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ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service |
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Heifer
Project International 1015 Louisiana Street PO Box 8058 Little Rock, AR 72203 Phone: (800) 422-0474 E-mail: info@heifer.org http://www.heifer.org/ |
| In This Section | |
| Laura and Ralph Rogers | |
| Alvin and Rosa Shareef | |
| Ben Gamble | |
| Plen Yep | |
Laura & Ralph Rogers of Woodbine, KY
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Providing home-raised poultry to family and neighbors and learning to hatch and sell baby chicks in the community
Laura and Ralph Rogers have been involved with Heifer Project International (HPI) projects in the past through a local group, Whitley County Small Farms Project. Operating on 9 acres, they keep cattle, goats, bees, and poultry. Their two children, Sarah and William (ages 8 and 5), have participated in farm activities and pastured poultry for the past 3 years. Ralph works off farm in electrical lighting. The Rogers were trained at the initial HPI session at the Salatin farm in June '96. Laura had previously kept chickens but was interested in learning how to butcher by herself.
Snapshot: Getting started:
The Rogers built a pen for the first batch of 105 chicks, which arrived
on the farm on 6/27/96 and were placed in field pens 3 weeks later. A total
of 17 birds were lost during production due to sudden storms and occasional
crushing when moving the pen. A total of 88 birds were slaughtered at 9 and
10 weeks old on 8/29/96 and 9/5/96. Twenty-five chickens were sold at $6.00
each and 21 were given away as free samples. There were 31 customers or recipients
of samples. The Rogers kept 42 birds for home consumption. They used a total
of 1244 lbs. of feed or 14 lbs. per chicken. The feed cost 13 cents per lb.
Their expenses and income are summarized below.
| Note: For all the Featured Farmers, production numbers may not add up exactly-the only numbers available were those provided by the farmers. | |||
| Fixed Costs | |||
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Amortization |
Factor¹ |
Amortization |
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| Pen |
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| Waterer |
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| Direct Costs | |||
| Chicks |
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| Hired Help |
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| Feed |
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| Total Costs |
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| Income/Value² of 69 chickens @ $6.00 each |
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| Net |
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| ¹The
fixed costs were amortized since it is assumed the items will be used
for at least 10 batches. ²The value of birds kept for home consumption is included with the income. Any birds given away as free samples are not included as income-they are a marketing cost although not counted as such in this chart. |
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| Total labor budget | 84.5 hours (training time not included) | ||
| Earnings per hour |
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| Note: For all Featured Farmers, although the initial earnings per hours are low, there is potential for improvement as producers increase in experience and scale of production. | |||
Since beginning, Laura has raised about 6 more batches of 100 chickens each. She no longer keeps 100 birds in a pen since they are crowded when they get larger. Ralph built a second broiler pen. Now 50-75 broilers are kept in each. Ralph has modified the new pen with fiberglass on top instead of the usual aluminum. Mortality is low once the birds are on pasture, although stray dogs can be a threat. Laura moves the pens herself and the children help feed the birds. She starts raising birds in the spring and starts her last batch in August.
Laura also hatches baby chicks for sale as a separate enterprise. She has incubator equipment that can set 500 eggs at a time. She sells Golden Lace Wyandotte and Buff Orpington chicks for layer stock at 70 cents apiece. She has sold at a local stock sale in the past, but people now come to her directly.
Brooding has been troublesome for Laura. She
sections off a corner of her barn with plywood and hangs heat lamps to brood
chicks. More and more cracks are forming in the walls as the barn ages, creating
drafts.
Hatchery chick problems
A second problem in brooding has been the quality of the broiler chicks Laura
receives from mail-order hatcheries. The chicks are often damaged by the time
they reach her and sometimes starving since they have exhausted their yolk
sac feed reserves. The hatchery replaces them but Laura has still invested
time and resources in trying to save the damaged chicks. Laura has also noticed
a large range of quality with the healthy chicks she receives from hatcheries-some
batches of birds perform very well; others do not.
