Hi, from Upstate NY!

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rosiesgirls

rosiesgirls

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Hi! I am brand-new to raising chickens...in fact, my babies haven't even arrived yet! I ordered them, but gave myself a few weeks' lead time to get ready for them and hopefully, learn enough about them that I won't make a complete mess of things!

I have 16 (!) newly hatched chicks ordered who are being shipped to me on July 7. I really only wanted 6-8 of them, but the minimum order was 15, and they throw in a Mystery Rare Breed Chick for free (and, hey, who doesn't like FREE?) I'm not worried about having so many babies, but I'm not so sure I want that many full grown chickens! I have the room (4 acres), but it just seems like a bigger flock than I really need or want. Anyone have any ideas how difficult it might be to sell a few of them? When would be the easiest time to sell...when they're still little babies, or after they've grown up a bit?

I also have a few questions about building a hutch, which I'll post over on the coop thread. I've been lurking on here for about a week or two and have found tons of helpful information. I'm really looking forward to getting to know people on here and getting answers to my questions.

GREAT SITE!!
 
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Welcome to BYC!

Congrats on the soon to be new chicks! I hope they all arrive safely.

You can chat with your chicken neighbors in your state thread and maybe someone nearby can take your extras...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/2811/any-new-yorkers-out-there

When you have 20 posts under your belt, you can place an ad in our Buy Sell and Trade section to find homes for them....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/67/buy-sell-trade

Many states have poultry swap meets and you can sell them off there. Ask around in your state thread about this as well.

Make yourself at home here on BYC. Enjoy this new adventure you are on and welcome to our flock!
 
Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! You've gotten some good suggestions / links above for selling your extras. I would try to sell them asap (if you know which ones you are going to sell) since if you never know if you will find someone else who wants them later.
 
Geez, Ron! NOW you tell me! LOL!

I didn't actually look too hard for a hatchery...I asked someone at work who raises chickens and he said he likes Murray McMurray, so that's who I went with. Oh, well...hopefully, I'll be able to find new homes for of my girls. If not, I guess it won't take that much extra work, feed, etc. to take care of them all. Thanks for the links...I'll definitely check them out. I was thinking of Craig's list, but I worry about who might be buying from there.

Thanks for making me feel welcome. From what I've seen so far, people on here are very friendly and helpful, so I'm really excited!
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Welcome to BYC! x3 on the links provided by TwoCrows. As Kelsie2290 said, I would sell them ASAP. That way you will have put minimal expence into their care and you won't have to worry about someone not buying them because they turn out to be roosters [unless they are able to sex chicks which is unlikely unless you ordered sex link chicks (but then you know what gender they are)]. Out of curiosity, what breeds did you order from Murray McMurray? And did you order pullets or straight run?
 
I ordered all females...5 Black Austrolorps, 5 Columbian Wyandottes, and 5 Buff Orpingtons. I did a bit of research and tried to get chickens that would be rather gentle and decent egg producers. I have two grandchildren, ages 7 and 4, so I want chickens that won't be aggressive toward them, and we want good, healthy eggs.

I think I would be happy keeping 2 of the black, 2 Wyandottes and probably 3 Orpingtons. Murray McMurray also throws in that "mystery rare breed," so I guess it depends on what that turns out to be, whether I keep that one, or not. (an Easter Egger would be cool!)

I'll definitely check out those links. I'd like to be able to sell them locally...don't really want the responsibility of mailing/shipping them...I'd feel absolutely horrible if any didn't make it to their new home! I wonder if I'd have any luck making a connection at the local County Fairs? Hmm....
 
The rare mystery chick the hatcheries send usually are neither rare nor mystery - usually can bet it will be a rooster.

I agree to find homes asap though you take the risk of selling ones you might have kept if they stayed longer. It's likely you will have one or two or??? OOPS cockerels when they are supposed to be pullets.

Also it's not unusual to loose some during the shipping /immediately after. It's good if you have some gro gel at home to help them recover from shipping - especially if the weather is hot. Make sure you gently dip their beaks in water, so they learn where water is and that they should drink it. Sometimes just tapping on the bowl with your finger will start them. A mother hen taps at things to get their attention.

Also have a swallow water dish at first with some clean marbles in it to prevent baby chicks from falling in and drowning - yes, that really can happen.

Put paper towels over the bedding litter for the first day or so, because chicks don't know what food is like and will peck and swallow almost anything. After they learn where there food it and how it tastes, they will likely avoid eating the litter.
 

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