ISO: Sexed Colored Egg Layers in Illinois

[mrtoren]

Just finishing up our first coop. We are searching for some female colored egg laying chicks in Illinois (blue or green). We are based just north of Peoria, and would be willing to drive 2-3 hours one way for the right breeder. The problem we are struggling with is finding reliably sexed chicks. The starter coop I built is only large enough to house 4-5 full size chickens (easing into the hobby), so a batch of roosters would pose a major concern as they seem hard to re-home and I would struggle with culling them on the basis on sex alone.

I have heard horror stories about TSC and Big R/Stock + Field (e.g. entire batches of cockerels from "sexed" bins, incorrect breeds, etc.). I have also heard others who got exactly what they were looking for.

The local breeders we have found mainly do straight runs with minimums of 5-10+, which we cannot accommodate at this time. Do we need to go online? Or are there any reliable breeders nearby?

We appreciate any suggestions or help!

 

[MysteryChicken]

Just finishing up our first coop. We are searching for some female colored egg laying chicks in Illinois (blue or green). We are based just north of Peoria, and would be willing to drive 2-3 hours one way for the right breeder. The problem we are struggling with is finding reliably sexed chicks. The starter coop I built is only large enough to house 4-5 full size chickens (easing into the hobby), so a batch of roosters would pose a major concern as they seem hard to re-home and I would struggle with culling them on the basis on sex alone.

I have heard horror stories about TSC and Big R/Stock + Field (e.g. entire batches of cockerels from "sexed" bins, incorrect breeds, etc.). I have also heard others who got exactly what they were looking for.

The local breeders we have found mainly do straight runs with minimums of 5-10+, which we cannot accommodate at this time. Do we need to go online? Or are there any reliable breeders nearby?

We appreciate any suggestions or help!

You can buy sexed colored egg layers from Meyer Hatchery. I already ordered my chicks from there.

 

[WhyDoILikeChickens]

Just finishing up our first coop. We are searching for some female colored egg laying chicks in Illinois (blue or green). We are based just north of Peoria, and would be willing to drive 2-3 hours one way for the right breeder. The problem we are struggling with is finding reliably sexed chicks. The starter coop I built is only large enough to house 4-5 full size chickens (easing into the hobby), so a batch of roosters would pose a major concern as they seem hard to re-home and I would struggle with culling them on the basis on sex alone.

I have heard horror stories about TSC and Big R/Stock + Field (e.g. entire batches of cockerels from "sexed" bins, incorrect breeds, etc.). I have also heard others who got exactly what they were looking for.

The local breeders we have found mainly do straight runs with minimums of 5-10+, which we cannot accommodate at this time. Do we need to go online? Or are there any reliable breeders nearby?

We appreciate any suggestions or help!

Just like the other comment I have ordered from meyer hatchery in Wisconsin and order was exact. I have heard of mistakes in their orders though but mine was perfect out of 11 chicks. Also check the thread "illinois". Lots of us from Chicago suburbs and all around Illinois.