Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

Pics
Date sort Score sort
Hello (again)!

I've been a member of BYC for a few years now, and have finally convinced my husband that this is the year for chickens!!! (And possibly a few guineas, too - surprisingly he's more open to that option, go figure)

It helps that we have one close neighbor with chickens and a couple friends with chickens as well that keep asking him, "what are you waiting for?" They have figured out the "happy wife = happy life" equation. My hubby is apparently a little slow on the uptake, there!!
lol.png


We are in central PA - Mifflinburg - and are on the trail of a coop builder that was recommended to my husband as selling better coops than he could buy the lumber for. We'll see this weekend...

Does anyone have recommendations on where to get chicks? My only ideas right now are Tractor Supply or mail order, and since I only am planning on 3-4 hens to start, mail order options are limited (nevermind that I would need to buy 15+ guineas to be shipped most places!)

I also considered started pullets, but like the idea of being "mom" to the little ones for a while at first so they get used to being handled.

I am sure I"ll have a thousand questions as I embark on this journey (my husband has signed on for the construction end of things - I get the day to day chores, which is fine with me!
hugs.gif
)

Thanks for reading, and thanks for any advice you can give!! I am SO EXCITED!!!
wee.gif


Alison
 
AliP said:
Hello (again)!

I've been a member of BYC for a few years now, and have finally convinced my husband that this is the year for chickens!!! (And possibly a few guineas, too - surprisingly he's more open to that option, go figure)

It helps that we have one close neighbor with chickens and a couple friends with chickens as well that keep asking him, "what are you waiting for?" They have figured out the "happy wife = happy life" equation. My hubby is apparently a little slow on the uptake, there!!
lol.png


We are in central PA - Mifflinburg - and are on the trail of a coop builder that was recommended to my husband as selling better coops than he could buy the lumber for. We'll see this weekend...

Does anyone have recommendations on where to get chicks? My only ideas right now are Tractor Supply or mail order, and since I only am planning on 3-4 hens to start, mail order options are limited (nevermind that I would need to buy 15+ guineas to be shipped most places!)

I also considered started pullets, but like the idea of being "mom" to the little ones for a while at first so they get used to being handled.

I am sure I"ll have a thousand questions as I embark on this journey (my husband has signed on for the construction end of things - I get the day to day chores, which is fine with me!
hugs.gif
)

Thanks for reading, and thanks for any advice you can give!! I am SO EXCITED!!!
wee.gif


Alison
Click to expand...

Yay!! Congrats on your new adventure! Ask around this thread, I am sure there is some around you hatching out some chicks now! They will be more than happy to enable you lol. Good luck!
 
AliP said:
Hello (again)!

I've been a member of BYC for a few years now, and have finally convinced my husband that this is the year for chickens!!! (And possibly a few guineas, too - surprisingly he's more open to that option, go figure)

It helps that we have one close neighbor with chickens and a couple friends with chickens as well that keep asking him, "what are you waiting for?" They have figured out the "happy wife = happy life" equation. My hubby is apparently a little slow on the uptake, there!! :lol:

We are in central PA  - Mifflinburg - and are on the trail of a coop builder that was recommended to my husband as selling better coops than he could buy the lumber for.  We'll see this weekend...

Does anyone have recommendations on where to get chicks?  My only ideas right now are Tractor Supply or mail order, and since I only am planning on 3-4 hens to start, mail order options are limited (nevermind that I would need to buy 15+ guineas to be shipped most places!)

I also considered started pullets, but like the idea of being "mom" to the little ones for a while at first so they get used to being handled.

I am sure I"ll have a thousand questions as I embark on this journey (my husband has signed on for the construction end of things - I get the day to day chores, which is fine with me! :hugs )

Thanks for reading, and thanks for any advice you can give!!  I am SO EXCITED!!!:weee

Alison
Click to expand...


You've come to the right place!

I'm sure someone on here will have chicks soon. I'm impressed someone is getting a coop before the chickens!

If you're planning on 3-4 chickens, get a coop for 8, you'll fill it soon! My plan was 7-8 a few years ago. I'm at 38, not counting the 14 I hatched this week, or the 23 quail in the brooder, or the rabbits....

A few here hatch sex-linked and know which are pullets. Many of us that hatch heritage breeds don't know until they are older.
 
AliP said:
(And possibly a few guineas, too - surprisingly he's more open to that option, go figure)
Click to expand...


We're gonna be hatching out guinea keets and selling some this year, if you decide you want some of them we will only have a 5 keet min. It will be a month or two before we have some available. If you want them sooner I'm sure if you put a wanted ad on craigslist or in a local paper you'll get plenty of people who are trying to sell some.

We don't have any chickens so I can't help you there.
Wish you luck
 
chiques chicks said:
Which came first...


The chicken or the coop?

Sometimes I think I'm so funny! Lol
Click to expand...
Along those lines . . .

Do you know why you should always put 2 doors on your chicken coop?
(look below for the answer, after admiring my little yellow coop)




. . . because if you had 4 doors it would be a chicken sedan !!!
lau.gif

(I always laugh at my own jokes)
 
AliP said:
Hello (again)!

I've been a member of BYC for a few years now, and have finally convinced my husband that this is the year for chickens!!! (And possibly a few guineas, too - surprisingly he's more open to that option, go figure)

It helps that we have one close neighbor with chickens and a couple friends with chickens as well that keep asking him, "what are you waiting for?" They have figured out the "happy wife = happy life" equation. My hubby is apparently a little slow on the uptake, there!!
lol.png


We are in central PA - Mifflinburg - and are on the trail of a coop builder that was recommended to my husband as selling better coops than he could buy the lumber for. We'll see this weekend...

Does anyone have recommendations on where to get chicks? My only ideas right now are Tractor Supply or mail order, and since I only am planning on 3-4 hens to start, mail order options are limited (nevermind that I would need to buy 15+ guineas to be shipped most places!)

I also considered started pullets, but like the idea of being "mom" to the little ones for a while at first so they get used to being handled.

I am sure I"ll have a thousand questions as I embark on this journey (my husband has signed on for the construction end of things - I get the day to day chores, which is fine with me!
hugs.gif
)

Thanks for reading, and thanks for any advice you can give!! I am SO EXCITED!!!
wee.gif


Alison
Click to expand...

Wish you were closer Alison, I could definitely hook you up with chicks and (hopefully) guineas. It can be hard to find what you want locally, and frustrating/expensive to get them mail order. That's the demand I'm trying to satisfy in my area. I feel a little sorry for the people trying to get started in poultry without anyone to help them. I have made a *lot* of friends by selling healthy, and often unusual, chicks and giving personalized advice freely. The advice is still available, of course (here, for ex), it's just easier to see things in operation than to infer from text and pictures.

I would recommend checking the local ads often, Craigslist and/or Pennswoods (or whatever it is called). Some caution is advised, I've had some good, and some not-so-good experiences.
 
I can't wait for the Muscovies to start having ducklings. Hubby keeps "molesting" my Muscovies and saying yum yum. lol I yell at him they are not for eating!!!! The drakes seem to have calmed down for this week at least lmao.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom