Forget paper rounds or the supermarket checkout, a couple of entrepreneurial brothers from central Queensland have found breeding unusual chickens is growing their nest egg.

Based at Yarwun, outside Gladstone, 15-year-old Marcus Guerassimoff and his little brother Bailey, 13, started 'Funky Chickens' a few years ago and business is booming.

They are now selling upwards of 15 fancy chooks a week that all began with some homeless chickens.

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The brothers received a few hens from a friend who was moving away, from there they've bred hundreds of chickens and say their product has now become a gift for many others.

"Normally, it's little kids and they come with their parents and pick a chook or it's husbands getting their wives a good present," Marcus said.

"$5 is the cheapest and $15 is the dearest."

Bailey said they were careful to cover costs with their pricing.

"It goes up with how much we have to feed them and how old they are."

New pens under construction as business expands

Bailey Guerassimoff rounds up a frizzle chicken as his brother Marcus watches on. ( ABC Rural: Amy McCosker )

The business is growing as new chicks hatch every 21 days.

Marcus and Bailey are always expanding their pens and have even started breeding larger livestock.

"It's a pretty solid business," Marcus said.

"We've got the cows now … the chickens have made it heaps easier to buy them so we are getting more and more."

Bailey said breeding cattle was not that much different from chickens.

"We've got to the point where instead of just buying and selling cows, we are breeding them now," he said.

"You've got to have a good bull or a good rooster to put over a few hens — the better the parents, the better the kids."

A big purchase for the business was an egg incubator.

Marcus said that had lifted their production and ensured they could meet demand, which was always growing.

"We were always going to buy one and it was a pretty big investment, but it's been helpful," he said.

"Before when there were no hens, there were no chicks but now we've got the incubator going all the time and we restock it every month or every 21 days when they hatch.

"So now we've got a constant supply.

"We went through a point where we didn't have enough chickens for what people wanted, that's where all the extensions have come in."

Grandma helps boys develop their business

One of the boys' frizzle hens displays her unusual plumage ( ABC Rural: Amy McCosker )

Running a growing business has been a challenge for the boys.

Luckily their grandmother Dianne Guerassimoff has been on hand to help where she can.

"I've just done the Nan thing and made them do the financial side of it so they understand it," she said.

"I made them keep their books, they understand they've got money coming in and out.

"Early in the piece they had to go the 'bank of Nan' or the 'bank of Dad' for a while, but they've gotten to the point where they don't have to anymore.

"I am very proud of the boys, they've done a top job … they are learning about money, about business, they're learning customer relations — just life skills."

"It'll get them their first car and I don't know what will happen after that but they're very lucky because out here on the farm they can't have a little after-school job.

"This takes the place of that and they're doing very well at it."

Both Marcus and Bailey agreed they would not be where they were today without business advice from older generations.

Marcus said they made sure they looked after their mentors.

"Poppy gets a carton of beer and Nan gets a bottle of wine every now and then," he said.

Dianne Guerassimoff said that was more than enough.

"Plus lots of hugs."