"feed store chick" assumptions

[CountryMom]

I ended up with three extra roosters from the "Pullets" bin from our feed store. And they were ordered all pullets because my girlfriend use to work there and did the ordering. I gave one away and still have the other two. The feed store got them from Ideal. It kinda worked out as I now enjoy the two I have kept.

 

[Brick243]

My feed store is privately owned. He will order whatever you want. If you want pullets, that's what he orders. He charges only what he pays the hatchery for the order. A great guy to do business with.

 

[cluckychick]

I live 5 miles between 2 towns and both towns have feed stores. One is Called the Family Center, basically the same as Tractor Supply and the other is privately owned. The privately owned one orders every spring. You go in look at what's going to be available and tell them exactly what you want and they order it for you.

 

[farmgirlie1031]

I got 5 pullets from the feed store in the fall and am very happy with them. I later ordered 35 from a hatchery and had a very bad experience. The 35 I was sent 13 were DOA.

The rest are sickly, mutts, and not what I paid for. I only have 10 that are still alive 2 months later and I am still dealing with some of them being sickly. So, I would never order from the hatchery again. Another thing is they lied. The birds did not come from them they drop shipped them from TX and I had ordered from a hatchery in my state so the birds do not have too far to travel. I would much rather order from the feed store again. They used a Missouri hatchery and my birds from the feed store are doing great. If I ever order from a hatchery I would probably use the MO hatchery the feed store uses as I am really happy with the 5 pullets I got.

 

[GardeNerd]

Midway City Feed store in the Westminster area, Calif. sells day old pullets (90% accurate for sexing) for about $2.00. The down side is the breed choices are limited like Matt y. said. The owner wants happy customers with hens so they keep buying feed and supplies. I think they break even on the cost of the chicks. They order from Redwing Hatchery in Lancaster, CA.

 

[colby318]

Our TS gets chicks from Mt Healthy. That's probably the closest hatchery to us in central KY. I've got a good relationship with the employees. We're a smaller town and they know I'm the "chicken lady". They'll give me the dates of when chicks come in. I've bought from Mt Healthy only once for chicks, but they were vigorous. I like the feed store since I can choose the exact chick I want.

Colby in KY

 

[gckiddhouse]

Personally, I would never buy chicks from a feed store again. I don't recommend it.

I have only purchased chicks from 2 feed stores, and this is my first backyard flock. But here is my experience.

I knew what I wanted. I wanted leghorns and RIRs. My local feed store (good reputation) sold me 3 california whites (leghorn cross) and 3 brown leghorns, all pullets. These chickens turned out to actually be 1 cal. white, 2 gold sex links, one of which is a rooster, and the other three were speckled sussex, not leghorns. I am happy with my birds, but they didn't know what they were selling me!!!

The other feed store, which is recommended here in Phoenix by everybody, sold me several different breeds - they at least knew the breeds of their chicks, but they were all sick. I ended up loosing 1 of those chicks, plus those sick birds made the first six sick, and I lost 2 of those.

The chicks, while separated by breed, were in a closed in brooder with dead chicks and filth. How can that NOT breed disease!?

Now, if I bought more chicks, i would go to another feed store in the next town north of here. This one will take my small order and then take other orders. Once she has orders for at least 25-50 chicks, she orders them. You pick them up the day they come in and they are never hanging out with other chicks in a filthy environment. They come straight from the hatchery and you can get the variety you want. Very smart, I think.

There are hatcheries that would send a small batch, but you are limited to the breeds that they have.

Just my 2 cents. Hope that helps.

As far as cost goes, the difference between $1 and $2 for what you want is so minimal. Who cares!!

The real cost for chickens is in feeding them!!! and housing them!! Expensive EGGs!!!!!

 

[Guinea Goonie]

There are two feed stores in our radius. The local Hirsch feed store allows you to order just about anything you wish within the hatcheries breeds. Last time we did this a year ago we got polish, wild game, meats, leghorns, banties of all sorts, some exotics and a bunch of packing peanuts. I think there were 35 in all over the meat birds which we butchered last summer. I still have about 25 of them.
Some died as babies, some died in early life and some have been taken by predators.

 

[nursebay]

Our ranch supply stores had silkies too, and ducks and they had quite a variety! I assume its a st. run. I hatched out some white leghorns and out of the 12 that hatched, I only got one rooster to hatch. I guess it is a gamble and depends on the breed. I know with sex links it seems there are always more roos but if you know the breed of sex link you can also pick out the roos vs the pullets.

 

[Hen House 60]

I guess I have been very fortunate. My local feed store, Standard Feed has been great. Last spring/summer, every week I would go in and pick up 5 or 10 chicks. The man said they only has pullets and of course I DID NOT believe him, due to previous experience with another store. But, I was wrong and he was right, they have all been girls, no roos. Also to add, none of them died! I have 50 very healthy, laying hens. We picked up several ducks along the way too, Its hard to say no to a 3 year old. I wanted them too so I just blamed it on the baby. LOL