Buy as chicks or as eggs?

[catiecutie 123]

I am new to the whole chicken thing. At first I wanted ducks, but my dad said no, and they are really expensive. I don't know a good place nearby in Northern Florida that sells chickens and stuff. I was wondering if I should get eggs or chicks. I heard that they're cheaper as chicks, but won't they be more attached to me as eggs? (I mean if I hatch them.) I was also wondering if I would want mixed breeds or all of the same breeds. (I don't want really loud chickens, in case one of them is a rooster, because I don't think that the neighbors would enjoy that. Which brings me to the question, can roosters shut up?) Okay, so thanks.

 

[chickenlover456]

First of all,

You can get eggs cheap, (look on the Buy/Sell/Trade part of BYC). The only expensive part is the incubator. If you're planning on buying more than 3 or 4 eggs, you should get a Little Giant at the least. I think if you hatch them from eggs, they'd be more attached to you, but if you order day-old chicks, I don't think it would be much of a difference. As for the breeds, its all up to you. Look at different breeds and thier descriptions and decide which ones would suit you best. I don't know about roosters ever quitting thier loud habits though. Good luck!

 

[Harley's girl]

Welcome!

Eggs are better for the attachment part. i have 3 ducks. The one that I hatched out is very attached to me!!! The ones that I bought as day olds have nothing to do with me.

I have khaki campbells my hen is not laying at this time but I can get you some cheap eggs when she does start laying again. (It was down to -17 this last week so she has closed up shop for the winter.

LOL ) Now with the live ducklings....well they are live. You don't have to go through the time of incubating them for 26 days and then them not hatch. (I have had this happen to me) I have khaki campbells because they lay so good. (well not at -17

) But all and all they are great layers! Hope that this has been of some help to you! And really if you want eggs well, just let me know!

Blessings,
Harley

 

[smith2]

Roos don't usually shut up. However, mine are not very loud and they only crow early in the morning and a few times during the day. My neighbor loves to hear my roos crow in the morning. If they don't, he gets worried about them. He grew up on a farm and loves to hear the sounds of his youth. Roos can be a real pain for others that don't like the sounds.

Breeds--I would start with some hardy, calm, and durable breeds like Barred Rock, Buff Orpington, or Sex-Links if you want regular size fowl. If you want bantams, you can look up the calmer breeds of bantams. I have 2 Buff Columbian Wyandotte bantams and they were beautiful and so much fun. However, my big hens wanted to bully them, so they had to find a new home. Do you want white eggs or brown eggs or not many eggs at all? Check out Henderson's Chicken Chart as a good place to start for breeds.

 

[willheveland]

Chicks are really cheaper in the long run.If you buy eggs there is no sure thing about how many may hatch.If any,if they are shipped through the mail.Hatching can take some experience and can be disappointing.I'd stick with chicks first.JMHO
Another nice perk about buying day olds is you can buy them sexed(meaning cock or pullet)If having a rooster is not an option.They can be loud.

If you spend alot of time with them and handle them with care they will be friendly with you.(they learn who feeds them)

As far as mixed or all the same it's up to you.They all have a different personality.Good luck,e-mail me if you need help. Will

 

[catiecutie 123]

Where is the chicken chart? And I live in a neighborhood where roosters wouldn't be too welcome, so where can I make sure I get hens? (really stinks, wanted to raise chicks at my house) I don't think I have enough money for an incubator, but how much is a small chicken coop?

 

[CovenantCreek]

perhaps the biggest advantage to ordering day old chicks, in your situation, is that you can specify pullets (girls) only and virtually avoid the roos all together

 

[TXmom]

You can order day-old chicks from hatcheries. There are several hatcheries, but I ordered mine from Ideal. You can order Pullets (young hens) and there's about a 90% chance they are sexed correctly (from what I've read). Or you can look on Craigslist in your area to see if anyone local is selling chicks. Or you can check a local feed store or Tractor Supply Co.

 

[Akane]

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

I really don't see how there's any difference in the taming of chicks that are hatched from eggs or ordering day olds. By the time mine hatch, I get them out of the incubator, and then I have time to handle them they are about 1-2 days old. They shouldn't be more than 3 days old if you order from a hatchery.

Whether a roo is loud or not is pretty individual and you can't plan for it except to plan what to do to get rid of a roo if he ends up being too loud. If you really don't want to deal with roos then ordering sexed pullets from the hatchery would be best.

 

[jossanne]

Here's the chicken chart.

I've got some chickens that I got at 6 weeks old, and some that I ordered from hatcheries as day-olds. The ones that I got at 6 weeks are, for the most part, more friendly than the ones I got as day-olds. That may be just because they're a few months older, and so they're a little calmer at this point.

Baby chicks don't imprint on people like newly hatched ducks do. So it won't make a difference in that respect if you go with eggs or chicks. Chicks are cheaper than hatching eggs, mostly because the eggs won't all hatch, and like someone else said, you can buy chicks as pullets only (with an occasional sexing mistake).