Bay Area BYCers!

[Tamtaminthebay]

Fat chick is beautiful! How old is she?

I have a question about getting pullets. When my mom got new birds she would go to the feed store for chicks, and if they turned out to be roosters, she'd separate them, then we'd eat them. I can only have two birds (might try to have 3, maran, ameraucana and polish) so I want to be sure I get pullets. How early can birds be sexed? Do breeders sell them old enough to be sure? Forgive my niavete!

 

[jeremy]

Chicks bought from the feed store, sent to them by hatcheries are sexed at about 95% accuracy. So your odds of getting 3 pullets are pretty good.

As for chicks bought from a breeder, it really depends on the breeds of chicken to when they can be sexed. With the breeds I raise I can tell fairly early who is what gender, with my Ameraucanas I can tell them apart around 3-4 weeks old, the Orps becoming pretty easy to distinguish around 6 weeks old. My Sumatra cockerel had me confused though up until about a month ago, I could have swore he was a pullet... then "she" started growing in saddle feathers.

Some breeds can be sexed as day olds, I hatched some Easter Eggers that were the product of a Blue Wheaten Ameraucana over Delaware hens. The male chicks were pale yellow/white and the female chicks were buttery yellow with some black spots on their heads and backs. These were sex linked because my Ameraucana male is genetically Gold based and the Delawares are genetically Silver based, when you cross Gold and Silver based birds you get sex links. You can do this with a lot of different breeds and hatch out sex linked day olds pretty easily, one of the most popular breeds to use is the Barred Rock.

 

[Tamtaminthebay]

Thanks Jeremy! So would it be better to go to a feed store or a breeder? (am I opening a can of worms there?)

 

[jeremy]

Quote:
Well, I guess it really depends on what age you want to get your chicks at?

From the feed store you'll get chicks that are only a few days old and sexed to be pullets. From a breeder you'll get chicks that will be probably around a month old sexed as pullets.

Also when are you looking to get chicks? I don't think any feed stores have chicks right now so if you're looking for instant gratification you'll have to buy from a breeder. Or you can try to order from sexed day old pullets from a hatchery.

 

[Tamtaminthebay]

I am looking for around February I think. We get our house next Monday and then we have to move in and build a coop/run. I've never really gone to feed stores around here either. Do they get birds in like they do in the central valley??

 

[ronott1]

Quote:
>>>>>>>>>
Hi and

I live in Woodland and there is actually a store in Elverta that sells chicks now. The Breeder there sells her hatched chicks at the store all year long. I picked up some hatching eggs from her on Monday. I have seen posts on here about a couple of stores in the Bay Area that sell chicks.

You can get three from My Pet Chicken. Cackle will sell an Urban Farmer pack of five. My Pet Chicken will check your Post Office information and tell you if it will work for three. For me, the Davis Post Office works for three but the Woodland one won't.

You might have trouble getting the chicks you want- Especially the Marans - from a feed store. You may be able to special order them though.

Tractor Supply here will not sell less than six.

Good Luck!

Ron

 

[jeremy]

Who all is planning on going to the Stockton show in January?

Has anyone sold birds there in the past? I'm planning on bringing a few pure English Orpington juvies to sell and I was wondering what I should expect.

 

[mycutekitties]

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My daughters will be showing. Bantam polish, bantam Cochins and call ducks. We have been the last two years but only to watch. It's such a huge show and it's fun to look at all the different breeds.
The 1st year we went to the sale barn and bought a frizzled white Cochin. That's what started us on our frizzle addiction! Lol

 

[gpamela3499]

I would like to rent an incubator for a small public charter school in The San Francisco Bay area or is there somewhere that does loaners for schools.
The future chicks have been provided and they will have a home after birth.

 

[PetRock]

Quote:
We are going!

We went last year and had a fun time! There were so many birds to drool over! We just took a quick walk through the sale building since we were just looking and not buying. I remember thinking that the building was way too small and crowded.