SELLING THE PRODUCT
We have discussed the main points to be considered in raising various
poultry products in this little booklet. However, much of our success
in the poultry business will depend on our ability to obtain the top
prices for our products after we have raised them. In fact, this is
the cry all over the country now among the farming population. The
various agricultural agencies that have heretofore spent considerable
time and effort in teaching the farmer to raise a large quantity of
good products, have apparently accomplished this result, and now these
same agencies are trying to organize the farmers into selling their
products so that they can receive a higher price for them.
The farmer usually has no time to devote to the special marketing of
his crop, as he is too busy raising farm products, so attempts at
co-operative marketing have been made. There have been many failures
in this method in the past, but now the farmer realizes that this
system is really his only salvation, and he is receiving the idea of
co-operation in a better mood than he did in the past. However, for
the one living in town, with but a small flock of birds, more time
can usually be devoted to this end of the business, with splendid
returns. Many town lot poultry keepers can sell all the eggs that they
can get just around to their neighbors, who are usually glad to pay a
little more than the market price for the assurance that the eggs are
strictly fresh. However, if one has a fairly good yield of winter eggs,
and is not content to sell the eggs to his neighbors at around market
price, there are other methods that can bring much higher returns.
Some poultry raisers get in touch with local or neighboring hotels and
restaurants, and agree to let these parties have their entire output
of eggs at a certain margin above market price. For instance, it is
a common method to make an agreement with such parties to sell them
their eggs at ten cents above market prices. If the market quotations
for fresh eggs were thirty-two cents for a certain day, the hotel
keeper would pay forty-two cents, if the eggs were delivered on this
day. Usually, the restaurant or hotel is glad to pay this premium over
the market price, because he takes quite a chance with store eggs, in
that some of them are often stale, and this is a matter that reflects
against his business. Also, if such an agreement can be made, the hotel
or restaurant man can advertise the fact that he serves nothing but
fresh eggs, which is good business for him.
When one is getting a big yield daily, he can usually plan to sell
his eggs by the case to city commission men, who will always pay a
good premium over local markets. If one has not enough eggs to sell a
case once or twice weekly in such a manner, this difficulty is often
overcome by combining with neighbors who are willing to take the proper
care in producing clean, fresh eggs for market. However, such neighbors
must be in sympathy with what is expected for fresh eggs, and who have
the courage to refrain from putting in eggs that are not clean and
fresh. If one case is sent in to these commission men and the quality
of the eggs is not of first class, quite a dockage will be deducted
from the check, and your reputation will thereby suffer. Never wash
eggs that are soiled, but use them in your own kitchen, as the washing
will remove the natural bloom, or fine powder that is found on the
untouched egg. One can secure clean eggs by keeping the bedding in the
nests clean.
There is always a splendid opportunity to sell hatching eggs in the
spring of the year, if one has had the foresight to get started in
purebred poultry. There is always a large demand for hatching eggs
and most hatcheries can not fill their orders. For the one engaged in
the poultry business, even on a small scale, this offers a splendid
opportunity, especially when eggs are selling cheap on the market, as
they do in the spring of the year, to divide the mature birds up into
small pens of about ten females to one good male bird, and sell these
eggs at anywhere from $1.50 a setting to as much as you can get. The
higher the quality of the stock, the more money one can demand for such
hatching eggs.
Then there is another good source of revenue from selling adult birds
for breeding purposes. If your flock is composed of good individuals,
you should experience little difficulty in selling your surplus
birds from $5 up. A little well planned advertising is often a good
thing to do, to let people know what you have got for sale. Often an
advertisement in the local paper, or a rural weekly will bring in many
inquiries in regard to the birds or eggs that you have to sell.
Probably a cheaper way of advertising, if you really have good birds,
is to show a pen, consisting of four females and one male, at some of
the neighboring poultry shows. If you can succeed in winning a premium,
this will be a splendid factor in your efforts in selling breeding
stock. It is usually permissible to place a little card on the outside
of your pen at the poultry show, giving your name and address, and
stating that you have breeding stock for sale, or that you are now
taking orders for hatching eggs in the spring.