Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Aldeer General Forum Any chicken house owners here

Can you make a living with two chicken houses and the payment, I was told them things are over a half a million each. And what are the chances the chicken company pulls your contract before they're paid for?

This is the best way I view chicken houses now . It’s a side job . Insurance and input cost vs cash flow they provide isn’t there anymore . Example last year (was PP ) gave us a “raise” . to combat this raise they cut chick placement 2500-3500 birds per house .we get paid per pound so there went the raise then some . They require Constant upgrades to keep you under their thumb ( some are needed some are not) . Now they will hire anybody of the street with 0 experience as “field reps” to come in and tell guys who have been growing chickens 30+ years how much they know about chickens . It’s pretty impressive really that they learned how to grow a perfect chicken in 6 months .(it usually requires you to spend 50-75k in upgrades )
Chicken companies are a well oiled machine in which 90% of profits are shared at the top and the growers / drivers/field reps fight for the table scraps . If there was any money in the growing aspect the corporations would own the houses and equipment and just hire illegals to manage the houses for them .
Price fixing and market manipulation is commonplace in the industry . If I were to build houses today I would have a full camera and security system to watch feed and catch trucks come and go from the farm . Multiple times we have been charged for feed that never came to the farm and half a load of chickens just magically disappear on the way to the processor . You have to really watch and “ call them out “ on it or they will burn your azz on little stuff like that . Here are some examples of price fixing bc our chickens were too heavy they just add some on to bring avg weight down to what they want to pay you

Too much truth. Took me about a year to figure that out

I’ll sell you a golf course…….

I’m not nearly prestigious enough for that.

Another example of you just got to press on with it. 3 houses went out last night. Got to get those dead up they left, walk the other three that are full. Need to get the 3 that’s gone decaked and that litter spread today and tomorrow. All while throwing your guts up with stomach bug… when you can’t find help, or can’t afford help…

I have a couple of buddies who own chicken houses and it appears to be a part time job to me because one works another job and one has plenty of time on his hands. The one with another job has one hand who helps him and the other doesn’t. I think the biggest thing is you have to be close by all of the time and week-long beach trips are dang near out of the question.