Due to problems with ordering by mail and unreliable quality, she has decided to apply her hatching skills to broiler breeders as well as layers. She is currently applying for funding and exploring ways to hatch good quality broiler chicks on her farm and relay this technology to other farmers. She believes it is important for farmers to be able to raise their own broiler chicks in their communities.
Processing equipment
| Marketing on the Rogers farm is by word-of-mouth, although they have also advertised on the radio. Laura could sell more chickens if she raised more. She seeks input from her customers with a questionnaire. Some comments from their first customers were: "real tender," "cooks fast," and "love it." |
Laura bags the birds for a nice appearance and sells them fresh. Customers are timely in their arrival to pick up the birds. Five-year-old William has been especially helpful in catching the birds for slaughter as well as in the processing.
The Rogers enjoy keeping about half of the
birds they raise and selling the other half. Son William refuses to eat chicken
from the supermarket. Laura continues to sell the birds for $6.00 each. She
decided on her price by what she thought people would be willing to pay.
In terms of record-keeping, she keeps track of how much she pays for feed, how many birds she sells, and her income. She does not know her earnings per hour when labor is figured in but is happy with the enterprise. Manure from the chickens on pasture has increased the pasture fertility for the other livestock.
Instilling family values
On the farm, the Rogers value the opportunity to involve the whole family
in hard work and shared religious values. The pastured poultry enterprise
enhances these values, because the whole family has been involved. The children
both know that the first thing to do every morning is move the chickens and
feed all the animals.
Featured Farmers - Alvin and Rosa Shareef
Raising and processing chickens in a Muslim community and spreading the word: "We have become ambassadors for pastured poultry." Want to expand processing capability to reach out-of-state markets.
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The Shareefs raise pastured poultry in a small Muslim community in Mississippi called New Medinah where about 10 families live. New Medinah was started in 1987 when a number of Muslims throughout the country each bought an acre of land in the area-for a total of 84 acres. Rosa and others moved there from northern cities like Chicago.
Families in New Medinah have been involved with HPI in the past through the Marion County Self-Help Organization. The families living there now graze sheep, goats, and poultry on the land. They have also tried cut flower and vegetable enterprises; however, pastured poultry forms the cornerstone of their farm operation. Rosa teaches in the community school and Alvin works off-farm. Rosa, Alvin, and Abdul Mahmoud trained at the first Salatin session in Virginia in June 1996. Rosa saw pastured poultry as an enterprise with definite potential.
Snapshot: Getting started
The Shareefs' first 100 chicks arrived on the farm on approximately
9/9/96. They were placed in pastured field pens 3 weeks later. A total of
6 birds were lost during production. A total of 94 were slaughtered at almost
8 weeks of age on 11/2/96. Sixty-four chickens were sold at a price of $1.40
per lb (birds weighed about 4 lbs) and 10 birds were given away as free samples.
There were 21 customers and recipients of the samples. The Shareefs kept 16
processed chickens for their own eating. They used 900 lbs. Of feed (10 lbs
per chicken). The feed cost 18 cents per lb. Their expenses and income for
the first batch of 100 birds are summarized below.
| Fixed Costs | |||
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Amortization |
Factor¹ |
Amortization |
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| Pen |
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| Brooder |
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| Processing Supplies |
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| Dolly |
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| Other |
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| Direct Costs | |||
| Chicks |
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| Feed |
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| Freezer bags |
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| Wood Shavings |
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| Total Costs |
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| Income/Value² of 70 chickens @ $4.47 each |
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| Net |
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| ¹The
fixed costs were amortized since it is assumed the items will be used
for at least 10 batches. ²The value of birds kept for home consumption is included with the income. Any birds given away as free samples are not included as income-they are a marketing cost although not counted as such in this chart. |
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| Total labor budget | 115.5 hours (training time not included) | ||
| Earnings per hour |
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Since then, other families in New Medinah
have been involved in pastured poultry. Abdul and Hafeeza Mahmoud also raise
pastured poultry and share the processing equipment with the Shareefs. Other
members of the community help out with slaughter. The families in New Medinah
also work with a Mennonite family who live close by and raise pastured poultry,
have hatchery capabilities, and sell feed. All members of New Medinah seem
happy to have access to buying a local product that is raised and slaughtered
following their religious standards.
