Do your local Farmer's Markets allow sale of live chicks?

[Backyard Farm]

Just wondering if your local farmer's markets allow sale of live chicks?

I was thinking that it would not be that hard to rig up a brooder that is heated with battery power or generator. ... and could send home baby chicks in small box with a hand warmer... and some chick food.

any thoughts??

older... would be even easier.

 

[Zahboo]

I think the impulse buy would be high and then they'd grow up and be unwanted...

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I actually think there would be very few sales. Most people going to a farmer's Market are not necessarily going straight home afterwards. Most people who purchase new animals also want to purchase at least a minimal set of items needed for their care...food for one. What might be more reasonable if you are already selling other things there is a sign and business cards that mention that you sell chicks, and gives contact information.

 

[Denninmi]

I've never seen live poultry for sale at the Oakland County, Michigan Farmer's Market where I live. There are one or two vendors who do processed birds sold out of coolers of ice.

At the big Eastern Market in Detroit, Michigan downtown, I have seen live birds for sale. Chickens mostly.

In fact, one year a few weeks before Thanksgiving, I went down with my sister, who lived across the street with her husband and their daughters at the time. She wanted to get a live, fresh bird and keep it caged in her barn for a couple of weeks to fatten it, because the one daughter's boyfriend from England (now her husband) was coming to America to meet the family for the first time, and my sister wanted him to experience a very special and very traditional American Thanksgiving.

So, she told the vendor she wanted a "live" turkey -- he said OK, pick it out, and come back in 20-30 minutes and I'll have it killed, cleaned, plucked. She said, "no, you don't understand, I want it alive" -- he said OK, I'll sell it to live. He wrapped it up in a feed bag and tied it with twine so that just its head was sticking out.

Halfway down I-75 driving home, the bird decided it wasn't too happy that way and attempted an escape in the back seat of my car. That was an interesting little scene -- trying to calm a frightened enormous live turkey while driving 70 mph. She finally ended up throwing coats over it and holding them down with boxes of fruit.

The turkey and the rest of us made it home in one piece, and it lived out its final few weeks before Thanksgiving getting fattened up on corn and so forth in the barn. It was a nice thanksgiving, and the her daughter, my niece, is very happily married, lives in England now, and they have two small children, a boy and a girl. So, it ended well for all except the turkey (he was tasty, but a little dry IMO).

 

[1_FnkyFrm]

I'm going to the market today and I'll ask if you are allowed to sell chicks and chickens. I thought about putting a backyard coop and chick package together and try and sell them at the market. They just changed the law in the city here two weeks ago and you can now have backyard chickens in the city...

to all my friends that live in the city.

 

[georgialee]

I'm not sure, I've never seen any animals for sale at any in our area. But I know that people sell all types of animals at the flea markets around here.

 

[bufforp89]

At a yard sale I sold 'starter packs'. A brooder (cheap rubbermaid type tote $4 at Dollar General) a heat lamp ($8 at lowes) shavings on the bottom and mason jar waterers and feeders, a few pounds of feed and a care sheet with my number on it in case anyone realized chicks were not for them. People who bought these got 5 started chicks, 1 roo 4 pullets of common breeds, they could upgrade to more unusual chicks for $10 extra. I sold 7 or 8 of these for $50 each. Not bad considering it only cost me around $25 to put together and I had most supplies on hand such as waterers, feeders, shavings and feed. This was at a highly advertised rural neighborhood sale though where everyone takes their stuff to a big common field and sets up tables so there were alot of people. I could see it work in a farmers market type setting though.

 

[1_FnkyFrm]

Thats the kind of package Im talking about... I hope I can do some good...

 

[huntercf]

If you want to sell chicks, check with your local feed stores, mine always order day old chicks and some make several orders in the spring and summer. Plus, they usually have a brooder area set up and all the needed items, i.e. waterers, feeders, feed, bedding, etc.

 

[1_FnkyFrm]

Im wanting to sell to the city folks...