- Is it possible to manage predation without a human being present?
- Is it possible to manage predation with a human being present, and if so, is it possible or profitable to have a human being present at all times?
- How much can food cost be reduced by extensive foraging?
This is basically an intensive rotational grazing system for ducks.
The price point should be $7-8 per dozen. The profits for myself and Elana/kids if washing eggs should be $60k net after taxes. Which means ~$80-90k net before taxes.
The expenses are labor, an egg washing machine, shelter, dogs (2 Australian sheperds). The shelter can be towed and parked near the fields you are working, or, if at Jubilee for example, could be stationary, and the ducks herded to their new area each day, or kept in a certain area for a few days to a week, if a large area. That's what the wild ducks seem to do -- occupy a certain pond for a few days or more at a time, then move on.
Indian Runners or Dutch Hook Bills, which may be able to forage for all their food.
In and ideal scenario, with the ducks foraging all of their feed, you might get suboptimal egg production (150 eggs/year) but with no feed costs. Thus, 100 ducks would lay 15,000 eggs or 1,250 dozen per year, which at $7.25 would be ~$9k in profits. If you have no variable costs then the profits would accrue almost entirely after the capital was paid down. Your monthly expenses -- fuel, supplements, dog feed, etc, would remain. Still, if after capital and monthly expenses you lost a quarter of your profits, you would still hit $60k after taxes at 1,200 birds.
Start with 50 birds. Learn to herd them on the weekends. Keep them in a stationary shelter during the day on weekdays, except Elana can let them out when she's out.