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Poultry's a Family Thing All members of the Shareef
family have their particular work niches. |
Muslim market
The market served by the Shareefs and Mahmouds is mainly a state-wide Muslim
market. There is also an annual gathering and Rosa makes sure pastured poultry
is on the banquet menu. However, they also market to local non-Muslim customers.
They initially posted flyers on bulletin boards in the area, put articles
in the local newspapers, and acquired business cards in order to tap a specialty
niche market, but now rely on word-of-mouth.
Spreading the word
The Shareefs have given many talks and slide shows during their three years
of raising pastured poultry. Rosa and Alvin spoke at the Small Farmers Conference
in Nashville, TN, in November 1997 and Rosa was an invited speaker at the
2nd International Conference of Women in Agriculture held in Washington, DC,
in June of 1998, as was Laura Rogers.
Both the Shareefs and Mahmouds also raise
layers for table eggs. They have discovered that once you have loyal customers
for one product, they are often interested in buying additional products.
Niche markets can also be found for specialty products such as livers, and
gizzards. A local Nigerian family only wants to buy stewers-no fryers or broilers.
A local Vietnamese family likes the chicken feet.
Marketing birds
They could sell many more birds, especially if they had access to a USDA-approved
plant that would permit them to sell across state lines. They currently sell
3 ½ LB fryers for $5-6 each. They base their price on what customers
in the area seem able to pay. Across the Louisiana state line, many people
pay $7 for a premium bird-the Shareefs have been contacted by potential markets
in Louisiana. Rosa writes for an international newsletter and has realized
that she could have many out-of-state customers.
An initial customer comment: "These
are some fine-looking birds." Rosa adds that "After caring for the
chickens I thought I wouldn't be able to eat them. I got over that fast. They
were tender with an exceptional taste. KFC and Popeye's have nothing on these
chickens."
Slaughtering facility
The slaughtering facility is a screened-in pavilion. Rosa acquired a 13-foot
stainless steel table for eviscerating for only $50 from a local restaurant.
They use processing equipment on loan from HPI; however, processing one bird
at a time is slow. Customers often come to watch the processing and bring
their children. Family members are very strict about not allowing anyone to
process if they have a cold or other illness. The Shareefs and Mahmouds generally
sell fresh but some chickens are frozen for later pick-up.
Seasonal production
The Shareefs can raise pastured poultry all year round since snow rarely falls
in the winter. However, they don't raise broilers during the winter since
it is unpleasant to process birds with no hot water. The layers stay on pasture
all year round. Broilers are put back on pasture by February--if there is
a hard freeze, tarps are used over the pens for protection.
The Shareefs were fortunate to find a free source of used bell waterers from a nearby farmer. After keeping what they needed for their operation, the children cleaned up and sold extra waterers as a business venture.
The family broods chicks in a separate building.
They had trouble brooding at first-10% loss was not uncommon. However, more
recently mortality has been low (about 3%) for the entire rearing period.
Figuring profits
| Both the Shareefs and Mahmouds would like to market 1000 birds per month, and their goal is to farm full time. |
Early problems included a dog that broke
into a pen and killed all the layers, and a faulty freezer that forced the
Mahmouds to discard a batch of birds.
Goodbye, city life
The Shareefs value "being away from the big cities, eating healthy food that
we can grow with few chemicals, and uncrowded living conditions for the entire
family." Raising pastured poultry enhanced these values because they "were
able to raise a good, quality product which we and our customers liked. We
were able to instill good work ethics in our children-caring for something
which is dependent on us."
