Meyer Hatchery Chicken pics anyone??

[rnchick74]

Ah, that makes more sense! Sorry for the confusion, there.

I wouldn't worry about checking for pasty butt until you get home. Mine didn't have any signs of it until the morning after I got them (and they're fine now after a butt wiping

). Pasty butt is usually a result of stress, especially from getting too cold, so if they stay plenty warm on the way home, they'll be fine. They also won't need food or water immediately. They'll be about a day old when you go to pick them up. Because they absorb the yolk right before hatching, they can go another day or two without eating or drinking. That's how they can be shipped safely without anything. If you're worried, I believe they have GroGel that they can add to the box, which is kind of both food and water in a gel form and you don't have to worry about anything spilling and making a mess.

No worries! I shouldn't post before the caffeine kicks in! I did order the GroGel...so they will mix that up and add that to the box? I wasn't sure of that - I figured they would give it to me to use at home. Well, that's great. I used something similar when shipping fledged parrots to their forever homes - worked great without a mess!

I'm getting so excited! But my coop dilmma is driving me crazy...the one coop (cconly) I have found out is very thin wood and doesn't last very long. It's also so light that you have to reinforce it or tie it down, otherwise it will blow away! The other coop is nice, but I worry about the smaller run size. I'm not sure I like the nest box set up either.

I've contacted some local people who build custom coop to get some ideas about how much they would charge for something. I'm glad I have plenty of time to save $$$ and find something exactly like what I want!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I've never ordered GroGel, so I don't know for sure, but I think they do put it in the box with the babies. And yeah, the thing with pre-fab coops is that they usually are of poor quality and don't house nearly as many birds as they say they do. One of them that's in our TSC says it can hold 10 birds and I wouldn't dare put any more than 3 or 4 in it! Luckily you do have some of time to figure that out! For your 6 birds, though, you'll want at least 24 square feet inside (4 square feet per bird) unless you plan to free-range them a lot. There's no set-in-stone perfect size for every flock, so you have to consider your setup in deciding how big your coop should be. For example, my girls have about 3 square feet each inside their coop, but they have a very generous run (50x100 feet) and free-range every afternoon, so it works for my flock. Worse comes to worse, you can always add on to your run to give them more space.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

And since I'm here, here are some pictures of the babies today! I'm so, so happy with this set of babies! They're so precious!

Elda the Silver Gray Dorking, shortly after hopping up onto the wall of the brooder.

Elda--look at this face!

Georgie the Black Copper Marans, already getting her wing feathers in!

Kit (SGD) and Mabel (Welsummer)

Kit-Kit!

Louise (BCM), stealing the limelight from Elda

Little Mabel

 

[rnchick74]

I've never ordered GroGel, so I don't know for sure, but I think they do put it in the box with the babies.

And yeah, the thing with pre-fab coops is that they usually are of poor quality and don't house nearly as many birds as they say they do. One of them that's in our TSC says it can hold 10 birds and I wouldn't dare put any more than 3 or 4 in it! Luckily you do have some of time to figure that out! For your 6 birds, though, you'll want at least 24 square feet inside (4 square feet per bird) unless you plan to free-range them a lot. There's no set-in-stone perfect size for every flock, so you have to consider your setup in deciding how big your coop should be. For example, my girls have about 3 square feet each inside their coop, but they have a very generous run (50x100 feet) and free-range every afternoon, so it works for my flock. Worse comes to worse, you can always add on to your run to give them more space.

I think when I call the morning of our trip, I will ask Meyers about the GroGel.

I think the difference between "prefab" coops is if it is mass produced vs still built by a small family business. CConly is more mass produced while Urban Coops is still a family run company with an attention to quality. BUT, if I can find a local person to build for the same or less $$, I will support a local person.

 

[rnchick74]

SO CUTE!!!! Those pics are adorable!!!

 

[NotableNancy]

No worries! I shouldn't post before the caffeine kicks in! I did order the GroGel...so they will mix that up and add that to the box? I wasn't sure of that - I figured they would give it to me to use at home. Well, that's great. I used something similar when shipping fledged parrots to their forever homes - worked great without a mess!

I'm getting so excited! But my coop dilmma is driving me crazy...the one coop (cconly) I have found out is very thin wood and doesn't last very long. It's also so light that you have to reinforce it or tie it down, otherwise it will blow away! The other coop is nice, but I worry about the smaller run size. I'm not sure I like the nest box set up either.

I've contacted some local people who build custom coop to get some ideas about how much they would charge for something. I'm glad I have plenty of time to save $$$ and find something exactly like what I want!

