Addicted to ordering chicks!

[IdealisticRoo]

I love the thrill of ordering chicks, not knowing what I am going to get, then the anticipation, the call, the trip to the post office and the thrill of opening the cheeping, wiggling box! I love this, but I think I am becoming addicted to this!

I ordered in October, I wanted to add a few (13) Black Australorps to my existing flock of E.E.s. Then my neighbor wanted to add 12 RIRs, then the 25 bantam special HAD to be added; and finally after adding to my order twice, I got my box of chicks on October 21, 2010. The neighbor left town and could not take his pullets, and it became obvious that 24 bantams and 13 BAs was WAY too many! SO I put an ad up on Craigslist for started pullets and straight run bantams. I sold 12 RIRs, 8 Black Australorps and 17 bantams for $5 each!

Hmm, this left me with 13 free chickens and a "profit" of 70 dollars!

Better order more!

Next time it was the 25 pullet "Surprise Special" in December, I managed to sell 17 of those for $5 each, kept 9 so far. Hmm, $29 ahead and 9 "free" chickens!

Better order another pullet "Surprise Special"!

On January 7th I received 26 assorted pullets, I think they are about 1/2 barred rocks and 1/2 Reds; they are in with 1 chick (out of 100+ eggs) I hatched. They all seem to be growing fast and are thriving. I was glad to see that this order had only 2 types of chicks in it and since I had 1 of each of these breeds already, I have no problem selling them!

I ordered this batch to resell, and I posted them on Craigslist and I have already sold them at 6 days old for $1 more each than I paid for them! I don't pretend that I am going to make ANY money at this, but it is kinda like gambling! I never know when I am going to get "stuck" with chicks that won't sell, and I will have to keep them! I guess it helps pay for the chicken food!

If I sell most of them and actually make a bit, while supporting my "post office chick" addiction!

I apologize if any of you reading this try this and become addicted to it! I would only try it with pullets your first time (kinda like training wheels, this is a "gateway").

I guess this kind of activity keeps me of the streets, out of the bars and all, but I kinda need to get a life! Maybe I will be able to resist ordering any more, hmm - I doubt it!

I do spend about 3 hours a day watching chicks and chickens and taking VERY good care of them!

I do not live in a trailer with the chickens...

I do not have ANY chickens in the house (yet! But, there are some in the garage...)

 

[gryeyes]

I have only ever gotten chicks from feed stores or - once - a local farm. Never ordered any to be delivered through the mail. I have, of course, filled up my "shopping cart" several times, but never completed an order.

For me, it's egg auctions, incubating and hatching what I can.

The rest is similar, except that I have only given away a couple of birds to BYCers. I have a surfeit of roosters. But I love 'em all.

 

[chicken-owner-31]

This would probably not work in my area, but i would LOVE to do it if it did!!! Glad you are able to make it work for you!

 

[IdealisticRoo]

Quote:
I tried egg auctions, boy did I try egg auctions! Thrilling, but since I am untalented in the incubation department, I have 1 chick. Kinda unsatisfying in the long run! That 1 chick cost me several hundred dollars! Think of all the chicks I could have ordered instead!

 

[sklr112]

This sounds like fun! What hatchery do you use?

 

[sonjab314]

I do not have to order chicks as I am fortunate enough to live in the same town as Cackle Hatchery. However I am not addicted to buying their chicks. I am addicted to HATCHING chicks.

 

[AZKat]

I've bought chicks and resold the excess ones. It was fun, and its something that I'll do again, but I don't have the space to do it as a hobby.

 

[IdealisticRoo]

Quote:
I use Ideal Poultry in Cameron, Texas. I want to try others, but Ideal is so affordable and my chicks have always been happy and healthy! I also have never had a sexing mistake from them!

They don't send any extras usually, maybe 1 extra per 25-50 chicks, but they don't need to, because their stock lives and thrives!

Sonjab314 - I am addicted to incubating too! Although, perhaps in my case I should say that I am addicted to TRYING to hatch eggs! My incubators run non stop and a power outage is my worst nightmare!

 

[Illia]

Is there an option for "No" ?

I stopped ordering chicks years ago, but eggs, that's another story. I think I've been entirely turned off to the thought of ordering chicks from hatcheries.

 

[IdealisticRoo]

Quote:
I am addicted to ordering and incubating eggs too, but I have not been as successful at hatching chicks. I have spent hundreds of dollars on hatching eggs, and only hatched 2 chicks! With ordering chicks, I have resold some each time AND kept some. Now granted, most of mine are not show-quality stock, but they are pretty and friendly and that is all I need.

I would rather I sold started pullets than the feed store! I take very good care of the chicks, I quiz customers about their setup, and I offer to buy them back if they change their mind or don't want to take care of the chicks.

I just ordered ANOTHER 25 today! Ideal has a special on today only for the surprise special, the bantam special, the duck special AND 3 production breeds! The breeds are RIRs, Black Sex links and White leghorn production crosses. I picked the surprise special again! Only $1.50 a pullet/ minimum order 25 chicks. They must have too many unsold chicks this week, because it is only valid for tomorrow's hatch!