it would have been easier, but not cheaper (!) to import some show Brabanters from the Netherlands


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

homesteadforty said:


> Sorry... incorrect. Many hatcheries carry rare/uusual breeds. Myer currently has 40 rare breeds listed and MacMurray has about 25. A quick google search for "hatchery" and a little look around the various we sites will turn up a pretty good assortment.


Just because someone trying to sell something calls it rare does not mean it is really rare.
If it was really rare do you think they would have to advertise to sell them and even offer free ones?
If they were rare the hatcheries would not have them.


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## chamoisee (May 15, 2005)

If a breed is not being perpetuated sustainably (breeding flocks in multiple locations, more than a trio of birds, etc), it doesn't matter how many chicks get turned out, it is still going to be rare unless people keep them and breed them responsibly. 

Also, FWIW, I don't exactly consider Sand Hill Preservation Center a hatchery, and Sand Hill carries quite a few rare breeds. http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/pages/poultry_catalog.html


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## DWH Farm (Sep 1, 2010)

We raise Anconas. We have raised Welsummers and Delawares also but the Anconas are just a good fit for us. They are not for everyone, they are flighty (for us that is a good thing because of predators) and they are white egg layers which some people dont like. They are very good foragers and require less feed than alot of the heavier breeds. Ours are very good layers all year and I think that they are gorgeous to look at. I really like this farm http://www.gabbardhatchingeggs.com/. Kind of pricey for me but their birds are top quality and the have a lot of rare breeds. 

Check out some of the breeds listed on the ALBC website also.


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## TheMartianChick (May 26, 2009)

I used to work for a hatchery... The regular hatcheries can claim that they carry rare breeds, but they are not doing the proper things to actually cultivate the breed. They are merely setting and hatching eggs and selling the chicks. They are not aggressively culling the ones that don't meet the breed standard. Sand Hill is different in that they are trying to actually preserve the breeds and do cull substandard birds aggressively.

In my case, I have raised Black Copper Marans. There is money to be made in selling fertile hatching eggs of the breeds, but you have to start with quality breeding stock.


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## theporkstork (Dec 31, 2005)

I raise Buckeyes and Rhode Island Reds for exhibition. I have found the Buckeyes to be very prolific layers and hardy in any climate. Where I live, our temperatures can be as low as -20 farenheit to +100 farenheit. The Buckeyes handle both extremes well. The Rhode Island Reds suffer in the freezing temperatures because of their single combs, especially the males. All of my birds originated from other breeders. Hatchery birds just aren't bred for exhibition, rather for the commercial aspects of meat and egg production.


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## SilverFlame819 (Aug 24, 2010)

I got some rare breeds from Ideal hatchery. Bizarre birds that I couldn't find anywhere else except for from private breeders (and even then, most of the breeds I couldn't find from private breeders!)

Some of my faves were the Brabanters, Spitzhaubens, and Jaerhons. Very striking, different birds. The Jaerhons had the most fantastic, curious, interested personalities, and liked riding around on my shoulder like parrots. I raised them the same as all the others, so it must have been a breed quirk. 

Not sure exactly HOW rare you want your breed of choice, but those would be some of my top picks.


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## homesteadforty (Dec 4, 2007)

pancho said:


> Just because someone trying to sell something calls it rare does not mean it is really rare.
> If it was really rare do you think they would have to advertise to sell them and even offer free ones?
> If they were rare the hatcheries would not have them.


Not saying that everything they sell is truly rare, but most of what they sell as rare is listed by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. As I can't do my own count I figure their word is best to go by... your mileage may vary.


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

homesteadforty said:


> Not saying that everything they sell is truly rare, but most of what they sell as rare is listed by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. As I can't do my own count I figure their word is best to go by... your mileage may vary.


If you do a little research on the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy you can find out how they decide which breeds are rare. 

