Breed questions.

[Ridgerunner]

I've never heard of Bomgaards but they look like a pretty big regional outfit. And Hoovers Hatchery makes sense, they spell them with an I, call the Easter Eggers, and mention that they can lay brown eggs as well as colored. They are open and up front about it, I have no problems with that.

I don't know how Bomgaards handles it but some feed stores will special order for you. Not all do that and they all have their own special rules but it doesn't hurt to ask. Try to find out who orders the chicks so you talk to the right person.

I've ordered online from three different hatcheries. It wasn't that much of a hassle for me, I wanted more than the minimum order anyway and I was less than ten minutes from the post office. What part of ordering online do you consider the biggest hassle? To me the biggest risk is the shipping. If you order in the better time of year, not to hot and not too cold, and avoid postal holidays your odds of not having shipping problems increase. If your concern is something else we may have hints to ease those.

But if the feed store will order what you want for you that can be easier. I'd certainly talk to them. I did talk to my Tractor Supply about this. They would not special order for me to pick up at the store. They would order whatever I wanted but it would be shipped straight to the post office for me to pick up and the minimum order number applied. I was better off ordering myself. It really did not hurt to ask.

 

[DoxonFarms]

I would ask the feed store to do a special order for you. Our feed stores do that all the time. If the hatcheries they use have the chicks, they will get them in.

Great idea I'll do that.

 

[Callender Girl]

My Prairie Bluebell Egger did come from Hoover's, via Bomgaars. The store got in a shipment of "mystery" chicks from Hoover's, and my girl was the last layer chick left that fall. Neither I nor the store staff had a clue what she would be when she grew up. She is, by the way, WONDERFUL.

The other feed store in town gets its chicks from Murray McMurray, which is just in the next town. You can order the breed you want through that store, and when they get enough orders -- a minimum of 15, I think-- they contact McMurray which ships the chicks there. McMurray's catalog says it sells Ameraucanas; Hoover's sells its birds as Ameracanas and explains that they are Easter Eggers.

The poultry person at the local Bomgaars goes out of her way to order a variety of chicken breeds, although she insists most people "just want Rhode Island Reds and broilers." That's been good news for me, because she sometimes has to put the more "exotic" breeds on sale to make room.

 

[DoxonFarms]

I've ordered online from three different hatcheries. It wasn't that much of a hassle for me, I wanted more than the minimum order anyway and I was less than ten minutes from the post office. What part of ordering online do you consider the biggest hassle?

It's just life, I work full time, have 2 small children and my husband works a few towns over. To drop everything and run to the post office... well the idea stresses me out. Being able to go to the store on my time schedule with a game plan, way more convenient.

I'm not sure why but just asking them to order a dozen prarie blue bells never crossed my mind. All the EE I got last fall lay green or brown. Of 42 birds none lay blue lol, most are RIR because that's what they had. The store is getting some blue laced golden wyandottes which I'm excited about. 42 birds all less then a year avg 25-28 eggs a day and we can't keep them in the fridge. It's a good problem to have. The chickens are paying for themselves and making a profit. The silly polish my husband had to get more of are just starting to lay. Brightest white eggs. Brighter the the supermarket, crazy. Sorry to ramble, proud of the girls.

 

[Ridgerunner]

To drop everything and run to the post office

Makes perfect sense. Good luck when you talk to them.

If it doesn't work can you maybe find a neighbor that will split an order with you? Maybe find someone on your state thread in the "Where an I? Where are you!" section of this forum. I don't know if Nebraska has an active thread, some states and countries do. They could maybe pick them up and hold them until you can get them.