I have an 80% male track record getting day old chicks from a local producer. I recently got a small incubator, and felt that I could now get hatching eggs so I could relieve myself of my suspicion that he is picking out the obvious females and selling the rest as "straight run". I placed a small order and asked for eggs. He was hesitant, and told me his hens weren't producing well so I'd have to wait and see. He called to say they were available, but he only had chicks, and once his bator was empty he was putting in a few hundred goose eggs (so I would not be able to get the breed I wanted). I agreed to get the day olds (SUCKER!!) I went to his place and he was out. There was someone else there to give the chicks to me. He had marked the 3 I was getting with paint in a binful of same breed chicks. They werre given to me and I left, wondering why on earth he chose the 3 I could have when there were something like 20 others there. He doesn't want to sell hatching eggs, thinking they wouldn't bring in the money the chicks do. He seemed surprised that we offered to pay the same amount for eggs as chicks. Maybe this will be something he will consider in the future. I wish I could just get over it, and trust that it's my own bad luck... if that is the case! Does this sound odd to you? We offered to pay more for sexed pullet chicks and he said he doesn't sex them.
Sounds suspicious to me. Why mark 3? I would have said I wanted to pick out my own. Try getting some eggs off of here, I have mine set in my bator now - 7 silkies and 6 frizzles. Good luck getting some pullets!!!!
I don't blame you a bit for being suspicious. It depends on the breed, but alot of people who have been in chickens for a while can tell what their day olds are pretty easily just from experience. I'd definately try going to someone else.
I would but I'm in Canada (Nova Scotia) and getting them across the border would be an expensive issue. Options here are limited as far as poultry breeders so I do wish I could get them through BYC. If these end up being all male... man I don't know how i am going to get rid of them all!!
As for getting rid of the roos, don't you like fried chicken. For getting fertile eggs, check your local feed store, they usually have a list of people selling eggs. Or check with some other in your area that have chickens. As for buying fertile eggs, you would be lucky to get a dozen of mutt eggs for less than $15. On top of that, i will now tell you, you have been ridded off. Nobody picks out my chicks, well maybe my grand childern.
What type of hatching eggs are you looking for Nugget? I'm in Canada. I would be VERY suspicious of the situation. What breed are you buying from him? I have seen breeders do exactly what you are suspicious about.
I would tell him you want to buy pullets only, you have enough straight run already. If he refuses, you know he has been selling you roosters on purpose. If he tells you he can't guarantee 100% pullets, then it may just be bad luck you have getting mostly roosters. I would be very suspicious, though. Especially when he had your chicks already marked. I always let people pick their own chicks here. If they are wanting pullets, and pick an obvious rooster, I tell them. Otherwise I tell them they might get a few roosters, and if they want to, when they get big enough to tell, they can exchange them for pullets. If I still have some from the same hatch, I will give them to them. If I don't, they get the next younger ones. I have had one man get upset that I wouldn't give him a grown hen in exchange for a 2 month old rooster. He didn't listen when I told him about my exchange rules. The pullet I sent home with him, got picked on, so he brought her back and got another one. That one fit in OK, so he was happy then. It was a bit of a inconvenience for us, but he has told enough people about us that we have gotten several new customers from him, so it was worth it. I'm rambling on...my point was that he doesn't seem to be concerned about his customers. You may just have to wait until your pullets are old enough to lay and hatch your own. You will get a better ratio than 80% roosters. Jean
If I'm right with the sex of the 3 silver laced wyandotte chicks (7 weeks old) then I'll be looking for a small number of those... (and I'll be 0 females for 6 with SLW chicks). Can you really ship eggs from BC to NS, Kstaven?? What breeds do you raise? If these marked orps end up being male, then I'll be lookign for those too. I wish there was a way to really know if he's using me as a roo dump. I am not a carnivore so I have been trying to rehome my roos rather than fry them up. My chickens are pets that provide free range eggs. They'll live here til they die of old age. If I did eat meat I am sure I'd be practical enough to make dinner of unwanted roosters. I do have some adults, and kept one of my many, many roosters. I hatched 2 gold laced wyandotte eggs this weekend and have 2 lovely little GLW babies now living with my painted orpington chicks. I wish I knew how to sex them! *edited for typo*
The thing I can't get my head around though, is that we directly told him that we would happily pay more for sexed pullets and he turned that down. If he can, and does sex his chicks, wouldn't he benefit as much to sell sexed pullets to us, as whatever other fate he has in store for them? What else could he be doing with the females if he is scamming his small-potatoes clients? Is there a profitable alternative to selling sexed pullets to small buyers?
Quote:He probably has a buyer(s) for the pullets and has to do something to get rid of the roos. This way, he can sell them at the same price. Keeps him from having to raise extra roos to butchering age or just having to dispose of them. IN other words, he makes an extra couple of bucks.