Making Lemonade [Selective Culling Project - very long term]

[NanaK]

They love chicks. Lost 2 yesterday to magpies within a few hours

Oh no! So sorry for your loss.
My neighbor lost chicks in the past to Blue Jays.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Something big enough to take an entire duck is now preying on things. also, the crows are stealing eggs.

and the State inspector is coming next week to renew my NPIP certification. So goal is to reduce to about a dozen chickens by then - that's all I can contain in the mobile coop until I build a bigger coop and can expand flock size again. May have to buy birds.

 

[NatJ]

May have to buy birds.

If you want to order from a hatchery, I notice it's easier to find chicks either after the spring chick rush, or before that rush the next year. So depending on when you are ready for more birds, you might have a better chance of getting breeds you want, as compared with the trouble you had the first time.

Ideal Poultry tends to run nice specials early in the year (January and maybe February) and again later in the summer. They've got a page of "advertised specials," and it's possible to get on a list for a weekly email.

McMurray Hatchery tends to list more birds as they hatch & ship for a given week (it looks like they pre-sell with a margin for error, then do an actual count and add them as they can.) Their "currently available" page is the easiest place I've found to spot those.

I haven't watched other hatcheries as closely to see what their patterns are.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I think I just saw an ad on FB from Ideal for Bantams, some ducks, and a few breeds I wasn't interested in, all on special.

https://www.idealpoultry.com/products/101

Yup. Banties and Ducks.

 

[NatJ]

I think I just saw an ad on FB from Ideal for Bantams, some ducks, and a few breeds I wasn't interested in, all on special.

https://www.idealpoultry.com/products/101

Yup. Banties and Ducks.

Yup. A month back, there was nothing at all. It should just get better from here. Since they're in Texas and you're in Florida, they can hatch and you can buy when the northerners are staring at snow instead of thinking about chicks

 

[NatJ]

Come to think of it, their Cornish Bantams are rather meaty little birds, reasonable layers, may go broody sometimes (good or bad depending on whether you want it). If you get in a pinch, maybe consider some of them.

But McMurray's been starting to have pullets of some of their good laying breeds available to ship "this week," so I'd definitely look both places. I saw White Leghorns, Amber Stars, Black Stars, Bielefelders, New Hampshires, and a number of other breeds pop in and out over the last day or two.

 

[Sally PB]

Mt Healthy had a good selection when I looked the other day. Prices were high, though.

I think they changed their shipping policy. They only ship to certain states now, due to USPS issues getting chicks delivered in a timely manner.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Three roosters down, three to go.

 

[Sally PB]

How are the breeding goals coming along?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

The culling of the males is/was overdue. This should help the project. It should also make great soup stock.