breeding commercially

[MitchyInge]

anyone do this? not that I've been poring wistfully over Practical Poultry this month (much) but just wondering how much land and equipment a person might need to get started on a small scale, and whether you'd need to get permission to use agricultural land for this?

am thinking of rarer or 'local' breeds like Ixworth

Oh, I would love to breed! (Chickens, that is) Haven't a clue, but will watch with interest. I think DEFRA have to be notified if you have over fifty birds.

have never hatched so much as one egg but am thinking v small scale to start with

is probably pie in the sky stuff but can't hurt to find out can it?

Nope. If I had even a slightly bigger garden, I would give it a go. I bet you could start out very small, say one breeding trio, without having to register or do anything much. People pay a fortune for hatching eggs, as well. Chocolate Orpington eggs were going for as much as £450 a half dozen on ebay last summer I keep bantams, and have toyed with the idea of hatching a few....

Have a cockeral and also a broody hen at the minute so did have a fleeting thought about some trying to hatch some cute chooks. But what puts me off is the thought of hatching cockerals and what happens to them if you can't re-home

Or are you talking some high tech operation I haven't a clue about?

they'll get made into roast dinners won't they

(youngest daughter also v concerned about what happens if we hatch thousands of cockerels)

this will need a bit more thought but have offer of small plot of land to use which is a great start!

is v foxy area though so will probably end up living there in a tent watching over them all night

Yes, the cockerel thing is an issue. Tbh, it is the only thing which stopped me bunging some fertile eggs under a broody last year. I suppose it's one of the things you'd just have to get your head around. I also think you'd need to learn to cull, otherwise vets bills for a breeding flock would be scary

I know Mitchy but you can't eat all your profit, yummy as Coq au Vin is.

ChickensLoveMarmite - do they really?! Never tried them with that.

We often hatch the odd brood and sell the cockerels at local poultry auction. No doubt someone else fattens and eats them.