Featured Farmers - Ben Gamble
Bringing youth back to the community with pastured poultry
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Ben Gamble lives in Flatwood, a small community near Catherine, Alabama. Flatwood Heifer Project started in 1993 with a proposal for obtaining brood cows with calves. Beef producers in Flatwood are trying to direct market the beef, processed at a nearby USDA approved plant, with a label called Down South Foods.
Ben raises pastured poultry on his own parcel of land. Most farmers in the community own land parcels of 40 or 80 acres. Ben cooperates with several community members on the pastured poultry enterprise: George Baldwin, Gregory Eaton, and Eaton's two teenage sons Cedric and Fredric. Ben is especially interested in the youth in his community, training them in martial arts which he learned in the military and looking for ways to convince young people to return to Flatwood community to improve it. Ben also works off-farm as a substitute teacher and school bus driver. Ben and George were trained at the initial session at the Salatin farm in June '96. Ben sees pastured poultry as an enterprise with great potential for the youth.
Snapshot: Getting Started:
Ben and George started with a double batch of 200 chickens (in
2 pens) which arrived on the farm 6/15/96. Four weeks later, the chickens
went out to pasture. Only 5 were lost during production. They slaughtered
about 140 chickens at 10 weeks old on 8/23/96 and sold them to 16 different
customers.
The price was $4-4.50 per chicken. They kept about 50 for layers. They kept about 25 to eat for themselves. Ben and George used 1550 lbs of feed (7.91 lbs. Per chicken). The cost of feed was 13 cents per lb. Expenses and income for the first batch of 200 birds are summarized below.
| Fixed Costs | |||
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Amortization |
Factor¹ |
Amortization |
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| Pen (2 pens) |
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| Direct Costs | |||
| Chicks (200) |
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| Feed (for 200) |
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| Total Costs |
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| Income/Value² of 196 chickens @ $4.25 each |
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| Net |
(2 batches) |
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| ¹The
fixed costs were amortized since it is assumed the items will be used
for at least 10 batches. ²The value of birds kept for home consumption is included with the income. Any birds given away as free samples are not included as income-they are a marketing cost although not counted as such in this chart. |
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| Total labor budget | 65 hours (training time not included) | ||
| Earnings per hour |
(2 men) |
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Ben now continuously runs 2 Salatin-style 10'x12' pens, along with one large pen of his own design. His steel catch pen is large (18' x 12'), with chicken wire and an aluminum top. It is easy to move and, although he stocks more birds in it, they have more room. He likes to see the birds moving around and exercising in the pen.
He does not keep his cattle in the pasture with the poultry. He finds his customers prefer to see a pastoral scene of chickens grazing and believes cattle manure could mar that imagine.
Ben and Gregory Eaton brood chicks together. The brooder is a separate 12' x 12' building. They add fresh newspaper bedding every 2-3 days. They have had good success with brooding. Ben provides a medicated feed at first. He is satisfied with the quality of chicks he receives from the hatchery.
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Ben processes depending on the size of bird desired by the customer, ranging from small Cornish hens to large baking hens. He uses processing equipment on loan from HPI. The scalder does not heat the water sufficiently, so he uses a supplemental water heater. Processing one bird at a time is slow. Sometimes his customers help pluck the chickens.
Some of his older customers prefer to buy
live birds. He does not weigh birds at processing because it is too time-consuming.
He freezes some of the birds for customers. He raises roaster hens and turkeys
for Thanksgiving. He finds that his urban customers are especially excited
about the chickens.
Calculating a price
In order to calculate a price for his birds, he calculates the cost of feed
needed to raise the birds and adds in a profit for himself. He is not only
interested in providing a quality product to his customer and building a relationship
with them, but also realizing a profit for himself.
