Every figure on this page is the template's own, an extension estimate and not a measurement of any farm. Your own hours and harvests calibrate it once you log them.
Where the numbers come from
- MO · University of Missouri Extension, Mobile Poultry for Meat Planning Budget (G742), 2025 primary
- KY · University of Kentucky, Department of Agricultural Economics, Small Scale Broiler Production Decision Aid, 2017
- US · NCAT / ATTRA, Pastured Poultry Budgets (IP361), 2010
- US · Poultry Science, Pasture-based versus conventional broiler chicken production: enterprise budget modeling and profitability analysis (Alves, Vukina, Bartz, Eckberg, Pullin), 2026
Figured at 100 birds, the size of operation the primary source describes. Full production from the first season.
Hours by week
100 birds of Pastured broilers in 2026, week by week. The dashed line is 40 hours, one person's week. The busiest week holds 22 h (Apr 20 to Apr 26).
Weeks that cannot move
Biology or a booking sets these; nothing can reschedule them.
- Brood: Feb 23 to Mar 22, Aug 10 to Sep 6
- Pasture (move pens, feed, water): Mar 16 to Apr 26, Aug 31 to Oct 11
- Processing: Apr 20 to Apr 26, Oct 5 to Oct 11
Where it lands on a mixed farm
Each pair of templates is run together on a made-up farm of one person at 40 hours, the way Farm Draft runs a plan. A week is listed when the scheduler finds work that cannot move, at least 8 hours from each, adding up to more than 40. The weeks are computed, not written: change a template and they change.
| Collides with | Weeks | Worst week | This template | The other | Fixed work |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pick-your-own and event days | 1 (Oct 5 to Oct 11) | Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Processing, 17 h | Host event days (setup, check-in, field, parking, cleanup), 38 h | 59 h |
Not checked, because their sources state no size of operation: Cut flowers (bunches, direct), Hair sheep (pasture lambs), Pastured feeder pigs (whole and half hogs), Stocker cattle (summer grazing).
Tasks
| Task | Hours fixed | Hours per bird | When | Rigidity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Order chicks | 0.5 h | — | once, Batch start -21 days | Flexible, 7 days |
| Brood | 0.25 h | 0.001 h a bird | daily, Batch start | Fixed |
| Pasture (move pens, feed, water) | 0.3 h | 0.005 h a bird | daily, Batch start +21 days | Fixed |
| Processing | 2 h | 0.15 h a bird | once, Batch end | Fixed |
| Sales / delivery | — | 0.05 h a bird | once, Batch end +1 day | Flexible, 7 days |
Costs
| Line | Amount | Schedule F |
|---|---|---|
| Chicks | $3.10 a bird | Livestock purchased |
| Feed (15 lb/bird) | $5.10 a bird | Feed |
| Packaging | $0.25 a bird | Supplies |
Revenue
| Line | Price | Yield | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole birds | $20.25 a bird | 1 bird a bird | 4.5 lb a bird |
Farm Draft records the tax category of each line and leaves the choice of treatment to your CPA.
Run it on your own farm
Add Pastured broilers next to the rest of what you grow and raise. Farm Draft puts every enterprise in one weekly calendar against the hours you actually have and names the week they collide.
The other templates
- Beef cow-calf
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Cut flowers (bunches, direct)
- Hair sheep (pasture lambs)
- Hay (tall fescue, custom baled)
- Honeybees
- Laying hens
- Market garden (mixed vegetables)
- Meat goats (pasture and browse)
- Orchard (apple and pear, semi-dwarf)
- Pastured feeder pigs (whole and half hogs)
- Pick-your-own and event days
- Raspberries
- Stocker cattle (summer grazing)