Any one Chicks?

Hey, I am looking for some chicks!! Layers. And looking for a couple of silkies.


Let me know, and if you recommend a hatchery, and you could explain your experience I would love you for life!!

I've used Ideal Hatchery and was very satified with them the chicks all arrived in excellent condition and they all survived and were very beautiful chickens when they were grown.
The service was very friendly and i used them for 2 years and only ran into one problem and that was i ordered less than 25 chicks and these were bantams and they added standard males for warmth and they crushed the bantams i think only 3 survived and i ordered 10

Hope i help you **Harmony**

Thanks!

I had great luck with Meyers as well as Ideal.

I use Estes Hatchery and I love them. Any problems I have ever had, they have taken care in a very timely matter and really have only had 1 problem in the last 2 years.

Sheila

Ok. Thanks, does anyone know how many you can order a least?

Most hatcheries have a minimum order of 25 chicks.

The only one I know that will do less is mypetchicken.com and they will do as few as 3, but they recommend at least 5 to 8 chicks for the best results. They need more to stay warm in the travels.

Claire

I think it was Ideal (but it might have been Meyer's) that I ordered my 6 chicks in the special small order through. They threw in a 7th in case of casualities. They came through in very cold weather in a nicely designed little box with a chemical heating pad. I was very pleased. It does cost more though.

On this note, is there any benefit to going online for chicks as opposed to a local Agway (if you have Agway chains [maybe there are different versions there])-basically a farm center, co-op. (eek, I am so naive about this!)??????? I was going to get mine online but hubby suggested going up the road to the Co-op since we only want a couple right at first, come spring...
Alas, no one seemed too interested in my last thread- Boo Hoo! :(
No, I know you are all really busy and all but I was curious about the whole homemade chicken feed or at least what are you allowed to give them scrap-wise without making them sick?

As far as my opinion i would order them online the co op if it's like the one here Tractor supply did'nt pickup the chicks at the post office until mid morning and those poor chicks sat at the post office for 3 hours. When i order it's by phone and credit card and they tell me the delivery date. I have my brooder all ready and the light on the day of the delivery and the post office calls me around 6:30am and i go pick them up i prefer this over letting somebody else order them and the co op could charge you more than the hatchery price.

Hi Brit,

I'm sorry I didn't comment on your last thread - didn't have much to say. I feed layena pellets to my layers, I feed medicated chick feed for the first 2 weeks to my chicks, and then switch to unmedicated. Switch to pellets (gradually) around 16 weeks or so. As far as human food goes, I feed cottage cheese, oatmeal, bread scraps, ANY vegetable scraps EXCEPT potato peels and avocado. I thought you were asking about people who grow their own grains and mix them, etc. There is a good recipe for homemade feed in the "Nutrition 101" thread. Personally I do not really have the time for that at this point but may do so in future. They can have pretty much any veggies. Also if I trim weeds, I give them armloads of weed scraps....they love dandelion.

Back to the chicks thing, I think your local farm store is fine as long as you are happy with what they have. Some of us crazy addicts need exotic breeds to keep us getting our "fix"! I think feed stores tend to have Rhode Island Reds (good layers), barred rocks, maybe leghorns or a few other standard breeds of excellent layers and/or meat chickens. They are most likely from a local source and you could probably find out the source if you ask.

Claire

I am not too picky about what I get as long as they are friendly! As a novice and because I am only getting a few, I don't know that I would chance a mail shipment. I am nervous enough ordering plants online; will they or will they not survive the mail! Can you imagine me waiting for a shipment of chicks! As far as the feed, thanks for the info, I was NOT going to be growing grain (imagine that on my 1/2 acre!) but thinking moreso on buying the bulk component parts perhaps and making some kind of concoction. Can you tell I have a lot of time on MY hands!? LOL

Yup, this is definitely the thread to look at for that! TF makes a lot of her own stuff.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/888425/

I've had the best luck with Strombergs. Nice people. healthy chicks and they send the sex you ask for. I have had trouble with Ideal sending a lot of roosters when I order and pay for hens.

Oh my.. look what I found!!!!!!

http://www.eggbid.com/search/search_results.cfm?search_type=seller_search&search_text=993743725&search_name=Search+by+Seller&order_by=date_end&sort_order=DESC&auction_mode=0

Now ZZ remember you promised......................

Oh--I never looked at the bird page before--just the hatching eggs. Ooooooo!

HANDS OFF CATSCAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(((((((((((((SMACKEROO!))))))))))))))))))))
************************************************
CF

Yes...tempting, but look at this part:

" The buyer is to pay a box and S/H fee of $65.00 "

Crikey! Thanks, but I'll wait for the CF to wave her wand and give me a local Blue or Black Copper Maran breeder!

Gotta love those blue Splash Marans! WOW!

britbrighton we ordered ours from Ideal. It was very easy. The post office called early in the morning so I could pick them up before they opened to the public. Our order had 25 chicks, 4 ducks and a pair of geese. One duck arrived ill and died the next day. Ideal refunded it's cost, no arguments. Later they refunded the cost of 5 roos because they were not the breed we had ordered. We got to keep the birds.

I like buying right from the company cause there is less handling than going to Agway, etc. Those companies also order their chicks from these same companies and the chicks have to travel by mail to reach them. Then they go in the store display where they're played with by anyone till you pick some out and buy them. Much more stress on the chicks! In addition buying from the companies you can choose the breed or breeds you want and genders though mistakes are made but if you complain you can get your money back on those mistakes.

MollyD

I know this is going to sound childish or whatever but I really don't want to open a box and find a dead baby chick! I know its part of life but if it dies en route, I would just feel awful. If something happens on my watch at least I will know I did my best with them...Maybe I will just call Agway in the spring before they get their shipment and be there when it arrives to get them before any major handling is done. I know it sounds silly. I am sure I will get used to it in time with more experience. To date, I have none!

shhh, just found a few black copper marans... 2 hens and a roo.. what would I get if I use him with my cuckoo marans, I have 4 hens?

The only time we can get local chicks, other than from people like me, private chicken folk.. is in the spring at the farm stores.. they usually get a load or 2 in and thats it.

and some times they don't know when the chicks will get in like this year.

MollyD