I just ordered 10 Blue Cochin bantams but the hatchery is adding in 10 males as packing material to keep them warm for travel. She said they would be extras from other breeds. I have no room for 20 chickens so what do I do with them?? Would anyone here like some male chicks?? Please Dmail me if you do!! Any other suggestions would be welcomed!
What to do with the extra packing chicks??
Someone must have had to deal with this before?
Actually, it is the reason I pay extra for a "small order" at certain hatcheries where they put in a small heating pad instead.
The hatcheries always have way too many roo chicks--they end up killing most of them, the rest they use as heaters for the chicks they sell. Having hatched chicks and at times getting almost all roos, I understand their problem.
It is easy to get rid of roos on "freecycle". Some one will always take them for meat. Or you can take them to feed stores...some will take them and even pay. But in both cases the preference is for fully grown roos. You might be able to sell them for a small amount on craigslist as chicks. The fact that people will eventually eat them...well they will have a much longer life than at the hatchery.
Occasionally, someone from 4H will take one, especially if it is a rare breed. I would start with Craigslist and go from there. If you can afford raise them to 4 or 5 months and they are a desirable breed, some one is more likely to buy them as breeders....
Well, yes, but it's an individual decision, and maybe not an easy one. For me, I know that getting less than 25 (in your case, 20) by mailorder is not going to happen at a price I consider reasonable, so I either order enough of chickens I do want, or split an order with someone else. The included males are considered disposable by the hatchery, and included only for warmth. They will probably turn out to be male sex-links. If not used a filler, they would be probably be shredded, or sold as "feeder" chicks. You might be able to find a local pet store that would take (or even buy) them from you.
Catscan - which hatchery lets you order small orders like that? I've never heard of a heating pad being put in. That would be helpful as I need to order less than 25 chicks at a time also. or start hatching my own.
Hi greykyttyn--some of the hatcheries that will do varying forms of small order are:
MyPetChicken (as few as 3)
Meyers (big charge--but that is how I bought mine and they were in great shape)
Cackle (I think)
HealthyChicks and more.
You have to really look--some consider 10 a small order others will go as low as 3. There was a thread on this somewhere.
You might ask whether your feed store would order for you (if they deal in chicks). That is where I've gotten my pullets. I buy the number I want and they put the others out for sale. Of course I am a good customer so they may not always be so obliging.
Our feed store does that too...and I am not that great a customer. But if they are putting in an order, they will add what you want to it. Of course you have to order from the hatchery they use...and in my case I ended up with four roosters when I'd ordered four pullets....but in general I think it works well.
Thank you all for your answers! I went in to a few feed stores today and the 3rd one I went in to said they would take the chicks! We got to talking and he said he had an order going out today and that I wouldn't have to worry about the extras because he had a large enough order going out. I was able to cancel my other order and get my chicks 2 weeks earlier! Yippy!!
I would never have thought my feed store would have taken chicks thank you again for helping me solve my problem!
Caren
Good deal Caren! I love it when things work out like that.