What are the costs and profits of free-range native chickens in rural areas, and do the costs change at large-scale free-range operations?

Many farmers raise native chickens, mostly by free-range methods, which makes greater use of natural resources and effectively reduces feed costs, but there is not enough understanding of the overall cost of free-range native chickens. Below I will calculate for you the cost and profit of free-range native chickens as well as the cost of large-scale free-range native chickens!

I. Cost of free-range native chickens

From raising chicks to marketing at slaughter, it mainly includes chick cost, vaccine cost, and feed cost:

1. Chick cost: Generally on the market, one chick costs about 3.5 yuan. If the farmer breeds and raises them himself, the price of one chick is about 1.5 yuan to 2.0 yuan lower than the market price.

2. Vaccine cost: Chicken raising focuses on prevention. The cost of chicken vaccines depends on the scale of the farmer. One dose of vaccine costs 20 yuan and can be injected into 1000-2000 birds. Commercial native chickens are generally vaccinated 3-4 times, and the vaccine cost per chicken is below 0.2 yuan.

3. Feeding cost: Native chickens are mainly free-range. According to the growth physiology of native chickens and the accumulation characteristics of nutritional components, they can be marketed at slaughter in 110 days, reaching a weight of 2.5-3.0 jin for market. The meat is fresh and tender, and this is the best period balancing physique, quality, and cost. The feed cost of raising one chicken is about 15 yuan.

Native chickens sell well and fetch a good market price. Calculated at 15 yuan/jin, a 2.5-jin native chicken can sell for about 38 yuan. After deducting costs, 3.5 yuan + 0.2 yuan + 15 yuan = 18.7 yuan, the net profit per chicken is generally between 18-20 yuan. If the farmer breeds and raises them himself, the profit will be even higher. Based on the current national selling price of native chickens, the net profit per native chicken raised is 10 yuan-20 yuan.

Of course, these are theoretical costs. In fact, costs have recently been about 1.5 yuan higher, and veterinary drugs and feed are also a bit more expensive, while the price of native chickens is between 8 yuan and 9.5 yuan. After four months, a hen weighs about 2 jin, and this is still a native crossbreed chicken; pure native chickens weigh even less.

II. Cost of large-scale free-range native chickens

1. Calculated at 2 yuan per female chick.

2. Raising one chicken for five to six months requires about 19-22 yuan in supplementary feed costs. For the first 100 days, the average is 0.1 feed per day; for the next 60-80 days, the average is 0.15 feed per day. If all-in/all-out is not possible, one day of eating costs 0.15 yuan in feed.

3. Epidemic prevention and treatment drug cost: 0.8 yuan/bird.

4. For fully free-range native chickens, the survival rate is generally 50-75%, which depends on your management level, technology, and luck.

5. Dead chicken cost is calculated at 8 yuan.

6. Labor costs, water and electricity costs, and depreciation of fixed assets are not calculated.

The cost per chicken is between 28 and 32, the wholesale price of native chickens is between 9-11 yuan/jin, and the average weight is 2.5 jin. No matter how you calculate it, it is a losing business.

III. Investment and profit of free-range native chickens

Below we take 4000 free-range native chickens (mixed male and female) as an example to explain the cost and profit of raising native chickens. The marketed birds are divided into 140-day roosters and 140-day laying hens.

1. Land area occupied: 20 mu of woodland, calculated at an average of 200 birds per mu, rent 2000 yuan/year, 100 yuan/mu/year.

2. Housing construction cost: 400 sq m, calculated at 5-10 birds per sq m, can raise 4000 birds. At 140 days, the roosters must be culled, leaving only 2000 hens, so only 400 sq m of chicken housing is built. The materials are cement tiles, hollow bricks, bamboo roof beams, simple doors and windows, sand and gravel compacted ground, height 1.7-2.0 m, cost 50 yuan/sq m, totaling 20000 yuan. Depreciation period is five years, 4000 yuan per year.

3. Chicken-raising equipment, such as brooders, heating equipment, feed buckets, water pipes, sprayers, shovels, egg frames, etc., totaling 8000 yuan, depreciation of 1600 yuan per year.

4. Chick cost: 2 yuan/bird, survival rate 98%, so 4000 chickens require buying 4080 chicks, requiring 8160 yuan.

5. Feed cost: When native chickens are free-range, they must be supplemented with feed every morning and evening. Brooding is 28-35 days until heating is stopped, all using chick feed. At the current chick feed price of 2500 yuan/T, each chick eats one jin, so 4000 chicks require 5000 yuan of chick feed. Later-stage feed is calculated separately for rooster feed. A. Roosters are raised another 110 days, weigh 1.5 kg, each chicken consumes 8.25 kg of feed, unit price 2 yuan/kg. That is 16.5 yuan per rooster. B. Hens are raised to 20 weeks of age, weigh 1.35 kg, use grower feed, unit price 2.2 yuan/kg, requirement 8.25 kg, that is 16.5 yuan per hen. C. Hens have already laid eggs after 140 days of age, consuming an average of 100 g of feed per day, 2.25 yuan/kg layer feed. That is 0.225 yuan/day, with a laying rate of 55%, so the feed cost per egg is 0.41 yuan.

