Building New Poultry Houses: An Interview with a 5th Generation Farmer

A 5th generation farmer explains his decision to add more poultry houses to his farm.
building new poultry houses an interview with a 5th generation farmer

Jeff Thomas is a 5th generation farmer and 3rd generation chicken farmer. He's building two more poultry houses on top of the six he already has. Watch below to learn why!


Growing a Farm Business

Jeff's plan to add more poultry houses to his farm is strategized. In 2017, he tore down four old poultry houses. He built four new houses in 2019. A few years later, he added two more. And now in 2023, he is building two more, bringing him to a total of eight houses. He supports his grown children and himself with both jobs and profit with his current houses, and plans to grow further by building two more houses. This will grow his business and keep putting money back into his family.

In Jeff's experience, it works like this:

If you have two houses, profits from one of the houses can pay the mortgage for both of them. The other house can pay the utility bills and leave you some money to spare.

Now, imagine doubling this with four houses. You can still pay the mortgage and utilities, but you have even more money left over. The same theory applies when you have six and then eight houses.

Jeff notes that while you may not be getting rich, by using this method he's made enough to have a good country life and support his family. He's gained more margin as he's grown, and feels confident in his ability to pass on both the farm and the land to his family one day. 

Jeff's best advice on growing a poultry farm business? Someone needs to be on the farm at all times. As we've mentioned, the best thing you can put on your farm is your own shadow!

Contact Us

Have any questions or ideas for future Poultry Biosecurity videos? Contact Allen Reynolds at allen@southlandorganics.com or 800-608-3755.

About the Author

Izy Dobbins

Isabella (Izy) Dobbins

Marketing Manager

This was written by Isabella (Izy) Dobbins, Southland Organics' Marketing Manager. Izy has devoted her education and career to communicating science-related topics. With an enthusiasm for sharing accurate and honest content relating to science and agriculture, she ensures Southland Organics' publications are as informative as they are interesting. Izy graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor's degree in advertising, minors in both Spanish and environmental health science and a Certificate in Sustainability. She has been working at Southland Organics since 2021.

Learn more about Izy Dobbins

Allen Reynolds

Poultry Sales Manager

This was edited by Allen Reynolds, Southland Organics’ Poultry Sales Manager. Allen spent years working on poultry farms, from installing equipment to dumping chicks. He has been helping poultry farmers overcome obstacles since 2014, focusing on poultry farm strength in the antibiotic-free environment since 2017. He has traveled thousands of miles and worked closely with hundreds of farmers during his time with Southland Organics. Allen is known by even more farmers from the YouTube channel Poultry Biosecurity, where he regularly appears in videos that educate farmers on topics like bird health and farm business.

Learn more about Allen Reynolds

Allen Reynolds
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