Any hatcheries sell pullets 4+ weeks old?

[blackacres]

Local breeders are the best bet. I can get 10-12 week pullets for $10.

Wow! That would be nice! I’m hesitant to buy from places that don’t look well kept and most of the pictures I see local people post seem sketchy. I’m terrified at the thought of bringing in an illness.

 

[NatJ]

I’m terrified at the thought of bringing in an illness.

If you're really terrified of bringing in an illness, you might want to order day-old chicks directly from a hatchery. They have a lot less chance to pick up diseases if they are shipped immediately after they hatch, rather than being raised for any length of time by anyone.

I’m hesitant to buy from places that don’t look well kept and most of the pictures I see local people post seem sketchy.

Did you check your local feed store? Sometimes they will have chicks a few weeks old that didn't sell yet. And if the chicks are already a few weeks old, you have a better chance of avoiding males, because at least you can skip the ones who get red combs earliest.

 

[blackacres]

If you're really terrified of bringing in an illness, you might want to order day-old chicks directly from a hatchery. They have a lot less chance to pick up diseases if they are shipped immediately after they hatch, rather than being raised for any length of time by anyone.

That is a very good point. As obvious as that seems, I hadn’t thought of it that way. I’ve only had chickens for a few months and have so much to learn.

Maybe I need to change my focus until Spring. I know I am not willing to brood days olds right now with Winter around the corner. I just don’t have the set up. So this leads me to a new question: I have 13 birds right now. 7 are cockerels. I plan to keep 2 of them. How quickly do I need to rehome the others? None of my birds are older than 12 weeks. I do not have a separate coop and run to put them in. If I work on adding another space for them, would they be okay together until Spring or are they going to annihilate the few pullets I do have?

 

[NatJ]

I have 13 birds right now. 7 are cockerels. I plan to keep 2 of them. How quickly do I need to rehome the others? None of my birds are older than 12 weeks. I do not have a separate coop and run to put them in. If I work on adding another space for them, would they be okay together until Spring or are they going to annihilate the few pullets I do have?

I think you will have problems well before spring, probably starting in the next month or two.

Can you divide your pen? That way you could have a section for males and one for females.

Or you could rehome the extra males.

My personal preference is to eat the extra males, anytime after about 6 weeks old. (Some people eat quail. I like to eat small chickens.)

Whether you rehome the males or butcher them, you do not have to do it all at once. You can remove one or two that you like least, and leave the others a little longer while you think about them.

Since you want to keep 2 males, are you planning to hatch eggs?
If so, you will need to deal with extra males every time you hatch a batch of chicks. That is either a lot of rehoming, or plenty of practice butchering.

 

[All4Eggz]

I have not read the whole thread..

There are hatcheries that do sell 4+ week old pullets. I believe "My Pet Chicken" sells "started pullets" which are 4+ weeks old. If you do go that route, just know, it is VERY pricey to get started pullets, especially online.

 

[Island]

Wow! That would be nice! I’m hesitant to buy from places that don’t look well kept and most of the pictures I see local people post seem sketchy. I’m terrified at the thought of bringing in an illness.

Murray McMurray Hatcheries does

 

[blackacres]

I think you will have problems well before spring, probably starting in the next month or two.

Can you divide your pen? That way you could have a section for males and one for females.



Whether you rehome the males or butcher them, you do not have to do it all at once. You can remove one or two that you like least, and leave the others a little longer while you think about them.

Since you want to keep 2 males, are you planning to hatch eggs?
If so, you will need to deal with extra males every time you hatch a batch of chicks. That is either a lot of rehoming, or plenty of practice butchering.

I think you will have problems well before spring, probably starting in the next month or two.

Can you divide your pen? That way you could have a section for males and one for females.

Or you could rehome the extra males.

My personal preference is to eat the extra males, anytime after about 6 weeks old. (Some people eat quail. I like to eat small chickens.)

Whether you rehome the males or butcher them, you do not have to do it all at once. You can remove one or two that you like least, and leave the others a little longer while you think about them.

Since you want to keep 2 males, are you planning to hatch eggs?
If so, you will need to deal with extra males every time you hatch a batch of chicks. That is either a lot of rehoming, or plenty of practice butchering.

I believe I am starting to see issues already. One of the cockerels keeps grabbing pullets by the neck. He’s made no attempts (that I’ve seen) to mount, but I have seen him grab them several times. It’s mostly always the same one.

I can easily divide the run, but I’m not sure how I could divide the coop. I’ll put some thought into that. It would at least buy me a little time to decide if I want to cull all the cockerels or keep any.

My reason for getting chickens was to give me something to do. I work from home and have zero hobbies. I enjoy animals and taking care of things. I currently have no plans to hatch my own eggs. I’m just attached to two of them.

 

[SkiboJeff]

Northeast Kansas

There's a small NPIP certified breeder that I buy from in southern MN (Cannon Falls). It would be a seven hour road trip each way for you. I just talked to him and he has a dozen Bielefelder pullets available that are 8-16 weeks old. Also has a couple Biel roosters available if you wanted to start a breeding group. He indicated that he also has others available but those I just recommended meet the SOP. All birds are $10 each. I've purchased four different heritage breeds and several crosses from him and all of his birds are healthy and beautiful. Let me know if you're interested and I'll give you his info.