Coop designed by me-- thoughts?

[swanny297]

We live in West Monroe and I bought mine from a lady in Tallulah - we wanted egg layers and decided on Rhode Island Reds we bought 6. Tractor supply at least here sexes their chicks you just have to find out when they get them and try to be there early on that day they normally get them around 8am and start selling around noon the sexed chicks go quick especially pullets

 

[kkapotsy]

Lol thanks! I understand the longhand, but not familiar with abbreviations just yet. And layers and RIR had me confused

 

[kkapotsy]

Tractor supply here has barrels of breeds not sexed and then barrel that just says pullets, so no idea what breed but you know you're getting ladies lol. I have another feed store local I need to check out that I heard sells sexed birds but I haven't gotten down there yet, and besides I've read it's a bad idea to get the chicks before you've got the coop.

 

[Blooie]

I wouldn't count on the chicks at Tractor Supply being correctly sexed, or even identified. This web site is packed full of folks who thought they were getting (just as an example) 6 Buff Orpington pullets and ended up with 4 roos, or thought they were getting "Ameracaunas" but getting Easter Eggers. The staff isn't usually familiar with breeds, and the hatcheries aren't always real careful on labeling the shipping boxes accurately, either.

I learned my lesson about counting on feed store accuracy, especially being new myself and not knowing what individual chicks should look like. Picked out 2 Black Copper Marans. Turned out they were Cuckoo Marans....not a big deal but I was counting on the Black Copper Marans . Also chose 2 Speckled Sussex pullets - got a SS pullet and a SS roo. Same trip bought 2 Red Sex Link pullets...anyone can tell those apart, right? - and 2 Buff Orpington pullets. Actually walked out of there with 1 Red Sex Link roo (he was in the Buff Orpington bin "accidentally") 1 Buff Orpingon roo, and 2 Red Sex link pullets. Yeah, not such a great track record with identification and sexing.

 

[kkapotsy]

And part of it is that I'm curious about a few different breeds... Wyandotte, Sussex, Orpington, ameraucana, all ones in interested in possibly adding to the flock.

 

[kkapotsy]

How do you find farms that sell sexed birds? I came across a local one today and was so excited til I found out they don't sex their chicks.

 

[Blooie]

Most farms don't simply because the most reliable way of sexing chicks - vent sexing - is best done right after hatching and is very difficult to do. I've had my best luck ordering what I wanted from a hatchery - first time I ordered all pullets and I got all pullets, in just the breeds I specified. Second time same thing - ordered 8 Buff Brahma pullets and got 8 Buff Brahma pullets. So that's the way I go now.

There are some auto-sexing breeds, where you can tell boys from girls at hatch and that breed true to that, and also sex linked birds such as Black Sex Links or Red Sex Links (also known as Golden Sex Links, Golden Comets, Cinnamon Queen, Isa Browns...just depends on the hatchery's proprietary name for the breeding that produced them).

 

[swanny297]

Ideal poultry seems to be a pretty popular site you can also order what you want from tractor supply but you have to order 25 so you may need some help. Facebook pages are good to Chicken Talk, Swap and Sell is where I found mine