I learned my lesson about buying straight runs and locally! (Story)

[NikolasGuy1234]

Alrighty! this is my story of straight runs and buying locally. this is to help people decide what to do if they are going to go the cheaper route of straight runs or the bit more expensive route getting them sexed.

I don't know about you, but i personally like to get my chickens for eggs, and company. i typically don't have the heart to take the life of the things i raise to trust me, the things that let me hold them, the things i fed out of my hand. nor do i have anything against people that do. That's just me, I guess. but, about five years ago, i wanted chickens. my dad had no problem with this, and set out to build me a coop(which i helped with.) it was a fairly large coop, a decently sized run as well. but after they got older we let them free range anyways. so the size could be a little smaller. i got my 20 chickens from The McMurray Hatchery. Here is the website: ( https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html )

anyways, they were Very healthy chicks. none died and i even got a funny looking top hatter chick they threw in as a bonus. But, things turned bad. after they got older, they were almost all roosters, with a total of Maybe 3 hens(give or, more likely, take) so there we were, a yard full of 17 or so roosters, with those 3 poor hens. the roosters formed a gang, and chased my family through the yard, constantly. (not me though, they must have liked me.) I Drew a line when they started attacking my 90 year old grandmother. a man came by and asked to buy them, and we let him. All of them, even the hens.

Years went bye and i decided to try again, this time, we bought locally. me being relatively new, i believed the man who said most of his chicks that came from the incubators were female because he had the temperature set a certain way.(silly, right?) anyways, 16 chickens were bought, 13 of which were roosters, luckily, i had a white leghorn, who kept them in line, he didn't like me, and did attack me... a lot. but he made the other roosters afraid, so afraid, that they hid behind me and let me pet them for protection. well, it only took a measly 2 MONTHS to finally get homes for those roosters, and granted, the guy will most likely eat them. i just couldn't stand having to keep my hens in a dog crate because they were at risk of being mated to death by 15 roosters. (yes 15, don't ask how i got 2 more, it was before i knew all of my roosters were actually roosters)

so, now the hens are happy, guarded by 2 roosters, who are quite the gentlemen to the hens, i even added 4 red sex linked hens to the bunch, and the roosters are nice to them as well. now, its time to wait for spring, to order, !SEXED! chicks. lesson of the story, Don't get straight runs, and if you do, just act as if all of those chicks, are roosters, and prepare to find some people who will take them! trust me, being woken up by a rooster, can be pleasant. but losing sleep because they have competition crows in the night, is not very pleasant.

thanks for reading! i hope the story of the times i got straight runs will help you decide to opt out of getting them. or maybe the story just entertained you. if neither, im sorry. i just felt like typing!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Your chicken experience is pretty much the same as mine was, right down to ordering from the same hatchery. I definitely am willing to buy sexed now too.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Unfortunately most roosters get eaten. There aren't enough homes. You gave them a good life while they were here. Most baby male chicks are killed right away. That's the other side of buying sexed chicks. No one wants the boys.

 

[N F C]

You make a good argument for buying sexed chickens.

Since you still have a couple of roosters, are you going to try to incubate or hatch some of your own fertile eggs? With your background story, I'd be afraid too!

 

[Kusanar]

I didn't want a rooster where I would end up with unplanned baby chicks that I would never be able to part with, then I would be overrun with chickens!

You do realize that if you collect the eggs every day that you don't have "unplanned chicks" right? And a lot of the production breeds won't brood even if you don't collect the eggs every day.

 

[Kusanar]

Yes you are correct about ppl thinking you need a rooster to have hens lay eggs! Those folks must have slept through high school biology! I have thought about getting a rooster and having it caponized. I've read this is a tricky surgery...maybe I'll ask my vet about it. What would be ideal is to find one post-op. Do they still defend the hens as good as a roo with his roohood still intact?

Likely your vet wouldn't be able to legally do it. They aren't allowed to do surgery without putting the animal under and using anesthesia on a bird is as risky as the surgery it's self.
They pretty much act like hens after the surgery, but they keep the pretty rooster feathering. Some will even hatch eggs and brood chicks.

 

[SMP73]

I bought sexed chickens with the assurance that the store would take back any roosters. I bought 3 Jersey Giants, and 2 of them ended up being roosters. It took about 2 weeks from being pretty sure these guys were roosters to them crowing at 4 in the morning non stop. It took me another week before I found someone who would take my roosters. The store who said they would take them back told me they were full and to wait a week or so. I don't think my neighbors would have been happy with another week of 4 in the morning non stop crowing. The sad part was one of the roosters which I had named Sarah was my favorite chicken of my flock. The person I found to take them told me honestly they would be consumed. The black chicken in my profile picture was Sarah.

 

[Stayc]

Thanks for sharing. I have also learned the hard way about straight runs. I will always buy pullets from here out.

 

[Abriana]

Wow, poor hens (and roosters!), I enjoyed reading your story!

 

[jeepgrrl]

I'm a first time chicken mama so I understand your dilemma of wanting only females. I didn't want a rooster where I would end up with unplanned baby chicks that I would never be able to part with, then I would be overrun with chickens! I did my homework on where to purchase chicks (I didn't want to get them from the local farm supply store) and ended up purchasing my day-old chicks (7 of them) last Spring from Meyer Hatchery in Polk, Ohio. In 2017, they had a "90% sexing guarantee or your money back" for any sexing error, but the hatchery must be notified "when the chicks are between 10 weeks and 18 weeks". Luckily I didn't have to exercise the guarantee, even though all of my neighbors were telling me there has to be at least 1-2 roos in the flock! I will be ordering 3 more hens this spring, as I lost one of my girls to a hawk . Meyer apparently does very well with shipping the chicks via USPS, based on reviews I have read. The hatchery is only 45 minutes from where we live so I just picked them up myself. Good luck next Spring, I hope you wind up with a flock of lovely ladies!