$20.00 for a pullet??

[silkiechicken]

Quote:
You could have probably sold them 15-25 each depending on the breed and age. When I was downsizing three years ago, I sold laying birds for 15-20 each and they were gone in an instant. Of course, lots can change in 3 years and 16 week old pullets were being sold by others for 25 a pop!

 

[Cetawin]

I would not buy from them for the simple reasons of

1. They do not show their poultry facility or birds;
2. Their stable page indicates they only empty and clean waterers once per week and clean stalls 6 days per week...that tells me their animals are drinking dirty water and standing in poo.

So...what is their poultry care like?

 

[Tylt33]

Quote:
Go to the State Fair and let me know if there are any chickens for sale...

 

[gryeyes]

Does Bradshaw have the ones you want in 2 weekers? Sometimes I get there and all the chicks are the latest delivery and are only the tiniest fuzzbutts. Having purchased the 2, 3 day olds before and experienced "failure to thrive" only twice, that was heartbreaking. That's why I go for the oldest chicks in the bin(s) instead of the latest delivery, IF there were any of the breed I want(ed). Otherwise I succumb to "awwww, chicks! who cares what breed they are, they're adorable!"

If you're not into brooding, go get the 8 or 12 week old pullets. That's what *I* would do, if I was replacing specific breeds. However, I kept my brooder going for a long while with 3 separate batches of chicks that had to grow out, and that got old, finally. (Like childbirth, I believe I'll forget about all that bother next Spring though!)

The breeds I'm still looking to add to my flock are Buckeye and Speckled Sussex. I doubt those will ever be available at the local feed stores. If there's a source close enough, I'd get started pullets. I know it's much pricier, but this is like collecting jewelry - start with shiny things and then work up to real gold and gemstones.

 

[scbatz33]

After reviewing the website, there is no way I'd buy birds from them, based on the lack of info given. They appear to be a glorified broker. They clearly state they buy chicks and raise them to be "flipped". I do not believe they have "round the clock care" nor do they "hand raise" them. Based on the website's info about how they care for the horses only 6 days a week AND dont' dump water buckets but once a week???? I agree with Cetawin, I'd not buy from these folks.

 

[Cowgirlgrace]

I sell started pullets for at least $20 all the time depending on the breed. I breed my own and when you consider all the costs involved ie mortality, electricity, shavings, feed, labor and people don't want to bother with that part and pay someone else to do it then it's worth it to a lot of people to pay the extra over the price of a day old. Twenty dollars is normal where we live. Even a one year old will go for $25 and a two year old will go for $10-15.

And I have raised horse all my life. Yes, if a horse is stuck in a stall it should be cleaned daily. If it has access to an outside run I might be tempted to let it go a day. That doesn't mean it is living in poo. As far as the waterers, I guess it depends on the waterers. You can be sure I am not going to dump a 35 gal stock tank on a daily basis. If its a 5 gal bucket most likely will dump it. I don't think people should be so quick to judge. Based on how I've seen a lot of animals treated cleaning 6 days a week and scrubing waterers once a week is very good care in my book.

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
I plan on going tomorrow, as a matter of fact. Or Saturday. Probably tomorrow, though - I took the day off so I could go when there MIGHT be fewer crowds AND before the temperature spikes again. I'd be glad to blather about what I saw at the Fair! (Please, dear Lord, do not let me buy any more chickens right now. Or fall in love with any other critters!)

 

[quinkerton]

Well, look at it like this, you paid about 5.00 for yours at 2-3 days old. This person has put weeks of feed into the birds and are ready/almost ready to start laying. So no I don't think that 20.00 is to much to pay for a pullet. All the work is done. I sold some Jerseys last year for 10.00 a peice and was told I was sell them for too little. I should have been asking 20-30.00 for them.

 

[scbatz33]

Quote:
From the website:
~Stall/paddock cleaned 6 days/week (Mon-Sat)
~Premium Canadian pine pellet bedding
~Your choice of the highest quality Oregon Meadow
grass or alfalfa hay fed twice daily
~Complimentary AM/PM feeding of your grain
and supplements
~Waters topped daily, and emptied and cleaned
once per week

If you look at the photos they use of their facility, it clearly shows horses in single stalls with runs off the stalls. There are not waterers of any kind in the photo. That means, the waterers are in the stall. There is no way they are having stock tanks in the stalls. So that leaves two options - buckets or auto waterers. And since they say "waters topped daily" this further implies buckets of some sort, not an auto waterer that possibly you could get away with not cleaning since they hold small amounts of water at a time. Either way, they need to be dumped and cleaned daily, especially in the CA heat with feed and hay getting dropped in to them by horses it does not take any amount of time for algae to grow.

I am not judging. I am going solely on the information presented by the seller on their website. Conceivably they have this website designed and worded in a fashion to encourage people to utilize their facility and services. If this is the information they are providing the public as to why they are a good resource for buying poultry and boarding horses above others, then either the website designer needs to be fired for misleading info OR they are, IMESHO, not a place I would buy birds from nor board my horse at $500 a month.

I have been working in the horse industry for the better part of 20 years and own my own horses. I would not pay $500 a month per horse for the standard of care and services they are advertising. I am sure there are plenty of people out there who don't know any better who think that is adequate. I am not one of those people.

ETA - I do not think $20 a started pullet is unreasonable. I am questioning the quality and level of care their website says they provide. Based on that, I would not buy from this facility.

 

[teach1rusl]

If they had the pullets I wanted at the age I wanted, and they looked healthy, and the conditions (once you get there) are clean, then I think it would be well worth $40 to get the two pets you want. And since you're replacing for a child, I'm assuming they're basically pets (with egg benefits eventually). Heck, people pay $50-several hundred dollars for a snake, $1000 for a parrot (well...more really), even many lizards are well above $20 each. I'm not sure why some people make such a big deal over a $20 animal if it's for a pet.
Would I pay that much for an "eatin" bird??? No way. But for a pet, sure...