New member and new to chickens

Date sort Score sort
Thanks again to all of you. I am going to search for a single breeder to find one that carries all of the breeds I want if possible even if that means going with little chicks. Breeds on my short list right now consist of Austorlorpe, Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Reds, and Wyandotte. I still have some more homework to do before we purchase.

Thanks again, you have all been great.
 
We bought birds from a Craigslist ad and four of the six died. After looking up their symptoms, we think they had coccidiosis.
Something we though odd, but didn't really pay attention to, was that this person was willing to drive 40 minutes from home to meet us. For a $12 sale.
After going to a farm and buying rir's, (we didn't know about the posts above that says breeders shouldn't allow that) this guy told me that was crazy. He wouldn't drive 2 miles for a sale.
So far, ours are showing no sign of disease. In fact, compared to the first batch we bought, these are a night and day difference. So full of energy and already scratching. Just a joy to watch...
 
Best of luck with you new birds and your surviving birds.

I would never buy a dog from Craigslist, but it seems that is the only option available since most chicken breeders do not seem to have websites. I am looking at the going prices for birds of various ages on Craigslist and hopefully I can find out something about the breeder before I go to their location. If the price is much lower than average, I am concerned. I use google maps to get a satellite view of their property to see if the property looks clean and organized if possible. I have a hatchery near me, but they do not allow local pick-up. I do not want my birds shipped. There is a local breeder that advertises on Craigslist that has a number of positive reviews but he/she only has birds around 3 weeks old and younger. There are other breeders that have a number of breeds advertised on Craigslist so I will also look at those also. I am looking for a breeder that has a large number of chickens, with the assumption that more birds means that they have more to lose if disease is present. Now aside from all my assumptions, I am still just guessing at this point.
 
It's hard to maintain quality stock on multiple breeds of chickens. If someone has more than 4-5 established breeding groups, I would be more inclined to think they aren't doing much to advance their stock. 4-5 breeding groups can be 100+ adult chickens plus more juveniles. Multiple breeding pens, brooding areas, grow out pens...

Rarity of the breed as well as quality will drive the price up. The breeds you list should go for $5-6 for a straightrun chick up to $25 for a started pullet of decent quality.
 
I would have assumed just the opposite. It would seem that with more hens and roosters available, the breeder would have more choices in breeding the pairs that have the best temperament, health, and breed standard qualities, but given that I have never been to a place with a large number of chickens, I can understand the possible logistical problems. I guess it holds true for all breeders of chickens, dogs, horses and all other animals, the quality of their animals depends of the knowledge, ethics and effort of the individual breeder. Your post does give me more to think about before purchasing. Thank you for your information.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom