FLORIDA!!!!!ALWAYS SUNNY SIDE UP!!!

[carolsaucier]

FLChickens, I'm in Brevard but on the south end...............thank goodness, We're having lots of rain for a change that may slow fire down

 

[NicoleRM]

Quote:
I think I've seen them before, I DON"T LIKE IT is this what you are talking about? look at her page at the very bottom https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/profile.php?id=14570

Oh my god I want a naked chicken! LOL

 

[Nimby Chickens]

Quote:
Oh really? Ewww, nevermind. I want private breeder quality chicks, not hatchery birds. And I want them from a nice clean place, vaccinated and hopefully NPIP.

Am I going to have to hatch my own chicks to get what I really want? I've been thinking about it. But since I can only have 6, and half the eggs or so will be male, and some won't hatch, what will I do with the extras? Would someone near me be willing to take them? And on top of that - an incubator is a large expense. I'm a rank novice and want a 'set it and forget it' type incubator which will run me in the 150 dollar range. I still need all my chick supplies AND need to build a coop.

Maybe I could borrow some space in someone's local incubator in exchange for the extra birds?

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Lanatwo,

My sons class hatches eggs regularly. They are hatching ducks currently for me. It is a Jr/Sr high advanced science class. I am sure they would be willing to help if you went that route. I haven't bought my new bator yet or I could help.

We have not been NPIP certified yet since I am still adding run space and move just over a year ago. Something I plan to do yet this year though after we finish the final fenced run which is looking to be 90' long by 35' wide.

Hatchery chicks are not a bad thing at all, plus you can order exact breeds and have them sexed. The feed store in Cocoa & Tittusville both carry spring chicks. They both separate them and label the brooders. I like the Tittusville store best personally, plus feed is cheaper there.

I would rather order from the hatchery or pick up from Tittusville (atleast they are clean) when they get them in.

 

[math ace]

Quote:
Is there any reason why you could not order your own vaccine and vaccinate the birds yourself?

I do not vaccinate for mareks, but I do vaccinate for fowl pox. . . .

Finding an NPIP certified breeder is not that hard. There are many out there who are certified. However, they may not have the best show quality birds. . . . I really don't know too many people who administer mareks to their own birds. Most people who get this done - - - order them from the hatchery when they are done on day 1.

Visit the First State vet. supply website and you will find that you can purchase whatever vaccines you want and administer them on your own.

There is absoluetly nothing wrong with hatchery birds if you do not plan on showing them.

 

[Nava]

Quote:
I'm in Ocala

What do I have to do to get my hands on some of your chicks?

what kind of chicks did you have in mind?
I got over 15 BLRW going to lock down tomorrow
and I don't know how many Orps going on lockdown the day after tomorrow, Plus ducks and my Project eggs follow with in a week ( but those are for my eyes only )
I don't Vaccinate for Mareks, but I am NPIP.

 

[Nimby Chickens]

Quote:
What do I have to do to get my hands on some of your chicks?

what kind of chicks did you have in mind?
I got over 15 BLRW going to lock down tomorrow
and I don't know how many Orps going on lockdown the day after tomorrow, Plus ducks and my Project eggs follow with in a week ( but those are for my eyes only )
I don't Vaccinate for Mareks, but I am NPIP.

I would love a couple of your Blue-laced reds, they are gorgeous! The thing is, I'd love to buy like 3-4 but probably end up only keeping 1 or 2. I need females only - no roosters around here, can't risk it since if they make noise I risk getting my entire flock taken.

So what happens to the birds I can't keep? Could I give them back? I'm not sure what I can do with them. Maybe sell them on Craigslist?

Would it be possible to get an incubator (found an ebay one with a turner and a fan for $120!), hatch the eggs I want, keep what I want and sell the rest? I found all the vaccines I want. Administering them is not a big deal, it's supposed to come with instructions. I've sub-q'd many a squirrel and cat so needles aren't a big deal.

 

[Nimby Chickens]

Quote:
Is there any reason why you could not order your own vaccine and vaccinate the birds yourself?

I do not vaccinate for mareks, but I do vaccinate for fowl pox. . . .

Finding an NPIP certified breeder is not that hard. There are many out there who are certified. However, they may not have the best show quality birds. . . . I really don't know too many people who administer mareks to their own birds. Most people who get this done - - - order them from the hatchery when they are done on day 1.

Visit the First State vet. supply website and you will find that you can purchase whatever vaccines you want and administer them on your own.

There is absoluetly nothing wrong with hatchery birds if you do not plan on showing them.

Thank you for the link to first state, very valuable info there.

Is Mareks not very common? What about Pox? I'm only going to have 6 so I really want them to be protected from everything. Losing even 1 would be pretty awful for me.

I thought hatchery quality chicks were bad. That they were bred without any specific cause other than to make more, without trying to get close to a standard or trying to get the healthiest chicks with the most colored eggs.

Besides, there is a huge delay on the chickens I want - they'll only ship May 9th... that is such a long time to wait! I want some chickies soon...

 

[math ace]

Quote:
I have never had a problem with the health of chicks that I received from a hatchery. Hatcherys produce thousands of birds each year. They do not have the time to do the selective breeding and culling that SOME of the breeders do that are interested in Show Quality chickens. If you are going to have only 6 chickens and can not have roosters, then show quality should not be your goal.

In reality May 9 is NOT that far away - - -2 months. You could have the birds vaccinated at the hatchery and you would not have to worry about ordering and storing them in the meantime. Plus, you could get all the variety you want from one place.

You are correct - - - you will lose some quality in ordering from hatcheries. However, if you are not breeding or showing birds then it is a mute issue. For instance, It doesn't matter if your marans lays the darkest egg if you are not showing or selling hatching eggs. ALL my hatchery birds have been healthy. My leghorns are not show quality, but they don't miss a beat when it comes to delivering an egg a day. Hatcheries breed for production. This is not a bad thing when you are only going to have 6 hens - -- at the most. Depending on what breeds you pick, that means you might be collecting only 3 eggs a day.

FOWL POX is spread from infected chicken to uninfected chicken through MOSQUITOS. Now you see why this is more of a concern to you in Florida than some of these other diseases.

A lot of the college web sites recommend getting vaccinations only for viruses that are an issue in your area.
You would need to contact your local poultry rep at the dept of Arg. to find out what issues your area has.

Hope this was helpful to you.

 

[banjoejoe4783]

nava i do not like the naked one ether but have a naked neck roo that will produse 100% naked chicks is what i am after even if i put him over feather neck birds 100% of the chicks will be naked necked i will only get totaly naked chicks from breading the doble dominat naked neck back to each other and then only about 1 every 500