I have an opinion question regarding getting new birds

[jamesnoldsr]

I was not sure where to post this so I thought I'd try here. My question is this: if you want to get nice birds from breeders to raise the quality of your flock- what is the best way to go about doing that? As far as I know, there are about three different methods of bringing in better quality birds. One is buying hatching eggs. Problem with that is that everyone states right in their auction ad......Not responsible for hatching success due to handling, etc. If you pay a good amount for nice eggs then they get beat up by the Post Office- you're out of luck.
Next is day olds......Same thing, I bought some NICE chicks from someone and they were delivered a day late and 75 percent of them died. How can you control how the breeder packages their babies? Third is adult birds. Then you have quarantine issues and some people won't bring in adults in from anyone no matter how reputable.
If I had my druthers, I'd go to the breeder and pick up day olds or juvie babies but as I'm trying to get some of the nicest birds I can reasonably afford- and want to stay away from hatcheries, there is no one in this area that I know of that has the breeds I have been looking for. Any opinions regarding this?

 

[Kevin565]

***This is just my opinion

To me eggs are a risky business. There are so many factors that could go wrong. Plus if your going for a good quality that's a lot of money wasted.

Day olds are a better option. However you can still lose them in their chick stage. Also brooding is alot of work. Raising your birds from day one is very rewarding though. However just because they came from good quality parents doesn't mean they all turn out to be good quality. If you ended up getting chicks that didn't get the best genetics then you end up wasting your money.

I prefer buying adults. I know what they will end up looking like because they are already grown. I don't have to worry about brooding them. I don't worry about losing them when they are young. However buying adult birds of good quality can be very pricey. In my opinion it's worth it if you can find a good quality and a reasonable price.

 

[loanwizard]

I hatch my own eggs, but they are all a dukes mixture, so that doesn't improve my stock, but it is basically free. My intent is to buy sexed day old chicks when I make the change to a specific breed, after which I will hatch out my own. Most hatcheries I would assume guarantee live delivery and should/would/might have replaced those chicks. I have bought adults but there is no way I am paying the price for purebreds. Nothing wrong with it, but just not me. My suggestion is to find a hatcher near you and pick them up.

Where do you live and what breed are you looking for?

Good Luck,

Shawn

 

[aoxa]

I would say go to a spring poultry show to bring in new birds. I have had zero bad experiences with bringing in adult birds. They are pullets though, so is that really adult? Anyway.. I guess you just do what you feel is best.

 

[jamesnoldsr]

Quote:
Thank you! I have considered buying adults but was not sure how they did in shipping. It is true that they can be pricey. I was going to bid on a trio of Buff Laced Brahmas that ended up going for over 600.00- so I bought some day olds that did happen to get here next day and I have had very good luck with them. I guess with chicks go with the breeders with the best reputation- Apparently USPS is no longer insuring live chicks although if you pay for overnight shipping and they end up being late you might get your shipping costs back.

I like the idea of buying adults although the competition can be fierce! I was going to bid on a few silkies a few weeks ago and with all the competition I didn't dare get into the fray!
I realize that there are going to be good and bad points to each method of bird purchasing, I was just looking to see what others were thinking about with regard to pros and cons. Thanks for your response.

 

[Kevin565]

I'm glad you ended up getting your birds. Your right Poultry can be a very competitive game. Some of the bid wars are crazy but if it's the breed your passionate about I guess its worth the effort. I've never actually incubated eggs but I know many people have gotten their stock from hatching eggs. At first I stuck with day olds but later found a wonderful feed store that carries adult birds. After that I've mostly bought adults. But in spring its so hard to resist all the cute little babies

 

[jamesnoldsr]

Quote:
We live just outside of Fort Worth, TX. As far as breeds, I did manage to get some BLRW, Buff and Gold Laced Brahmas, Coronation Sussex and Lemon Cuckoo Orps. Can you tell I like big fluffy birds??? Both the BLRW and the Lemon Orps came from a local breeder- so I got lucky there. The Sussex and the Brahmas came from much further away. What do I have my heart set on??? Have you seen pics of the Blue Partridge Brahmas and the Chocolate Orpingtons? Oh my!

 

[loanwizard]

Quote:
We live just outside of Fort Worth, TX. As far as breeds, I did manage to get some BLRW, Buff and Gold Laced Brahmas, Coronation Sussex and Lemon Cuckoo Orps. Can you tell I like big fluffy birds??? Both the BLRW and the Lemon Orps came from a local breeder- so I got lucky there. The Sussex and the Brahmas came from much further away. What do I have my heart set on??? Have you seen pics of the Blue Partridge Brahmas and the Chocolate Orpingtons? Oh my!

I haven't seen pictures of them, but early on really had my heart set on buying, breeding and selling Lavendar Orpingtons..... Then the pragmatic side of me took over. Planning to raise RIR's.

 

[BlazeJester]

Quote:
We live just outside of Fort Worth, TX. As far as breeds, I did manage to get some BLRW, Buff and Gold Laced Brahmas, Coronation Sussex and Lemon Cuckoo Orps. Can you tell I like big fluffy birds??? Both the BLRW and the Lemon Orps came from a local breeder- so I got lucky there. The Sussex and the Brahmas came from much further away. What do I have my heart set on??? Have you seen pics of the Blue Partridge Brahmas and the Chocolate Orpingtons? Oh my!

I haven't seen pictures of them, but early on really had my heart set on buying, breeding and selling Lavendar Orpingtons..... Then the pragmatic side of me took over. Planning to raise RIR's.

I'm going with the partridge rocks. Something about the classic older breeds that are just overlooked...

 

[BWKatz]

I have had good success with day olds both from hatchery and breeder. It also depends on what breed u want some breeds like Silkies are delicate and may die for no apparent reason shortly after hatching.