Getting my first hens Sunday! What should I be looking for?

Okay, I am sorry but I am going to be negative nelly here.

You (and I, too) are not experienced enough to be able to really tell how old these hens are, so you are already at risk of getting taken. Secondly, this is Craigslist. I'm sorry, but I don't take anyone's word for anything on Craigslist. I must be able to verify everything. Thirdly, I personally would not buy hens that are over a year (and mostly because they could easily be older and out of their best production days and she just saying that they are 1.5 years old). Why is she getting rid of them? Has she ever had any illnesses in her flock? Are they vaccinated for common poultry diseases?

I would either go to a show, locate a reputable breeder, or order from a hatchery, either chicks or young pullets.

 

Pick the hen up, check her vent (cloaca). It should be wide and moist, which means she's laying. A tight vent means she is not. Alse check under he wings and vent for mites, lice, louses....if you find any dust her with a pesticide powder. Overall the look should be sleek, shiny and healthy, with a red red comb and wattles. Unless she is molting. I learned the hard way to check every adult chicken for lice/mites/louses. Good luck with the hens!

 

I say you go for it!

Wildeflowers does bring up some good points, but I think if you go to this ladies house and feel out the situation and something feels amiss, then you can always back out.

I'm with you about Craigslist, I know some folks have gotten completely duped via the site, but I've had great luck in our area, some of my very first chickens were off of Craigslist.

In addition to mites, etc, also, be sure to lookout for any sneezing, wheezing, nasal discharge, "common cold" type symptoms....if they have anything like this don't walk, RUN!

ETA: Should you decide to get them, we're going to need PICTURES!!!

 

I bought one adult and three POL chickens I found via Craigslist a few months ago. I followed everyone's advice here and its worked out just fine!

In addition to checking the vent, you want chickens who, as simple as it can be, LOOK healthy!

You want legs that look like legs, not like tree bark. You want eyes that you can see, that are healthy and shiny, not gooped up with grey gunk. You want feathers that look like healthy shiny good feathers, not ones that are ratty and half pulled out. You want skin that looks healthy, not covered in a dust of dandruff, lice, or mites. You want to see the chickens stand up and walk around. And you do want enough knowledge of rooster vs hen that you don't end up getting the wrong gender by accident.

If any of the chickens have something that makes you think something is wrong, trust your instinct. A healthy chicken looks healthy. If it does not look healthy, something is likely to be wrong. Sure, it might still work out, but if it doesn't you will have not only paid money for chickens that don't lay or that may end up dying, but you also might have infected your coop and run and have to go to some lengths to disinfect it before you try again.

So go take a look, chances are you'll get a decent gut feel for the situation.

(And BTW, all five chickens can travel in a dog crate that's big enough for a large dog like a Golden Retriever, Labrador, or German Shepherd. In fact, the more chickens in the crate, the less they fall over when you bump a pothole or turn a corner. Go ahead, stuff them in. They'll be home and loose soon enough!)

 

What DianeS said.

 

I used to regularly sell my second-year laying chickens because I wanted new ones. I'd warn buyers that, while they were healthy, they won't be laying every day but that if that was what they wanted it was "as is". I suspect this may be what is happening here.

Now to answer your question: As far as what you should expect: They will be disoriented for a few days and it will take them to find their way around. I'd keep them cooped up for a few days for this reason. Probably they will have to establish some sort of pecking order so there may be squabbles. Don't expect them to lay right away, in fact if the age is correct you may run into some molting so you'll have to wait them out. You should get 2 or 3 eggs a day from them for the next couple of years--the exception may be the Red Star, they tend to burn out after their 3rd laying season.