$20.00 for a pullet??

[SG_Chicken]

We just paid for 4 2 day old pullets and they were 2.49/ea

 

[rancher hicks]

Heck I gave away 3 aussies and slw's laying hens. $20 is way to much. Try to find an auction to tide you over and then hatch your own.

 

[le neige homme]

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[le neige homme]

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Good. That's the going rate for peeps. This thread is about started pullets and $20 is a great price in the Bay Area.

 

[deannd]

$20 for pullets is a fair price.

I brooded 150 chicks last year and my electric bill went up $400 for the two months because I had 4 heat lamps going. If you buy chicks for $2.50 and then figure time, quality feed, ELECTRICITY and clean bedding for 8 weeks you are pretty close to the $20, and all the hard work and most of the risk and is done.

I have heard horror stories about sellers on Craigslist who were selling sick pullets that were infected people entire flock when they brought them home. It is vital to get your birds from a reputable facility that cares about the health of the birds and who will be open and honest if their birds have been exposed to or are carriers of any diseases.

I have not met Rachael or seen her farm, but I know someone who used to keep their horse there and I understand it is a top rate facility, and if I were in the market for pullets, I would not think twice about buying a True North Pullet.

If money is an issue, then you should really consider getting chicks. They may end up costing about the same amount of money in the long run, but at least you can spread the payment out over the 8 week period.

 

[deannd]

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The feed stores are basically selling chicks at cost or at a loss because they know you will be buying chick supplies and they will make up the money on that end.

I think getting chicks is a great way to get started, because you can bond with the chicks and often have friendlier birds. But, if you track the hours spent caring for them, electricity and feed and other supply costs you'll find that 2.50 chick was more expensive then you thought.

Last year I had bought 30 chicks, got them home and the power went out. I scrambled looking for a place to take them. I ended up driving their brooder across town to my friends house where I could plug in the lights for a few hours until the power came back on. Power outages can happen day or night and you need to be prepared to jump through hoops if necessary.

 

[LALASD4]

It is tough to say if $20 is high or low, each market is different. I think a hen is $20 here in the city and $12 in the surrounding rural areas. Compare the price to others in the area.

 

[PepsNick]

To me that's pretty normal, as long as it's not a cross. $25 and below I consider acceptable. City prices

 

[Mahonri]

In Phoenix $20 is a great price.

For purebred rare chickens you can get anywhere from $25 to $40 here

 

[Supermommy486]

I think it's going to be all over the board. Just depends on who and where. Personally, here in my area it's too much. But that's just me.