Chickens for bug control and food recycling.

[baymule]

Bee, you did good! Love the breeding pen! I love using used lumber or buying the rejects on the cull rack at Lowes.

 

[catjac1975]

Not a bad idea, Catjac1975. I just sold my first two dozen eggs. I am overrun with eggs. I figure that if I can find someone to buy 10 dozen eggs a week I should be able to keep up with my birds.

Bobm, I have just officially gotten into the Form F area. Now that the birds are bringing in an income, the outlay is deductible.

I never had that many extra. However, those I sold were big PIA. People call, don't show up. They do not realize that even if you are planning to be home you are waiting for them. Or don't care. Many people do an honor system. Leave the eggs in a cooler with a cup for money. If there are no kids in the neighborhood that may make mischief with them, you might be OK.

 

[Beekissed]

Most of my customers were co-workers or patient's families, so I didn't have any problems of that nature, but many people in these parts have an honor system for such things....old fridge plugged in for egg storage out on the porch or carport, old mailbox with a lock on the door so payments can be slipped through the slot.

 

[Nyboy]

Old man on my street sells tomato starts on card table at end of driveway with a cigar box for money. I once asked if he was ever shorted money, he said never sometimes there is extra money left.

 

[bobm]

Not a bad idea, Catjac1975. I just sold my first two dozen eggs. I am overrun with eggs. I figure that if I can find someone to buy 10 dozen eggs a week I should be able to keep up with my birds.

Bobm, I have just officially gotten into the Form F area. Now that the birds are bringing in an income, the outlay is deductible.

CONGRATULATIONS Red ! To show that you are in the egg sales business ... one has to have a business plan, show how you are competent in the venture, continued education in the venture, keep accurate records, a separate bank account,etc.. You have to show a profit in 3 out of 5 past years or one is found to be a hobby and one may have to return the questionable deduction plus penalties and interest. If this is your first year , document it as a start up venture ... you can in addition to deducting the purchase price of the chicks, you can deduct equipment , housing / pen depreciation and feed, bedding, medication,vaccination and Vet. costs of raising them as well as a proportion of power, water bill ( water well ) , as well as hired labor if documented. A guard dog's purchase price as well as it's feed, Vet. care and medication expenses can also be deducted if you can show that it's guard duty is necessary and needed. Deductions are charged against income of the venture. Good luck and have fun in a profitable business.

 

[bobm]

Oh, but, Red...you forget that I have my own predators sleeping next to that door. If I didn't have the dogs here, my whole coop and range setup would invite every predator in miles to clean me out of birds. Since I have them, I don't have to worry about Ft. Knox coops and runs and can just build to keep in a chicken, not keep out a predator.

Does this look like a face that would let a predator get my chickens?

Bee,I like your resoursefullness , but the choice of materials may be less so. This dog will keep out many a predator, but will he even bother to lift up his eye lid for a sneaky RAT , who have been known to take a morsel of the chickens feed, show a fondness of chicken eggs, or a bite or two out of a roosting chicken , and spread parasites and disease ?

 

[Beekissed]

Bee,I like your resoursefullness , but the choice of materials may be less so. This dog will keep out many a predator, but will he even bother to lift up his eye lid for a sneaky RAT , who have been known to take a morsel of the chickens feed, show a fondness of chicken eggs, or a bite or two out of a roosting chicken , and spread parasites and disease ?

Yep...my dog kills mice and rats. What rats may slip by, which hasn't happened here, will likely choose to eat the JustOneBite in the building close to the coop and adjacent to this pen. I've yet to see a coop or pen yet that can keep out a determined rat, so that's not even an issue when building a chicken coop or pen.

Then there is the feed. They get fed once a day and it's fermented feed...and not a grain is left over to entice a rat. Maybe a very small mouse can use the tiny granules left over that the chickens can't get . No feed is left in the pen or coop in a feeder over night. No feed waste going on here.

Then, there is the issue of disease, which I'm not the least bit afraid of for my flocks. Been raising chickens for 40 yrs now and never had illness in my flocks, so I'm thinking that my flocks have strong immune systems that can weather anything a rat can bring to the table. I don't believe in "biosecurity", don't practice it and think it's nothing but a lot of nonsense. There's really no such thing as biosecurity, so the best one can do is prepare the flock to withstand exposure to environmental pathogens.

 

[Smart Red]

Many people do an honor system. Leave the eggs in a cooler with a cup for money. If there are no kids in the neighborhood that may make mischief with them, you might be OK.

Kids in the neighborhood would be the least of my problems. I won't be selling from home for fear the neighbors might send in friends to claim I was selling poisonous eggs or something.

Nope! I am looking toward building a client list of friends and friends of friends to sell to. Ten dozen sold a week will keep my personal egg numbers down to controllable.

Bobm, I already show a profit with my farm. I've not put anything related to livestock in the farm (Form F) since I didn't have anything other than a money out/nothing in for the chickens until now.

 

[catjac1975]

Not a bad idea, Catjac1975. I just sold my first two dozen eggs. I am overrun with eggs. I figure that if I can find someone to buy 10 dozen eggs a week I should be able to keep up with my birds.

Bobm, I have just officially gotten into the Form F area. Now that the birds are bringing in an income, the outlay is deductible.

Seriously? You are going to claim the few dollars tha

Kids in the neighborhood would be the least of my problems. I won't be selling from home for fear the neighbors might send in friends to claim I was selling poisonous eggs or something.

Nope! I am looking toward building a client list of friends and friends of friends to sell to. Ten dozen sold a week will keep my personal egg numbers down to controllable.

Bobm, I already show a profit with my farm. I've not put anything related to livestock in the farm (Form F) since I didn't have anything other than a money out/nothing in for the chickens until now.

Speaking of your crazy neighbors...How is that going? Any better?

 

[Smart Red]

Catjac1975, I have to claim the egg money. Few dollars or not, it is income. I really just need enough out-lay to cover the income.