opening up new gamebird business

[sugar run gamebirds]

hi everyone we are opening up a new gamebird business in sw pennsylvania. we are located in 84 pa.between pittsburgh and washington.we will be having ring necks,bobwhites and tennesse reds.

[WHITNEYPLU]

Best of luck to ya

[sugar run gamebirds]

thank you whitneyplu we are busier then we thought we would be. we have been selling birds like crazy so far.it kind of helps to know all the guys in every dog club for at least a 100 mile radius and our convenient location. we thank god for our good fortune to be doing as well as were are.just hope it keeps going.

   Lenny
Sugar Run Gamebirds

[PAcortunix]

Good Luck! From one PA gamebirder to another! I'm in central PA though. Owell still neighbors in some sense!
lol
 

[sugar run gamebirds]

well thanks neighbor. good luck to you to!

[Pheasant Hollow Farm]

hi everyone we are opening up a new gamebird business in sw pennsylvania. we are located in 84 pa.between pittsburgh and washington.we will be having ring necks,bobwhites and tennesse reds.

sugar run gamebirds,

I wish you all the luck in the world. As you know, luck has nothing to do with the raising and selling of game birds, whether it is for profit or as a hobby. Just make sure, as they say, you have all your ducks in a row.

This is not something that can be done without some sort of capital, equity or disposal income.

The amount of money that it takes for you build your pens and brooders will not be seen as return for a least 5 years. Equipment purchased will also have to be deducted along with any cost associated with the initial capital setup over so many years.

Location and economy play a major role in this business. Advertisements, sales agreements are a must. Word of mouth is good for they small business. The clients that you have this year may not be around next year. By this I mean either the local small shooting preserves, going bust, or the local hunting clubs deciding to raising their own birds, or getting them cheaper. Let’s not forget the local guide/outfitters that buy the birds from you for either shoot to retrieve or dog trials. Most of them are also a fly-by-night operations that last one or two years.

You may acquire some local farmers looking to propagate their farm lands or the local yokel and his buddies looking for birds to release on their farm or someone else’s property that they have permission to hunt on but, will they be there next year? I would say 50/50 chance, along with the farmer looking to propagate his land. Why?, the farmer didn’t see any return on his investment in propagation, and the hunters didn’t see the return on the birds they released and shot at for the price per bird.

Don’t forget the ever increasing cost of feed/medication, water, electric and repairs associated with this business. Trying to recoup the cost associated to price increases does not fare well with the people looking to purchase birds. What you may have gotten per bird last year either as a single or in quantity will not be taken lightly from the little guy next year. I don’t care if it is a $.25 increase per bird, they will still complain and either pay the difference, or go elsewhere.

If you have a few established shooting preserve that have been around more then 5 years, then you have a better shot of keeping then as a client. Just remember, they shop around for the cheapest price as well. Those shooting preserves that have been around less then 3 years never make it. Why, their cost factor. Their prices are too high to compensate for your increases.

Another risk factor to consider, what about the birds that are left over? The birds that are left over from last years stock will be going on at least 1 year old. Do you sell the one year olds at the same price as the birds that were hatched this year? If you do, what about the cost factor involved in feeding last years birds as hold over compared to this years hatching?  What about the client wanting the older birds being bigger then the 20-30 week old birds at the same price?

Just some food for thought, I am not looking to discourage you just be aware that this is not the type of industry that you are going to get rich in especially if you are going to be a one man operation.

Steve
Pheasant Hollow Farm

[sugar run gamebirds]

thanks for the advise Steve.this is something that has been 3 years in the making.i have planned thought and rechecked everything i could.i have raised birds as a hobby for training my dogs for sometime.we live in a great area here for bird demand.i belong to akc clubs and navhda.so we supply them with birds for tests and club training.here in swpa we have alot of guys and ladies who train their own dogs and they keep me busy.i have bird contracts with 3 different dog trainers who have been training dogs for 20 plus years.we have several hunting preserves here who strive from sept to April.so i have contracts in place already.we are in the tristate area so i have guys from Ohio,WV and pa buying birds.and yes we have went through some hard times this year between coons and avian predator,feed prices and some bad weather bad luck.but overall i am very pleased with the business.i think it is all about our homework we did, people we talked to who committed to us this year with blind faith for suppling them birds.but again thanks for the advise there are some other points in there that i will look into more.


    Lenny
Sugar Run Gamebirds

[alexanderpeafowl]

WOW, We opened up our own business also in north central PA also....

[maplesummitgamebirds]

Welcome to another PA game bird farmer. I am in north/north east PA, just north of Williamsport. There has been some good advise given so far, just do your thing and cover your butt and you will be ok. Let me know if there is ever anything I can do to help you out.

Bryan

Maple Summit Game Birds

[alexanderpeafowl]

How far north of Williamsport are you? I am also north of Williamsport...

[maplesummitgamebirds]

I'm about 30-45 mins north of Williamsport, about 7 miles from Canton near the tiny town of Shunk. I also have some pens in the Ralston area on Rt. 14. Where are you located?

[hoofster]

Lenny,
Good luck, we need more people like you.Your not that far away from me and I travel through your area 4-5 times a year,so hope to see ya soon.Will get back to ya with those pics as soon as I get them.
                                                                                                    Dave

[Jake Levi]

Lot of good advice here, me, I been watching this from aside for more then a half century, I still like it best as a hobby, another view, I think its a business for a much younger person, one who likes 16 hr days.  The old saw applys, " its a great way to make a small fortune, if you start with a large one".

Nuff, good luck to you all, you are filling a real need, I wish you all could be remunerated much more.

Enjoy, and do well.

[sugar run gamebirds]

Well our first year went excellent.we blew by our first year exceptions and we are already in full force for the spring.other then a few weasels that invaded the quail house no major issues.we are adding another 12000 sq ft of pheasant pens.2 new quail runs and a new chukar run. we are in the process of getting npip certified.have another account in WV for 6000 birds this fall.going to poultry technician class so i can draw my own blood. but things are going great.we added 3 new incubators for the spring.things never seem to calm down around here.we have quail eggs in the incubator right now so we have mature birds for spring.several hunting clubs,preserves and bird dog owners have entrusted us to supply them with all their bird needs and we thank them everyday for making our business grow.we have added the chukar,cortunix quail,red golden pheasants,and Georgia giant quail this year.Tennessee red quail were a very big seller this year for us.but with the help from a local breeder here who is retiring he has helped us alot with his years of knowledge and contacts we Have learned alot in making our little venture grow huge.this year we are looking at raising about 20,000 birds which probally is not going to be enough but we keep our fingers crossed here that our business continues to grow.



     Lenny
Sugar Run Gamebirds

[MtBullion Gamebirds]

Lenny,  So glad things are going great.  We are doing pretty good out here in CA.  Hope next season goes as good for you as last.