I used the GroGel with both sets of chicks. When I ordered it from Meyer at the same time I ordered my chicks, the gel came in the mail a few days after I ordered it and the chicks 3 months later! So they didn't put it in with the chicks and I don't think they need it till you get home. I think they'll be nervous/stressed and full of egg yolk and can wait till you get home.
Since you have time I would certainly check out the local builders and also CraigsList! Maybe you can place a 'wanted' ad in Craigslist and a coop builder will contact you?

As far as switching out for a Silkie, I think I would wait. Not only does it give you something else to look forward to for your next order but with a 50/50 shot of being a male, it might disappoint your son a great deal. The Polish are pretty awesome looking and they get their poofs so quick I think he'll be pretty entertained. And not to 'down' hatchery silkies cause I have one, but the ones from breeders should have the beard and puffy head and basically be a poof ball. The hatchery ones are kind of iffy. Maybe in a year or so you can get one 3-4 months old that you know is a female and also a really pretty one? Just my 2 cents.


Pip... love the pic of Kit Kit!

 

[rnchick74]

I used the GroGel with both sets of chicks. When I ordered it from Meyer at the same time I ordered my chicks, the gel came in the mail a few days after I ordered it and the chicks 3 months later! So they didn't put it in with the chicks and I don't think they need it till you get home. I think they'll be nervous/stressed and full of egg yolk and can wait till you get home.
Since you have time I would certainly check out the local builders and also CraigsList! Maybe you can place a 'wanted' ad in Craigslist and a coop builder will contact you?

As far as switching out for a Silkie, I think I would wait. Not only does it give you something else to look forward to for your next order but with a 50/50 shot of being a male, it might disappoint your son a great deal. The Polish are pretty awesome looking and they get their poofs so quick I think he'll be pretty entertained. And not to 'down' hatchery silkies cause I have one, but the ones from breeders should have the beard and puffy head and basically be a poof ball. The hatchery ones are kind of iffy. Maybe in a year or so you can get one 3-4 months old that you know is a female and also a really pretty one? Just my 2 cents.


Pip... love the pic of Kit Kit!

Hmmm....I haven't gotten any of the "supplies" I ordered from Meyer's & fully paid for yet. I ordered them at the same time I ordered my 1st order of birds.

I''ve got several emails out to coop builders here locally. Louisville has quite an active urban chicken community. The people I see on craigslist only want to build the coop, not the run. They will all tell you to go buy a dog run. Well, I don't have any way to transport a dog run home, no real way to customize it to work with a chicken flock, and no way to secure it temporarily in the backyard of a rental home. The people I've emailed are used to building for the urban chicken community, but the runs they usually build are very small for some reason. I guess most people have fenced in back yards and free range. Well, mine doesn't and I can't free range...so I want my run to be as big as possible. It's a fine balance. The coop from urban coop company - I can afford the coop and 1 run initially and always add on the 2nd run after a few months, which is what I will do if I got that route.

I did find a local Silkie breeder - I've sent an email but they haven't responded. I was hoping to do just that: find one a few months old and have a better chance on the sex then. But they haven't answered. My only concern with the Polish is that I've heard they are very skittish...but then others have said they are very friendly. I'm torn because I don't want to get another baby later on and have lonely chick syndrome.

And you are right, my son would have a big issue if we ended up with a roo and had to get rid of it.

I know there is someone that sells "sexed" silkies, but I'm not sure who & if they are correct or not.

I also worry about losing chicks. Lol - I guess I want one of everything!

 

[rnchick74]

I just found another silkie breeder who sells 4-6 week silkies! Email sent to them as well! That would be good if I can get one when my day old chicks are a little older. Might have to work at integrating a little, but still...

 

[IrishAcreFarm]

And since I'm here, here are some pictures of the babies today! I'm so, so happy with this set of babies! They're so precious!

Elda the Silver Gray Dorking, shortly after hopping up onto the wall of the brooder.

Elda--look at this face!

Georgie the Black Copper Marans, already getting her wing feathers in!

Kit (SGD) and Mabel (Welsummer)

Kit-Kit!

Louise (BCM), stealing the limelight from Elda

Little Mabel

These chicks are just so darn CUTE!!!

 

[rnchick74]

I just found another silkie breeder who sells 4-6 week silkies! Email sent to them as well! That would be good if I can get one when my day old chicks are a little older. Might have to work at integrating a little, but still...

oohhhh! I just got an email back from this breeder - he said they might have a black female available later this summer! I'm going to keep watching their chicks available page for details!!!! Cautiously optimistic!