Is anyone else having trouble buying day old chicks? All the feed places around me are seriously back ordered. Is it the economy, or is the hobby of backyard chickens really taking off (or both)? Any ideas? (I am in Massachusetts, near the Rhode Island border)
The hobby has really taken off-I can attest to that-I'm a newbie and very busy with all my new adventures in chickens!
I don't know where you live but Orscheln gets new chicks every Friday here. However TSC and Rural King have not had any for a few weeks ands don't plan on getting anymore.
Both, from what the people are telling me it is the economy and the way things are going. People want them for the eggs and the meat in case times get worse. I have sold over 2000 chicks since March and a bunch of turkey poults too. Too bad you aren't close to me, I set 30 dozen brown egg layers eggs yesterday.
I'm one of those that got a few for a variety of reasons. Economy (is it me or is the price of eggs just absurd?), organic, fertilizer, meat (only if I had to cull one) and how sweet (so far) the chickens are all things that played into my decision. Should everything get worse, you better believe I'll be finding someone to borrow a rooster or buying a roo for myself even though poultry of any type is not permitted in my zoning. I already have someone asking to buy eggs from me just because of the freshness factor and they won't be laying for months. As far as your chicks, I'd look into some online hatcheries or consider incubating some eggs. They are both going to take a while but it might be worth the effort.
Don't know if it helps you put in Pachaug CT, I was just at the TSC and they still lots! Don't know if that's going to be it or not, but i you wouldn't mind the drive, not far off rt 6. Just a thought
The chicken poop I've put into my garden all winter is really paying off now. I've got some HUGE tomato plants, I've been harvesting yellow squash, peppers, tomatoes, beans, broccoli, and my cabbage just keeps getting bigger. The ears on my corn are really growing. God bless those chickens.
I just brought my first chicks home tonight. My main reason is that I've wanted chickens FOREVER. The second reason is economy... gardening fertilizer... going green... the whole bit! Agway (where I got my 6 two week old RIR's) told me that they aren't getting any more in because they are FRESH OUT! I must also note, that I drove to an Agway 1 1/2 hours away (even tho there are MANY closer) because they weren't getting any more in for a while. I didn't want my first try being mail order (just sounded a lil' scary)... so I picked them up. However, I may mail order a Rooster RIR, because I am told that all the chicks I received are females. We'll see........ [email protected] a/k/a CrookedAcresChick
Don't worry about mail order! Thats how the feed stores get them. I had good success getting them from Ideal. It took a day. I feel its less stress I am the only one handeling them. I ordered the min.s 25 and got just what I wanted. out of 52 chicks only had 1 doa.