Ben is very interested in reducing feed costs. He mixes his own feed (soybean meal, corn, and fish meal) in a large container. He believes that the birds are able to forage sufficiently to obtain other nutrients needed in the diet. The forages on his land are bahia, clover, and dallisgrass on gently sloping land. Ben also sows wild game seed for the poultry - including oats, centipede grass, and clover. The birds particularly relish clover, barley and rye.
He is careful about record-keeping. He made
extra copies of the record book provided by HPI and notes the date his chicks
arrive, brooder mortality, and calculates a profit for each batch. Ben pays
the Eaton boys for help during processing.
Needs USDA facility
Ben is not satisfied with his current earnings. He wants to be able to process
more birds at a time to reduce labor. He would like access to a USDA-approved
processing facility in order to be able to sell to restaurants in the future.
The first year, he lost a lot of chickens to predators: raccoons, opossum, and foxes. Now he keeps a dog tied to a cable run near the pens to deter predators. When he moves the pens to fresh pasture, he also moves the dog.
Ben values farm life because of the high-quality, fresh vegetables and meat available and the good health it brings.
Featured Farmers - Plen Yep
Raising chickens in a traditional style for a Cambodian community
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Plen Yep and his wife Chean-Chaum live in a community of about 10 Cambodian families near Inman, South Carolina. The farm is 14 acres with one acre for pastured poultry. Other enterprises include fruit trees and caged fish production. His two children Paith (22) and Rebecca (14) also help with pastured poultry production and processing. Plen works off the farm at a mill. Plen was trained in pastured poultry production in Kentucky.
Snapshot: Getting started
Plen started with a first batch of 300 chicks. They arrived on the farm 6/4/97
and were placed in pastured field pens 5 weeks later. Plen reported a total
of 57 of the 300 birds were lost during production due to heavy rain and a
cold night in August. A total of 190 were slaughtered at 12 weeks old on 8/28/97.
Plen kept 20 for eating at home and gave away 10 as free samples. Thirty were
sold live. Processed chickens were sold for $6.25 each. Chickens used for
home and free samples were valued at $4.50 each. Plen used 3050 lbs of feed
(14 lbs. Per bird). The feed cost 15 cents per lb. His expenses and income
for the first batch of 300 birds are summarized below.
| Fixed Costs | |||
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Amortization |
Factor¹ |
Amortization |
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| Pens (3) |
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| Direct Costs | |||
| Chicks (300) |
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| Feed (for 300) |
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| Processing |
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| Total Costs |
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| Income/Value² of 206 chickens @ $6.25 each |
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| Net |
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| ¹The
fixed costs were amortized since it is assumed the items will be used
for at least 10 batches. ²The value of birds kept for home consumption is included with the income. Any birds given away as free samples are not included as income-they are a marketing cost although not counted as such in this chart. |
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Birds are processed at about 12 weeks for fuller flavor. The family processes in a shed using equipment on loan from HPI. They sell the birds for about $6-7 a piece, weighing hem if requested by customers. Most customers pick them up fresh but they freeze some for other customers. The Yeps bag the birds.
They sell the meat to Cambodian families
in the area and other locals. It is not difficult to market the birds-in fact,
Plen is unable to meet the high demand for his poultry. Many customers say
his chicken is the closest to what they were able to get in Cambodia and they
want to buy more. He also enjoys his chicken and believes that the way it
is raised gives it the good taste he remembers from his childhood. Plen used
to let the birds out of the pen to roam freely during the day, but he now
keeps them confined in the pen.
Brooder setup
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Enhancing family & community values
It is important to Plen that the farm be able to provide the family with a
stable financial, social, and cultural environment, including peace of mind.
Pastured poultry enhances these values because it increases the level of financial
security of the farm, provides a social and cultural environment for his children,
and strengthens his community. The community plays a big role in the way the
chicken is raised, especially in terms of taste and preference, since the
community wants chickens raised the
Cambodian way.
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