If a person really has a rare breed they would not be available from a hatchery. The majority of hatcheries do not own the breeder birds, they buy eggs from other people. People with rare breeds do not sell to hatcheries. Why would they, the prices they recieve for their birds and eggs would drop considerably.


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## suelandress (May 10, 2002)

The BCM's I got from "my pet chicken" were really nice specimens.


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## sawman65 (Sep 8, 2011)

pancho said:


> if you do a little research on the american livestock breeds conservancy you can find out how they decide which breeds are rare.
> 
> If a person really has a rare breed they would not be available from a hatchery. The majority of hatcheries do not own the breeder birds, they buy eggs from other people. People with rare breeds do not sell to hatcheries. Why would they, the prices they recieve for their birds and eggs would drop considerably.


exactly!!!!!!


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## southrngardngal (Oct 18, 2005)

I think we are narrowing down the breeds we're interested in raising. I still have to do more research on them and see how far I'll have to drive to get a trio. I will also check on hatching eggs. 

I want to find out how the Cornation Sussex, the Light Sussex or Black Copper Marans will do here in our area. These are the ones we're interested in raising. We're looking at the Sussex as a dual purpose bird and to be honest I just like the color of the BCM's eggs. LOL I like the looks of the Buckeyes too. We will do further reading on other breeds also. We may change our minds before we get everything ready to start buying. 

Thank you all for your information and suggestions. You've been a great help. If any of you have any links that I can read up on the breeds listed above I would appreciate them. Or any books that you think will benefit us to read. I know we'll have to learn by doing mostly but being prepared and knowing what to expect from the breeds is good too.


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## sawman65 (Sep 8, 2011)

http://ultimatefowl.com/viewforum.php?f=19


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## seagullplayer (Nov 6, 2008)

I have Bantam Salmon Faverolles. They seem just rare enough to peak peoples interest.

I think you are going in the right direction in raising a rare or hard to find breed.
Might ask around with the 4Her's in your area to see what they might be interested in.

+1 on looking at the backyard chicken forum.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewforum.php?id=9


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## sunflower-n-ks (Aug 7, 2006)

Have you raised chickens or any poultry before? If not, pick a breed that is not too expensive that suits your basic wishes for type. The three you mentioned are easily obtained anymore. Get a few from a place that disease should not be an issue - NOT a swap or sale!!!!! Then raise them for a year or two. See how you like handling chickens, what it takes to care for them, etc. During this time continue learning about the RARE chickens. 

When and if you get to the point of dropping the bucks on some truly rare birds, you will know how to keep them alive and healthy. First hand expedience goes a long way in the learning curve. Make disease control the first and highest priority. Someone at the top of this thread mentioned getting rid of all of their chickens and starting over. Those are not words that come by easily. It can be heartbreaking and financially devastating. Learn about chicken diseases before you sink a lot of $$ into them and learn where is the best places to buy.

I personally love the bantams. Like was mentioned, they take up less space and eat less feed, but they are also loaded with personality and there are some really pretty ones. If eggs to eat are a goal, banty eggs are small, so more are needed to make a meal.

www.feathersite.com has information on common and exotic breeds. So interesting to look up the different breeds.


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## sunflower-n-ks (Aug 7, 2006)

Opps forgot the FIRST thing to do. Make sure you can legally keep chickens where you live. Again, it is not good to get them and then find out you have to get rid of them. Many discussions on poultry forums about that.


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## southrngardngal (Oct 18, 2005)

Thank you all for the links. I checked them out but don't have time right now to do more than that. I've bookmarked them so I can come back and read them later.

We're not new to poultry. We've had chickens for several years. At this time we have some Auracanas (sp?) that just started laying, some Khaki Campbell ducks, two guineas, two geese (breed unknown), and five turkeys (breed unknown). 

What with Hubby's retirement we'll have more time to spend working with our birds and were thinking of raising the rare breeds for enjoyment and a little income supplement. 

Again, thank you all for the links.


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