California - Northern

[Audio51]

I don;t know of any chick hatcheries here locally. We have fish hatcheries though. Not sure if that is what people were thinking of.

 

[ronott1]

I don;t know of any chick hatcheries here locally. We have fish hatcheries though. Not sure if that is what people were thinking of.

Usually the hatchery chicks are shipped to the feed stores. Ideal is in Texas, so a lot of chicks come from there.

 

[Audio51]

Usually the hatchery chicks are shipped to the feed stores. Ideal is in Texas, so a lot of chicks come from there.

We have several feed stores in the area and that is where I have gooten my birds, including the EE that turned out to be a roo. The only ones I have purchased from breeders is amy Black Copper Marans in Palermo. That's only about 30 minutes from me. She did have other breeds, but I don't think any EEs.

 

[ronott1]

We have several feed stores in the area and that is where I have gooten my birds, including the EE that turned out to be a roo. The only ones I have purchased from breeders is amy Black Copper Marans in Palermo. That's only about 30 minutes from me. She did have other breeds, but I don't think any EEs.

If you put a hatchery chicken up next to a breeder of Show Quality chickens you will see huge differences between them. Like was posted earlier, hatcheries breed in Leghorns to increase egg production and to help with feather sexing. Leghorns change the body shape and personality of the breeds along with the coloring.

Chickee calls some of hers EEs but the are really culls from her Show Quality Ameraucanas. They are very nice.

 

[ChickNmamma]

-CHOMP-
Holy Crow what a nightmare!!! What do you suggest as far as getting a large number of SR chicks that are NOT from vent sexing hatchery???

Do you think because I am mainly ordering the LF assortment that it will easier to fill my order if I do order through them.

Also I am hankering for LF Frizzle and have found 0 in the way of hatching eggs anywhere you think I should hatch some bantams then breed them to one of my boys and make my own? Does that even happen? We had a Labrador retriever that mated with a Dachshund when I was a kid would it be like that??

Hmmmmm more to think about.

Frizzles can be bred up from bantams - use the same breed/color and mix the bantam frizzles and the LF regulars. If they get the frizzle gene they will be frizzled. They may be smaller for a few generations, but I bet the quality will still be better than SH birds - without the hassle. Use a big LF girl and the biggest Frizzle boy you can find.

Also - you can get hatching eggs here on BYC on the Crazy 24HR auction thread that you can hatch and eat the boys. I bought OEs, SS, and Barnvelders that look like they are going to be VERY large boys. I have a few eating boys in there too - wrong color legs, two instead of the one I need, etc... When you get a broody hen go on there and see whats up for auction - you will have them within the week and off you go! I think you can sell the girls for laying hens if nothing else, or breed your own eating birds. If you want a big white legged Barnvelder let me know - I am still plotting his demise...

P.S. - we have a few people right here on this thread with LARGE incubators - you find the eggs from the birds you want and I BET they will be MORE than happy to hatch a bunch of them for you

That would be my suggestion for getting a large order of straight run chicks...

 

[ronott1]

Frizzles can be bred up from bantams - use the same breed/color and mix the bantam frizzles and the LF regulars. If they get the frizzle gene they will be frizzled. They may be smaller for a few generations, but I bet the quality will still be better than SH birds - without the hassle. Use a big LF girl and the biggest Frizzle boy you can find.

Also - you can get hatching eggs here on BYC on the Crazy 24HR auction thread that you can hatch and eat the boys. I bought OEs, SS, and Barnvelders that look like they are going to be VERY large boys. I have a few eating boys in there too - wrong color legs, two instead of the one I need, etc... When you get a broody hen go on there and see whats up for auction - you will have them within the week and off you go! I think you can sell the girls for laying hens if nothing else, or breed your own eating birds. If you want a big white legged Barnvelder let me know - I am still plotting his demise...

P.S. - we have a few people right here on this thread with LARGE incubators - you find the eggs from the birds you want and I BET they will be MORE than happy to hatch a bunch of them for you

That would be my suggestion for getting a large order of straight run chicks...

I have hatched for others before.

Eggs are shipped to me and then I meet them with the chicks.

 

[OR4-hmom]

Bantams aren't a problem are they Ron? I remember you hatching them before or has old age set in again.

 

[Audio51]

If you put a hatchery chicken up next to a breeder of Show Quality chickens you will see huge differences between them. Like was posted earlier, hatcheries breed in Leghorns to increase egg production and to help with feather sexing. Leghorns change the body shape and personality of the breeds along with the coloring.

Chickee calls some of hers EEs but the are really culls from her Show Quality Ameraucanas. They are very nice.

I raised and showed chickens many years ago and know what you mean. I raised Silver Seabrights and other varios breeds. We moved to a smaller place in 1997 and I haven;t had anything bur dog, cats and finches since then. I have really missed having chickens so I talked DH into building a coop/pen behind our shed and just picked up a few feed store chicks to to have fresh aggs and enjoy seeing chickens again. That was in January of about 2012. I started looking for breeds I though would be 'quiet" so as not to bother the neighbors (Buff Orphingtons was what came to mind from past experience). I was sold 3 that were supposed to be Buffs, but turned out to be Red Sexlinks. Then, of course I started wanting specific breeds (Black Copper Marans). I coudn'f find any locally so I ordered hatching eggs. Had about 12 chicks about 6 weeks old and lost all but 1 to skunks. Had a broody hen that has been doing most of the work and she went broody again so I bought more feed store chicks for her and that is when I bought the EE Roo and a Buff Orphington that is a hen. I was able to find started BC Marans pullets and have 3 of them plus the survivor from the skunk attack. While I am not breeding them (due to the fact that I can't have Roos here) I do want to have the best quality birds I can. Hatching eggs is not a problem but then I end up with lots of birds to re-home.

 

[ChickNmamma]

Quote:

Quote: Sorry about loosing all those chicks, I hate skunks!

I have also seen the feed stores/hatcheries time and time again sell one bird and call it another breed... The don't know any better it seems. I was amazed at the size of the Buff Orpingtons at the show here - the rooster was huge!

Chickee's EEs are really nice, and they lay a nice blue or light greenish egg. If I was looking for Buff AMs I would snatch hers up, but I am being good...

 

[Audio51]

I have Amelias(Crele Penedesenca X Cream Legbar) that lay light green to Olive colored eggs. The folks that get eggs from me would be very disappointed if I did not have those colors though.

Still, let me know if you are interested. I do kind of have too many OEs.

Ron,

Yours sound great too, but Woodland is a little further than I would like to drive. (I take it OE means Olive Eggers) It's about 2 hours from me. I will be going to Sac to see a specialist in December so if I haven;t found anything closer by then I will let you know...Thank you so much!