Hello I can only have so many chicks. I wanted to order 8-9 all of different breeds. My question is this... Do I order 2 of each incase 1 dies. What do I do if they both live and I end up with twice as many as I can have? Oh boy what to do what to do?
I ordered twice as many as I really wanted for the same reason you mention. I was SURE that they were going to dropping like flies all over the place. They all lived. Every single one of them. It turned out that raising the chicks to age is a lot easier than you might think. Don't order more than you're permitted to have... in fact, you may want to order much *less* than you can have, so that next year you can order another few and be ready with replacements as your hens age.
Depending on your area, you might also be able to sell the excess pullets on craigslist, once they get to point of lay, which would also defray the cost of feed and raising them.
I plan to order twice as many as I need, in a big assortment of all different kinds, since I can't settle one one breed. I figure that way I can pick my favorites to make my flock, and the rest will either be dinner or sold. With our high level of predation, I figure losing some is also inevitable once they go in the coop. We've lost three adult chickens this month, which is half what we had to begin with! It's hard not to order too many, especially if you are like me and just can't decide what kind because you like them all. (I'll be getting probably ten breeds or so!)Or if you need a very small number, you have to find a hatchery that will allow a small order and won't dump 30 surprise packing peanut roosters on you. I'd order a few more than you need, if you think you will be able to sell the extras and won't get in a lot of trouble for having too many.
