looking for fellow Alberta chicken freaks!

[SarahJane77]

Hello! 15 years (and counting..) in good ol' Slave Lake.
I'm a newbie to chickens; we had a beautiful flock of young hens and handsome roos last year only to lose them to my husky cross who obviously thought they'd worn out their welcome. (Free ranged for 4 months with no issues...1 week in Ontario and she went through them like a plague.)
After a rather sad winter without them, I find myself on the hunt for a new set of babies. I'm on a waiting list for 3 Copper Black Marans and am hoping to find some more at the Westlock odd & unusual auction next month. Has anyone been? There are a ton of upcoming auctions & sales and I wish I could make them all!

 

[BigRedChickie]

I went to the Westlock Odd & Unusual sale today. What an excellent Saturday! I could have come home with SO MUCH, but, I resisted. Lol. I did come home with a lovely 1 year old speckled Sussex hen. I'm so excited, she's just a lovely little bird adds a splash of color to my otherwise plain jane flock of ISA browns. And, there was an egg in the box by the time I got home! She's roosting, has been since about 7 o'clock. Stressful day I think. She ate & drank a metric ton when she was freed from her tiny cage and seems to be getting along quite well with the other girls. Still under frequent observation and will be for the next few days. Did anyone else make it out to the auction?

 

[BigRedChickie]

 

[kimmi07]

Hello from Edmonton! Newbie here and just checking things out for the moment.

 

[CanaDawn]

I'm south of Edmonton, with two black Seramas and a Silkie <- who is currently broody, in case someone would like to stick a few eggs under her...

 

[Bentpiper]

Buying an acreage in The hills of twin lakes just north of Stony Plain and we sre wanting to have some chickens. Any type of breed we should start off with. Any tricks to this trade. Anyone know of good places to buy stuff and feed

 

[uncertainty]

Greetings Alberta chicken freaks, hope I am not too late to join the club. I am a total newbie out by Elk Point with big plans for the spring. Advice and recommendations gratefully received. I was considering Chanteclers as a robust, cold hardy heritage breed with which to begin but am disappointed to discover they are difficult to find. Do you have a good alternative to recommend? Thx.

 

[SFogg]

Greetings Alberta chicken freaks, hope I am not too late to join the club.  I am a total newbie out by Elk Point with big plans for the spring.  Advice and recommendations gratefully received.  I was considering Chanteclers as a robust, cold hardy heritage breed with which to begin but am disappointed to discover they are difficult to find.  Do you have a good alternative to recommend? Thx.

Hey there! Welcome! I googled Canadian Chantecler Breeders and found a few breeders that might be worth checking out. Hawthorn Hills Heritage Poultry is located in central Alberta and Cherry Creek Canadians is in Kamloops BC. Have a look! It might be worth giving them a call if you had your heart set on Chanteclers Hope this helps a bit. Good luck!

 

[uncertainty]

Thanks for taking the time to do this research for me.

I took this from the webpage for Hawthorn Hills: "Hawthorn Hill is a conservation farm, not a hatchery, so I don't actually sell hatching eggs or baby chicks." so I think that rules them out as a potential source.

Cherry Creek seems to be limited to fertile eggs: "We are not hatching or selling any Chantecler chicks this year. However we do have limited availability of hatching eggs. If you would be interested in getting some of these, please contact us regarding availability." I am concerned that my inexperience would lead to a poor result here. Do you typically find incubating/hatching success rates increase with a couple of years of general poultry experience?

 

[SFogg]

Thanks for taking the time to do this research for me.

I took this from the webpage for Hawthorn Hills: "Hawthorn Hill is a conservation farm, not a hatchery, so I don't actually sell hatching eggs or baby chicks." so I think that rules them out as a potential source.

Cherry Creek seems to be limited to fertile eggs: "We are not hatching or selling any Chantecler chicks this year. However we do have limited availability of hatching eggs. If you would be interested in getting some of these, please contact us regarding availability." I am concerned that my inexperience would lead to a poor result here. Do you typically find incubating/hatching success rates increase with a couple of years of general poultry experience?

oh bummer! I only googled them, and checked where they were located, never looked into them anymore than that. You should maybe do some googling, or, I wonder if you contacted them and expressed your interest if they would help you out or at least give you a contact for someone who could. Might be worth the phone call! And might lead you to a contact who is closer to you. Let me know if you try and have any luck, or what you decide to do! Are you looking to get chicks or hatching eggs?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-incubate-hatch-eggs-just-21-days-from-egg-to-chicken

Check out this article from the learning centre. It has a great run through of the incubating process as well as some extras. There is also a link on the article to another article for info on the first 60 days as a new chick parent! Remember, with incubating a steady temperature and humidity level are very important!

Good Luck