Ordering and choosing chicks?

[BCollie]

No luck on my local CL, nothing besides sex links, mix-breeds, and RIR.

I've read that if chicks come from different places, they need to be kept separate for a couple weeks before they can all be together in the brooder? Is this true?

 

[Kay1993]

That's awesome! I LOVE animals with personality!!

My dog is the weirdest freak of nature to walk this earth, but that's why I love her. She is very excited about getting chickens. She absolutely loves to look at the chicks in the feed store. They are in a large, metal brooder and she will stand there with her front feet on the edge and her head in the brooder, watching the chicks run around. She used to play 'mom' to foster kittens. She's going to love chickens, she already knows the word. "Chickies", I call them.

I guess I have to make an account to find shipping cost.

Haha animals with weird personalities always end up being the greatest pets, they're so fun. Aww your dog sounds like a cutie! Hopefully she doesn't end up like my dog... He was generally sweet to them, but his predator instincts would kick in if they made any sudden movements. Though now that they're a little older he just ignores them, phewf.

Just put in 6 Light Brahmas so that I could go and look at shipping. Ouch, $45 for shipping from Meyer. No thank you.

I have no ideas what hatcheries are near me. I'm in Northern CA. Shipping from Murray McMurray is only $22, but then they have the 15 minimum..Shipping from mypetchicken is $36 if I remember correctly.

Good to know about selecting breeds, thank you. What if I had a a couple light colored, a couple dark, and maybe a couple brownish ones? In this case there's no single odd-one-out, so that would prevent bullying, right?

Yeah the shipping is pretty harsh with small orders...try what Eggcessive suggested. I ordered from Ideal and their shipping is reeeally cheap, but they don't have the breeds that you want in stock. That color combination is exactly what my batch of chicks consists of, no problems with bullying (except when those Light Brahmas are PMsing

) .

 

[BCollie]

Haha animals with weird personalities always end up being the greatest pets, they're so fun. Aww your dog sounds like a cutie! Hopefully she doesn't end up like my dog... He was generally sweet to them, but his predator instincts would kick in if they made any sudden movements. Though now that they're a little older he just ignores them, phewf.
Yeah the shipping is pretty harsh with small orders...try what Eggcessive suggested. I ordered from Ideal and their shipping is reeeally cheap, but they don't have the breeds that you want in stock. That color combination is exactly what my batch of chicks consists of, no problems with bullying (except when those Light Brahmas are PMsing

) .

Not worried about predator instincts. She's a working Border Collie, she'll just herd them! In fact, I'll use her to bring them into the coop every night! I plan on them being around my dog a lot when they're little so that they aren't afraid of her as they grow up.
She's a creeper. This is her in my old house, herding the cat. The worst she'll do is herd them into a corner, and that's only if she's REALLY hyped up.



I'll check out the forums here for people nearby. Do people here on BYC usually ship chicks?

 

[Kay1993]

Not worried about predator instincts. She's a working Border Collie, she'll just herd them! In fact, I'll use her to bring them into the coop every night! I plan on them being around my dog a lot when they're little so that they aren't afraid of her as they grow up.
She's a creeper. This is her in my old house, herding the cat. The worst she'll do is herd them into a corner, and that's only if she's REALLY hyped up.



I'll check out the forums here for people nearby. Do people here on BYC usually ship chicks?

Yes, some will ship. Love the pic. She can be your personal chicken babysitter

!

 

[BCollie]

Not finding any of the breeds that I want in the For Sale/Trade section.

 

[BCollie]

Okay, here's something I didn't think about. It doesn't get too cold here (it hardly ever snows, and when it does it usually doesn't stick to the ground), but it gets HOT. I'm in very northern CA and it can get up to 110 here in the summer. I've read that Brahmas do well in heat, which is good! Would any of the breeds I mentioned have a problem with the heat?

I've read that Leghorns are not only good layers, but also do well in heat. But I also read that they're skittish. I want friendly chickens, would these not be a good option?

Never got an answer to this. Anyone?
Just to add more detail: By 'hot' I mean that in July it averages 100 degrees. But I've seen it higher.

 

[Hillschicks]

If it is hot where you live i would reconsider the brahma... They are built for cols weather... But that sucks... Light brahma are awesome... I always said if i chose one single breed to have it would be them... As far as the bullying, if shouldnt be an issue if you have a couple of each, but we for example had our mixed flock and then 1 white leghorn... They pecked the back of the leghorns head to the skull... Same thing happened when we first got chickens and we had 1 single silkie... Maybe they just dont like lone white chickens lol... And yea shipping is very expensive, but like i said try to find the closest hatchery... There are alot of storys on here about dead chicks on arrival and chicks lost in the mail... I figure the closer to ship the better chance they make it ok... $45 is very excessive, my last meyer order shipped for $35.. May have raised their rates

 

[BCollie]

I'm pretty sure shipping has to do with how far you are from them, or how large your order is, doesn't it?

The Brahmas will be fine in the heat, I've done a lot of research on that and everyone says Light Brahmas do very well in hot weather.

 

[BCollie]

Nobody has any input on my Leghorn question? ^

 

[Hillschicks]

Brahmas are actually listed in most placed as "cold hardy" ... They are built for cold, but as long as you provide them with cold water throughout the day they will be fine... Leghorns are excellent layers, they do well in warm climates, and yes they are skittish.. But things like skittish is different from bird to bird and im sure can be lessened by building a bond between yourself and the chick