New member and new to chickens

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chagallca

chagallca

Hatching
5 Years
Joined
May 5, 2014
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Location
Riverside, CA
We are Dave and Laura and live in the Riverside area of California. We are just finishing our coop and hope to get a dozen or so chicks next week. We have been researching breeds and are looking for egg layers.

I do have one question though. Since we are breeders of Australian Shepherds, we have a big problem with people who go from one breeder to another due to the possible transmission of Parvo that could result in the deaths of all of our puppies. Do breeders of chickens have the same type of concerns? We would like to visit various breeders in the same day, but we will not do this if there is any possibility of bringing diseases with us that may harm their stock.

Any and all advise is very welcome.
 
Most if not all chicken breeders who do it for a living never allow people to walk through the barn and see their chickens because of bio security concerns. Part of their certification mandates the precautions that they must take. Your best bet is to go with customer feedback, online pictures, professional reputation and your gut. Red flags should go off if they DO allow you to casually walk through the pens and actually pick the chicks. Some people will take roosters back as part of their policy. Big no no. Once a bird leave the property it should never come back. Don't buy from them. You are probably more apt to buy some nice birds from someone who raised 100+ chicks and is not NPIP certified but they should have the same safety concerns as the big breeders. You are the greatest risk to the health of the flocks you visit.

The good part of all of this is chicks are very safe and you don't have to worry about diseases wiping out your entire flock.
 
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Hello :frow and Welcome To BYC! Do you know where you are going to go? You might want to ask what their procedure is, many breeders will not let you among their breeding flocks anyhow, especially certified ones, they'll have the chicks somewhere else or meet you somewhere... they are usually used to dealing with the public and have a system set up. There are a couple of nice articles in the Learning Center https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/biosecurity-for-the-rest-of-us and https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock
 
You might consider going to shows /meet ups to see what the breeds are like but, I don't recommend buying birds there - because they have been exposed to others and also because some may offer you birds and then "drop off the face of the earth," when you have any problems.

I like checking out things on line, google for one. Check out websites for info. on how long the farm/breeder has been in existence. Pictures of their stock, pictures of their birds doing well with new owners. After awhile you get a feel for someone either to desire their stock, or get away as fast as you can.

Check the breed threads on here and see how posters feel about different breeders -you can learn a lot.
 
Welcome to BYC
frow.gif
Glad you joined us! You have some very valid concerns, but I see Kelsie linked you to some good articles on the topic, that will answer your questions. I for one, after introducing lice AND worms to my flock once after buying in new chickens, am a huge fan of quarantine. Learned that lesson the hard way...
 
We have been looking on Craigslist for young hens. Our preference would be to go with young hens that are already laying or near that age, but we are open to all options.

We appreciate the responses we have received. You all have been very helpful.

Thank you.
 
I would suggest buying from as few sources are possible. It's the best time of year to find a nice selection of pullets that are 3-4 months. It will still be July before you start getting eggs. Look in the Where are you section on here as well.
 
Percheron chick said:
I would suggest buying from as few sources are possible. It's the best time of year to find a nice selection of pullets that are 3-4 months. It will still be July before you start getting eggs. Look in the Where are you section on here as well.
Click to expand...

Hi, Dave and Laura, welcome to BYC. Buy from a minimal number of sources, and quarantine. Follow the same husbandry practices that you followed with your dogs.
 

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