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What am I supposed to do!?!?!? PLZ HELP

post #1 of 9
1/24/12 at 4:08pm
Thread Starter 

Ok so I have a little "problem".  I have two laying hens and they have been laying pretty well (averaging 12 a week) and I want more chickens (hehe chicken fever)  I got the chickens I have from Tractor supply, but there is a minimum of 6 that you have to get.  Normally, like last time, it would be fine, but this time I am wanting more of a variety (usually they just have one or 2 type of breed at a time.) And so that puts TSC out of the question.  So ive been doing some research and ive looked EVERYWHERE online for the perfect hatchery, but I can't find one.  They either have a minimum amount thats too high (15 or 25)  or they cost too much  30-50$ shipping plus cost of chicks and I only want six or seven so that would be a waste.  Ideal was the PERFECT site and so we were filling out our order but when we submitted it, it didn't work and so we tried a couple more times and it still didn't work (just went to home screen) and so the next day I went and filled out the order again and to my unlucky suprize the cuckoo marans were unavalible.  The chickens I want are leghorns, marans, easter eggers,  and wyandottes for: white, dark brown, and blue/green eggs.  (and 1 or 2 for the coloring of them (wyandottes) )  I was willing to switch out the cuckoo marans for another dark brown laying breed but ALL of them were unavalible until may.  Could you guys  PLEASE give me suggestions on what to do? 

 

- I need to get them before may because I don't want them to start laying in the winter but I need them after spring break because Im going on vacation.  

 

Thank you

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post #2 of 9
1/24/12 at 4:14pm

You might want to consider finding someone in your area who also wants just a few chicks so you can split an order where the minimum is a bit too high.  You might try www.meetup.com and look for a poultry group in your area.  Usually when a place ships a small number of chicks, the shipping price makes up for it due to the all the extras they have to include to keep the few little ones warm.  Good luck in your chick hunt.

Lisa Taylor
Taylor Hobby Farms
 

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Lisa Taylor
Taylor Hobby Farms
 

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post #3 of 9
1/24/12 at 4:20pm

Ideal and My pet chicken are the only 2 that I know you can get fewer than 25 chicks at a time. Both of these sites charge almost as much for 6-8 chicks as they do for 25 because of the special boxing and shipping needed. You have four choices.

  1. find a local breeder
  2. Pay the price and use My Pet Chicken
  3. Find a couple of people local that may want to split an order of 25 and then go thru one of the other hatcheries like Meyer or Murray that are probably fully stocked about now.
  4. Order Hatching eggs and incubate them yourself.
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post #4 of 9
1/24/12 at 4:24pm

I was in the same situation. I have found breeders of the ones that I want. So now instead of paying for shipping I will be paying for gas. hu.gif

 

Good luck!

We have a great little mixed flock. 2 Faverolles, 1 Buff Orpington, 1 Black Australorp and 1 Easter Egger. 
 

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We have a great little mixed flock. 2 Faverolles, 1 Buff Orpington, 1 Black Australorp and 1 Easter Egger. 
 

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post #5 of 9
1/24/12 at 6:18pm

ask tsc if they can order the ones that you want and how much they would cost since it would be a special order.

owner of Itty Bitty Dowden Family Farm: https://www.facebook.com/#!/IttyBittyDowdenFamilyFarm

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owner of Itty Bitty Dowden Family Farm: https://www.facebook.com/#!/IttyBittyDowdenFamilyFarm

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post #6 of 9
1/24/12 at 6:49pm

I went to my state thread on here and found people who were breeding fairly locally...also googled "poultry breeders central pa" and came up with several that had websites.

http://www.communitywalk.com/pa_bycers/map/1552784

My mixed up flock of Barred Rocks, Red hens, Brown Leghorns, Speckled Sussex,  EEs, BLRW, Buff Orps, Wellies and Delawares Marans and Ameracaunnas, lone Sebright roo  and a Muscovy quad.

 

In quarantine a quintuplet of barred rocks (hopefully hens)

 

In the brooders:  Pekin ducklings, New Hampshire Reds, Buff Orps, Iowa Blue.

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http://www.communitywalk.com/pa_bycers/map/1552784

My mixed up flock of Barred Rocks, Red hens, Brown Leghorns, Speckled Sussex,  EEs, BLRW, Buff Orps, Wellies and Delawares Marans and Ameracaunnas, lone Sebright roo  and a Muscovy quad.

 

In quarantine a quintuplet of barred rocks (hopefully hens)

 

In the brooders:  Pekin ducklings, New Hampshire Reds, Buff Orps, Iowa Blue.

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post #7 of 9
1/25/12 at 2:52pm
Thread Starter 

thanks everyone...  Do you guys think that Ideal might have extra marans even though they say they are unavalible until may? (There is a notify me option)

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post #8 of 9
1/25/12 at 4:10pm

Last year, I was looking at white faced black Spanish & they said they were "sold out until 2012".  I put myself on the "notify me" list, and Ideal was SO awesome!  They called me in June, said they had hatched 30 or so of them that morning and did I still want any.  I told them to send me what they had, and I got 26 straight-run chicks.  They are awesome, healthy, and now laying. 

 

I highly recommend using their "notify me" function because if they have an unexpected successful hatch, they will call you.

 

Living in the Sierras, raising chickens, groovin' on alpacas, growing food, loving my fabulous husband, and closer than ever to living my ideal dream!

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Living in the Sierras, raising chickens, groovin' on alpacas, growing food, loving my fabulous husband, and closer than ever to living my ideal dream!

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post #9 of 9
1/28/12 at 7:08pm
Thread Starter 

thx

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BackYard Chickens › BYC Forum › Chicken Breeds › Chicken Breeders & Hatcheries › What am I supposed to do!?!?!? PLZ HELP