California chicken enthusiests.. where do you get your birds?

[melalthia]

Hi y'all and especially Californians....

Barring the big hatcheries, where and how do you get your birds? Do you know local breeders? Do wait until the poultry shows? I'm new to chickens and I'm really interested in networking and purchasing some show-quality layers to fill up my flock. Is it just me and my poor researching skills.. or is California pretty bare of breeders? I've been trying to contact people through breed clubs and I'm not having much luck. So how do you do it?

Also , if you are a breeder in California, could you give a shout out and also list the breeds you specialize in? I'd like to compile a list of California breeders for the Californian BYC people.

Thanks!

 

[mthrclckr]

You should join California Chickens (a Yahoo group). I can PM you the link to the site - it's a little hard to find.

I breed black Orpington bantams and I'm TRYING to get a breeding group of salmon Faverolles bantams started, but I'm limited to a VERY small-scale "operation" here. I don't think I'm even supposed to have chickens at all.

I sell chicks and chickens, but for myself, I only buy hatching eggs because I don't have the facilities or patience to quarantine new birds. I get eggs from breeders from all over the country. Hatches are generally VERY poor, but that's the price for being paranoid

My state geography sucks. Where is Boulder Creek, with respect to, say, San Francisco and or Los Angeles

? I'm fairly close to SF.

-Naomi

 

[melalthia]

hi naomi!

Thanks for that link to the california chicken yahoo group. I'm going to join it. Another BYC'er told me about this one as well:

svchickens (silicon valley chickens)

Hmm.. i'm wondering if that's how most cali people get their birds. (thru eggs.) I realize you may be small, but if I created a list of Cali people who breed birds (no matter how small) would you be interested in being on it? I really feel like we need a list to compile all the cali people. It's like diggin thru a haystack to find local breeders, i swear!

Boulder Creek is in the santa cruz mountains between Saratoga and Santa Cruz.

 

[tfpets]

You know, I incubate some eggs myself, I will incubate purebred chicks for people if they want me to any time. I'm not a "breeder" by my terms, but I am starting to breed some of my birds now..I have pens for some of my flock and I am working on specific goals for them, so I am breeding them! I havent ever sold birds though, but I will need to start charging for them some day. I do ship my pure bred bird eggs all across the states for the cost of shipping.

I have met several people that I have bought birds from here in California, but I dont know if they are breeders either. Some are from the Yahoo Group California Chickens too.

Also there are a couple with websites that I have gotten some of my birds from the owners of, I dont know if they are still selling?

http://www.windchyme.com/

http://www.twobytworanch.com/pettingzoo/pettingzoo.html

http://freestepfarm.com/

People are out there, its a matter of finding them, networking, searching, and I'll keep looking!

Oh, what exactly are you looking for?

Good Luck,
Tina/tfpets

 

[mthrclckr]

OOohhh! Are/were you a banana slug? My husband went to UCSC.

You're pretty far from me, but I do believe there are a number of CA Chicken members in your area. I know they were dealing with the awful fires during fire season. I hope they didn't affect you!

Sure, I'd be game for being on a list, but I find that a lot of breeders are changing their projects or handing them over to other members all the time, so it's hard to determine from a list just who's breeding what at any point in time. Unless, of course, somebody is constantly updating it. Usually, if somebody is looking for something, they'll post it on the list, whether they want eggs, chicks, or started birds. More times than not, somebody from the group will have something to offer. In my case, I'm working with breeds and lines that are fairly difficult to find (not available through hatcheries, either) so I've had to get hatching eggs from folks clear across the country.

Conversely, when members have something to sell, they'll post it on the list and/or Craig's List (in the farm & garden section). Don't know if you went to Stockton yesterday, but people can pre-arrange sales to take place at these shows, too. I didn't go, but if I did, and had birds to sell, I would only do pre-arranged sales because I don't want to expose my birds to possible diseases.

Just so you know, Belt Hatchery is in California. Around the end of their hatching season, they sell many of their breeders and started birds. My first chick was a Belt Hatchery chick that I got from the pet store. He turned out to be a very LOUD silver sebright rooster. He eventually went to a new home.

I'll look into SV Chickens. I've heard about it in the past, but just never looked into it. Thanks!

-Naomi

 

[VettekLisa]

I bought hatching eggs from Windchyme back in November.
Got a great hatch and some gorgeous Silkies.
She was a doll to work with and had no problems with
payment or shipping.

 

[mthrclckr]

Quote:
That's Paula, right? I've never bought eggs from her, but she's definitely a sweetheart! You really find some "good eggs" on CA Chickens. I mean really great folks. If any of them are local to you, all the better.

 

[melalthia]

Quote:
Thanks for the links Tina! That helps...
I'm interested in a few breeds.. but I'm not exactly picky. Mainly i'm looking at the brown/green/blue egg layers that are docile. (I have small children.) The ones that are appealing to me currently are

Welsummers or Barneveldors
Ameraucanas
Silver-laced Wyndottes (cuz they are pretty!!)

But I would consider other breeds if I thought I could actually drive and meet the breeder and learn more about the breed and see where the chicks actually come from. Nothing wrong with the big hatcheries (or mypetchicken) but these birds are more pets for me and I don't mind spending more/driving to pick up so I don't have to get a big order. I only need 2-3 birds. Plus, i'm really liking the idea of networking and "getting to know my neighbors."

 

[tfpets]

I only got home a couple of hours ago after being gone all weekend! All the new chickens are settled into their Quarantine quarters, kids and animals are fed and in bed, and I'm pooped! Back to work in the early a.m. so I'll try to remember to hook you up with more info.

Another one that comes to mind is Red Tractor Ranch, I spoke to her and was really impressed. She has Speckled Sussex, her birds at the show were spectacular!! She also has Cuckoo Marans and something else....you can email her from the link on her website, she had cards at the show. Really nice lady.

http://redtractorranch.com/

Welsummers are probably going to be more available than Barnevelders, but you never know, you could get lucky? I may get a couple myself!

The Ameraucana thing....thats an issue. You want pretty eggs or Pure birds? You probably know "real" Ameraucana's are not that easy to get ahold of....most people, especially hatcheries, have "easter eggers"...birds that look like Ameraucanas and lay pretty eggs, blue or green, but who are mixed or off breed standards enough to not be True Ameraucana's...I have some "real" Ameraucanas, one pair of Blue Ameraucanas, Large Fowl, but they are not separated or breeding. (Give me a month and they could be)....I also have 5 Bantam Ameraucanas. In addition, I have a nice flock with several pretty Easter Eggers.

Silver Laced Wyandottes are VERY pretty, and I have a couple of teenagers that I got from the feedstore. They came from a hatchery, so they have poor feather pattern quality, thats for sure, but as a chicken, I tell ya, Maggie and Margaret have personalities by the pound! I just love these little girls! I would say out of your choices so far, in my experience, and I've had some of each except the Barnies, I am lovin my baby SLW's...Kinda silly cause I have 70 plus chickens and some are darn close to being my best little feathery friends (like Professor Tuft, and Bloodhead, and Cinnamon, and Tiny, and so on)....The GLW's are not as friendly though? Kinda wierd.

Tina

 

[grundail01]

I have bought chicks from a few local people in and around Bakersfield and there is a poultry auction every sunday at the Jones Auction.