Oregon

[ERRJRDN]

Check out Coastal Farms, they are getting ready for new chicks to come in. They have a lot of different breeds coming in, check with them.

 

[Amc29]

Hi there! I am wondering if anyone on here has an insight into the poultry swap at the Benton County fairgrounds in April. My husband and I plan on driving up there to perhaps get some chicks and some hatching eggs, but have never been. A friend of ours told us we should probably show up by the time it opens in order to get chicks we want (eek! That's our plan anyway, but our drive is 3 to 3 1/2 hours). There is only one breed that is on the rare side that I am seeking that I have seen will be there, but if I don't get it, not too big of a deal (I don't even know how much they will cost and if it is more than I want to pay, I will forgo buying anyway). I guess I am just curious about what the crowd size seems to be like (does it seem like a lot of waiting in line for booths/tables), does it seem like the number of chicks available dwindles pretty quickly, and what the average price of hatching eggs seem to be (aside from the typically spendy varieties like ayam cemani). Any answers to these or any other input you think might be useful would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Hi there! I am wondering if anyone on here has an insight into the poultry swap at the Benton County fairgrounds in April. My husband and I plan on driving up there to perhaps get some chicks and some hatching eggs, but have never been. A friend of ours told us we should probably show up by the time it opens in order to get chicks we want (eek! That's our plan anyway, but our drive is 3 to 3 1/2 hours). There is only one breed that is on the rare side that I am seeking that I have seen will be there, but if I don't get it, not too big of a deal (I don't even know how much they will cost and if it is more than I want to pay, I will forgo buying anyway). I guess I am just curious about what the crowd size seems to be like (does it seem like a lot of waiting in line for booths/tables), does it seem like the number of chicks available dwindles pretty quickly, and what the average price of hatching eggs seem to be (aside from the typically spendy varieties like ayam cemani). Any answers to these or any other input you think might be useful would be greatly appreciated!

I've been to spring and fall events and have really been underwhelmed by them......a lot of presales so much of what is there is spoken for....to me not a must attend event. I will say the Facebook group for their organization classifieds is a good way to find breeders to source from outside the events.

 

[Amc29]

I've been to spring and fall events and have really been underwhelmed by them......a lot of presales so much of what is there is spoken for....to me not a must attend event. I will say the Facebook group for their organization classifieds is a good way to find breeders to source from outside the events.

That is good to know. I read that they discourage (but allow) presales, but I didn't realize it was much of an issue. I think it will be fun for our toodler to go see all the animals, but I appreciate the heads up that many of the animals will be spoken for, though it is discouraging.

 

[ERRJRDN]

That is good to know. I read that they discourage (but allow) presales, but I didn't realize it was much of an issue. I think it will be fun for our toodler to go see all the animals, but I appreciate the heads up that many of the animals will be spoken for, though it is discouraging.

What breed is it you are looking for?

 

[Amc29]

What breed is it you are looking for?

There are a few. The one that would be the most difficult to get would be the mosaic (only one breeder has specified they are taking those), and I have considered ayam cemani, but I have read mixed reviews on aggressiveness. The others I am looking for that aren't quite as difficult to come by are lavender orpingtons, cream legbar, and perhaps some marans and Easter Eggers. I am open to either hatching eggs or chicks.

 

[ERRJRDN]

Being fairly new to chickens, I haven't heard of most of the breeds you named. Now I will have to look them up to see what they look like. I bought most of my chickens from Cackle Hatchery. And we also hatched a few of our own eggs from our chickens. Made for some pretty mixed birds.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

There are a few. The one that would be the most difficult to get would be the mosaic (only one breeder has specified they are taking those), and I have considered ayam cemani, but I have read mixed reviews on aggressiveness. The others I am looking for that aren't quite as difficult to come by are lavender orpingtons, cream legbar, and perhaps some marans and Easter Eggers. I am open to either hatching eggs or chicks.

CCL can be a mixed bag, I'd encourage finding someone with good lines....nice breeding stock with true blue eggs, not the brassy birds laying green eggs. The breeder I got my nicest ccl from sold her breeding flock to another oregon breeder, look for Sheri Fisher on Facebook....shes j6st out of Forest Grove and could tell you who has the flock now. She also had some really nice marans when I was at her place.
There are a few folks in the general area working with mosaics....networking is key in finding the "chicken people" to deal with

 

[Amc29]

Being fairly new to chickens, I haven't heard of most of the breeds you named. Now I will have to look them up to see what they look like. I bought most of my chickens from Cackle Hatchery. And we also hatched a few of our own eggs from our chickens. Made for some pretty mixed birds.

I actually hadn't heard of mosaics until I saw that someone was selling them, and they are a pretty new breed. Once our flock is a little bigger, my hope is to replenish it by hatching our own (barnyard mixes are fine with me!). I have seen some beautiful mixes.

 

[Amc29]

CCL can be a mixed bag, I'd encourage finding someone with good lines....nice breeding stock with true blue eggs, not the brassy birds laying green eggs. The breeder I got my nicest ccl from sold her breeding flock to another oregon breeder, look for Sheri Fisher on Facebook....shes j6st out of Forest Grove and could tell you who has the flock now. She also had some really nice marans when I was at her place.
There are a few folks in the general area working with mosaics....networking is key in finding the "chicken people" to deal with

Thank you for the information! I saw a vendor on the facebook page describing their "very blue layers" they have been perfecting, and they included photos of the eggs they have been getting, so I am pretty interested in talking with them.
I do need to be better with my networking, but most contacts I come across seem to be in either the Portland area or Medford area, which are both hours from where I live, and it is hard for me to justify paying for gas on top of whatever I may be paying for the chicks (which would still be cheaper than paying shipping), which is one reason I am looking forward to the swap--having the opportunity to meet so many in one place and hopefully maybe learn of some that may be more local to me.