Am I being ripped off?? Please help

[pattgal]

Im partially new to chickens (my parents always had some so its not entirely new but this is my first time) so i really don't know anything about the breeder
the only reason i went this route is because the local feed store don't know what EE's are
im not looking for show type birds and clearly communicated this to the breeder so this is not really my concern. But when he told me that he would sell me silkies for half price, then advertise them for double the next week it kinda raises some questions in my mind
I dunno what hes thinking
I guess in the end as long as the chicks are healthy and do what they do best im happy.
I have not requested any pics from him. i am picking them up tomorrow night. its kindof late to ask for pics now
What do I look for in a chick? to know that it is healthy
what does a good healthy silky look like? Im guessing that what i would judge ugly or unhealthy might actually be normal for them
I know these are alot of questions thank you for answering

 

[RobbingPeter]

Quote:
I don't know if there is any difference for silkies - but for chicks you want the following:

Active, alert, clean and all the "baby" stuff ie: two eyes, straight beak, all toes and none crooked. They should be able to stand up just fine. It is normal for them to huddle all together and run away from the GIANT HAND that is trying to pick them up. If they just lay there and let you pick them up with absolutely no struggle - well - unless this breeder is constantly handling all of his chicks then that is kinda odd.

Look at their butt and make sure there isn't a lot of poop sticking to them (pasty butt) and make sure it doesn't look like there are any teeny tiny bugs on them.

if possible you want to see the adults and how the adults are kept. The breeder should be proud to show off his clean facilities with happy chickens. If he doesn't want you to see where the adults are kept and how - walk away.

That's all I can think of.

 

[pattgal]

Quote:
I don't know if there is any difference for silkies - but for chicks you want the following:

Active, alert, clean and all the "baby" stuff ie: two eyes, straight beak, all toes and none crooked. They should be able to stand up just fine. It is normal for them to huddle all together and run away from the GIANT HAND that is trying to pick them up. If they just lay there and let you pick them up with absolutely no struggle - well - unless this breeder is constantly handling all of his chicks then that is kinda odd.

Look at their butt and make sure there isn't a lot of poop sticking to them (pasty butt) and make sure it doesn't look like there are any teeny tiny bugs on them.

if possible you want to see the adults and how the adults are kept. The breeder should be proud to show off his clean facilities with happy chickens. If he doesn't want you to see where the adults are kept and how - walk away.

That's all I can think of.

Thank you so much

Google was useless for this topic. all I got was silkie recipees and the old same old same old silkie history and all about Marco Pollo
at least ill be able to make a smart decision this way
again thank you bunches, will post pics tomorrow night when I get home

 

[RobbingPeter]

Just in case no silkie lovers chime in - the only things I know about silkies:

They should have 5 toes on each foot and their legs should be black.

Good Luck!

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
every bit of their skin should be black..not just legs


I would pay 10$ a chick--I just did actually for 24 of them and split them with a friend-awesome high class breeders-both BYCer's-I think it all depends on how bad you want them. I would actually pay more if it was something I realllly wanted bad...haha

 

[Penturner]

This post is a great example of why you kill any deal with a customer that indicates suspicion. No bad mouthign the Op it is jsut human nature. No matter what you do they will twist it to being ripped off one way or another. Basic trust has ben compromised and all they are looking for is what angle you are taking advantage of them. Better to loose the sale and save your reputation. It also sounds like you started out looking for EE's Why are you considering Silkies that it seems you know little about? Spend $25 and still not have anything you started out to get. Maybe the answer is to just keep looking until you find someone that can fill your order for EE's.

 

[watersoflethe]

actually most people sell silkie chicks for more expensive than other chicks since they are popular
i've seen it on craigslist for $8-$15 each for chicks. even if they aren't from show quality stock.
so i think $5 is a pretty good deal but that's just me
if i liked how the parent stock looked i would buy it immediately if it was $5

and he is right about the buying more thing.
silkies are extrmeely hard to sex...so you should buy enough so that you have at least a pretty good chance of getting a female. when i'm going with straight run chicks i try to get at least 5....

 

[Intheswamp]

I'm simple minded so I'll just say...maybe the seller likes you and just wants to give you a good deal and help get you started out with your chickens. There *are* good folks out there that do things like that.

Best wishes,
Ed

 

[silkydragon]

i would take any silkie for $5 thats almost what hatcheries charge is almost $4 and mine are hatchery stock and still love them

 

[goldnchocolate]

Quote:
Yes, I would do something like that and my intentions would be innocent.

Also, I would pay $5.00 for the silkie chicks of those colors (I would also have paid the $10.00 since those are the colors that I like). A couple of years ago I paid that much for EE and RIR chicks and didn't blink an eye.