Chicks from the local feed store

[silkiechicken]

Depnends on where you live.

There are good and bad feed stores so find one you like. I have a favorite so go there. Chicks are in good variety at some, and others are order only. You'll have to ask locally.

Feed prices are also regional. Here 20% regular non organic starter is 18 bucks for 50 lbs. In alaska, can be 2x, on the south, I've read reports of it costing nearly half that. So it's another location thing.

 

[Chirpy]

I got my first dozen chicks (a year and a half ago) from the local feed stores. They were sexed but I ended up with one accidental Roo. That feed store let me keep him but gave me my money back. I didn't even ask, I just mentioned when I was in there getting feed that one of the pullets turned out to be a he.

I too was disappointed to learn that the "Ameraucanas" I ordered from Ideal are actually just EE's. However, I love both girls and I got my first ever blue/green egg from one of them this week so I'm pleased as punch!

 

[mtnhomechick]

I prefer the feed store chicks. You get to pick them out and it's a short ride home. My store will not exchange or take back a bird but they will give you money back.

 

[Apopka Cluckers]

I guess the only thing I really need to do now is to learn if there is a way to sex a chick that early.

I have heard some talkers that I know swear up and down that it is possible but I don't really have an eye for detail and little things tend to slip past me.

I'll run a mock order up on Ideal and see how much that runs compared to the feed store. I should be able to see their markup at the same time.

Thanks

 

[beekybuzzard]

Dominiques are often called dominekers around here. It is just a way of speaking depending on who and where you are. One area feed store sells dominiques and another about 10 miles away sells dominekers, the owner is an older gentleman and that is what his parents called them so that is what his signs say. They both get their chicks from the same hatcheries. No need to get upset just someone calls the same chick by a name they were raised with. Around here we call much of our livestock by names we were raised with, my hogs are called mudfeet- a very old nickname for their breed- but if you look it up you will probably never know what they are- and whether folks know the right name or not I still get top dollar for them. Point is just because they don't know or use the word you do does not mean that they do not know much, maybe you just don't like or know their word.

 

[speckledhen]

Does this mean that Ideal is mis-labelling their stock or that the feed store is.

The feedstore with the little Dominecker thing gets theirs from Privett. Privett mislabeled the shipment, I believe.

The tidbit about Dominecker vs Dominique was just that, a side comment. Some feedstores are labeling Barred Rocks as Domineckers just because they are barred. In that particular case, the hatchery sent the BRs with a Dom label. I tried to get them to understand that they are BRs, that I breed them and know, but they couldn't believe the hatchery would mislabel them.

The breed is Dominique. The nickname "Dominecker" is applied to any barred bird around here. If someone wants purebreds, they wont get them if they aren't very observant and dont know the difference themselves. A Barred Rock is not a Dominecker, no matter how you slice it. I do not like Barred Plymouth Rocks being called a different breed, so no, I dont like the word because of that. They can say Dominecker all they want, but they'd better be talking about a Dominique.
It's no different than calling these Easter Eggers "Araucanas".

EDITED TO ADD: People in general can say anything they want, but someone selling chicks as part of their business should know what they're selling and label it appropriately, which is really my point.​

 

[motherbear]

I got my 11 chicks (buy 10 get one free LOL) from our local feed store. All turned out to be hens, but they did say they would buy any roos back if we wanted. It was a good way to get started and the staff was very helpful with making sure we had everything we needed.

I think we paid around $13 for a 50# bag of Start & Grow.

 

[speckledhen]

The starter varies by brand alot. I can pay $10/50# at the local co-op or up to $15/50# at another feedstore. The cheap stuff is actually quite good-Tucker Milling in AL makes it.

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
I just wanted to add that they sell their customers eggs too, so if I run out I can call there and see if they have any before heading to the store. They are a very community friendly feed store.

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

I'm sure all feed stores are different - here's our experience.

We bought 9 chicks from our local feed store - 2 barred rocks, 2 leghorns, 2 production reds, & 3 easter eggers. All the chicks were sold as pullets. They were $2.99 each, except the EEs (which the feed store sold as Ameraucanas). Those were $3.99 each.

One of our production reds became cannibalistic when it was a few weeks old. We took it back and one of the feed store employees said it was a rooster and let us exchange it for another one. A week or two later, the new chick (also a production red) also became cannibalistic. We took it back and the store refunded our money since they no longer had any chicks to exchange for us. The funny thing is that the remaining production red is the one that was attacked by the second chick and is now one of our tamest chickens.

It's now been 2 1/2 months. All the chicks have been very healthy and we think they are all pullets (the jury is still out on one of the EEs). The chickens are friendly and I think they're pretty. I would definitely buy from our local feed store again, as long as they have the breeds we want.

We live in Arizona and a 50 lb. bag of starter is $20 here.


This picture was taken 3 or 4 weeks ago - they're bigger & more filled out now. The two barnevelders were from a second feed store and the extra leghorn is one that just showed up in our backyard one day, trying to get into the cage with the rest of the chicks.