6. Drug and vaccine cost: vaccine 0.3 yuan/bird, drugs 0.8 yuan/bird, totaling 1.1 yuan.

7. Brooding equipment depreciation 0.3 yuan, electricity 0.1 yuan, heating cost 0.3 yuan, totaling 0.7 yuan per chicken.

8. Direct cost per rooster for 140 days: that is, chick, feed, drug costs, etc. M = 2 yuan/chick + 1.25 yuan/chick feed + 16.5/grower feed + 1.1 yuan/vaccine and drugs + 0.7 equipment, heating, water and electricity, etc. + land depreciation 1 yuan + chicken housing depreciation 1 yuan, etc. = 23.55 yuan/bird, weight generally 3 jin, cost per jin is 7.85 yuan.

9. Cost per hen up to laying (140 days) M = 2 yuan/chick + 1.25 yuan/chick feed + 15 yuan/grower feed + 1.1 yuan/vaccine and drugs + 0.7 yuan equipment, water, electricity, heating, etc. + land depreciation 1 yuan + chicken housing depreciation 1 yuan = 22.05 yuan/bird, each bird 2.7 jin, so cost per jin is 8.17 yuan.

10. The cost per egg was mentioned earlier: 0.41 yuan + 0.05 yuan equipment depreciation = 0.46 yuan/egg.

11. Total investment funds: calculated up to 140 days when laying begins. Although chickens are still being raised afterward, egg sales are profitable, so no additional investment is needed, only rolling development. M = 2000 yuan land rent + 20000 yuan chicken housing construction cost + 8160 yuan/chicks + 5000 yuan/chick feed + 16.5 yuan/rooster feed × 2000 roosters = 33000 yuan + 30000/pre-laying chicken feed + 4000 yuan/drugs, etc. + 8000 equipment, water, electricity, heating, etc. + 800 yuan/egg frames, etc. = 110160 yuan.

12. Net profit per rooster sold at 140 days: weight 3 jin, market wholesale price 11 yuan/jin. Total 33 yuan/bird, minus the previously mentioned cost of 23.55 yuan, that is 9.45 yuan/bird.

13. Commercial native chicken eggs sell for 0.80 yuan, profit per egg 0.34 yuan. If calculated at a laying rate of 55%, 2000 hens can produce 1100 commercial eggs per day, earning 374 yuan/day.

14. Profit per hen when raised to 450 days: weight 2.8 jin, selling price 11 yuan/jin, the increased growth cost in between is more than offset by the added value of eggs, calculated at 30.8 yuan/bird sold, minus cost 22.72 yuan, earning 8.75 yuan/bird.

15. Comprehensive: Profit situation of a 4000-bird native chicken farm:

① 2000 roosters, 2000 × 9.45 yuan/rooster = 18900 yuan.

② After 450 days, sell hens: 2000 × 8.75 yuan/hen = 17500 yuan.

③ Hen egg-laying profit: 300 days × 374 yuan = 112200 yuan.

Total profit: 18900 yuan (roosters) + 17500 yuan (culled laying hens) + 112200 yuan (eggs) = 148600 yuan.

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15. What needs to be explained here is:

① It is assumed that the male-to-female ratio is calculated at 50% each.

② The survival rate is calculated at 98% brooding survival. How many die midway depends on raising technology and luck. The hen laying rate is taken as 55%; this fluctuation range is not small and directly determines your profit or loss.

③ Selling prices and feed prices differ across the country, so costs and profits vary somewhat.

④ Free-range chickens finding wild grass, small insects, green vegetables, etc. in mountain forests as supplementary food varies in how much feed it saves, so costs also differ. In addition, chicken manure as organic fertilizer can save the cost of buying fertilizer for fruit forests, and eating insects and weeds can save herbicides and pesticides, which is also a benefit.

⑤ The above is for family self-raising. If workers are hired, workers' wages must also be deducted.

⑥ If you want to build your own brand, or produce and sell yourself, the product price can be raised, but short-term operating costs will increase.

⑦ The larger the scale of free-range native chickens, the greater the difficulty of breeding and the higher the requirements for the site. Of course, costs decrease and profits increase.