Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[Blarneyeggs]

Thanks all.  It's amazing how many chicken owners there are around here, and I had no idea for all this time!

Out of curiosity, would anyone recommend - keeping in mind that I have zero experience with anything chicken related - trying to incubate some eggs instead of buying chicks?  If so, is an incubator something you can rent?  I haven't looked into this, just thinking on the fly after reading about all of the people who do their own hatching.

You've gotten a lot of responses, but I see that one vital piece of information is missing. ORPINGTONS are the very best breed of chicken.

Chester County Extension has incubators that they loan out to classroom and such, I'll bet you could borrow one.

 

[stake]

You've gotten a lot of responses, but I see that one vital piece of information is missing. ORPINGTONS are the very best breed of chicken.




Chester County Extension has incubators that they loan out to classroom and such, I'll bet you could borrow one.

Dare I disagree...ORPs are way good...I'm down to one due to preditors...maybe I need to get a coupe from you,,,,???

 

[LisaYolkUm]

Hi all. I am an excited soon-to-be chicken owner located in Conshohocken (Montgomery County), PA. I just found this thread a few minutes ago, but can already tell it's going to be very helpful (though work might disagree regarding the "helpful" part if I spend any more time reading about chickens during the day).

We are going to start with three chicks, and that is all we can comfortably fit in our coop (for now...). Breeds are still to be determined. My wife and I have a two year old, and we're excited to share the experience of raising chicks with her. We'd like to get a decent amount of eggs to eat and share, but equally important is giving our daughter a fun, safe and educational experience. Any advice as to breeds would be very welcome!

DHeltzel - I responded to your ad on Craigslist and we emailed a little while back. I appreciate all of the advice and plan to touch base when we finalize our selection, timing, etc.

Thanks!

Welcome to the group...............you are actually close to a few members..............I am in chester county, as is Stake, and dhetzel is in pottstown. there are some chicken farmers in collegeville as well and lots of folks closer to lancaster. A few folks in Bucks county too. 3 is a the smallest amount of chickens I would recommend because if something happens to one of them you could have a big problem because they are social animals and feel most comfortable in a group. You may wish to consider 4 just in case.............that is actually what I did............and I had 4 for a year or so and then I lost one................she flew the coop or was taken...........it was never determined what happened or where she went. So at this point I have 3. I am hoping to get 3-4 more chicks this year...............possible from dhetzel in pottstown...............love to support people in this group.............and its local and he has cool breeds.............so

welcome and feel free to post and join our conversations........................we are all learning together!

 

[LisaYolkUm]

Thanks all. It's amazing how many chicken owners there are around here, and I had no idea for all this time!

Out of curiosity, would anyone recommend - keeping in mind that I have zero experience with anything chicken related - trying to incubate some eggs instead of buying chicks? If so, is an incubator something you can rent? I haven't looked into this, just thinking on the fly after reading about all of the people who do their own hatching.

this is just my opinion..............i would say to start out .........it is probably easier and very fun to just start with day old chicks...............you can also see incubators on you tube videos.........or maybe dhetzel can show you his set up ..................seems like he has a gillion eggs in incubators........maybe a field trip on a likely hatching day? but you would have to check with him of course................. I am not sure how you could predict how many eggs will hatch, what percentage might be male or female, etc...............and the cost of rental..............maybe this is not a concern............dont know your budget.

some preschools and schools often set up an incubator etc in their schools for the kids to watch observe..................not sure if this might be found locally...........or like a 4H set up?

I personally have enjoyed the you tube videos.......................one other option might be quail eggs to hatch...................but then what to do with the quail ? hmm............good lucklet us know whatever you decide and we can share and enjoy your process!

 

[LisaYolkUm]

hey I wanted to ask you all about white feathered chickens.........................arent they a little more likely to be seen by predators etc.................

I like columbian wyandottes
or
delaware or
dominique types of birds in their pictures..............

yet wonder about the white pattern as attracting a bit too much attention.........................what do you all think?

 

[chiques chicks]

hey I wanted to ask you all about white feathered chickens.........................arent they a little more likely to be seen by predators etc.................

I like columbian wyandottes
or 
delaware or
dominique types of birds in their pictures..............

yet wonder about the white pattern as attracting a bit too much attention.........................what do you all think?

I've heard that said, but right now my only white one blends in with the snow!

 

[dheltzel]

Thanks all. It's amazing how many chicken owners there are around here, and I had no idea for all this time!

Out of curiosity, would anyone recommend - keeping in mind that I have zero experience with anything chicken related - trying to incubate some eggs instead of buying chicks? If so, is an incubator something you can rent? I haven't looked into this, just thinking on the fly after reading about all of the people who do their own hatching.

I've considered renting out incubators for situations exactly like yours. I'm at a loss as to what to charge. There is a place down by DC that charges $180 for renting an incubator and taking the chicks back. That seems high, but there is a fair amount of work involved doing the delivery and setup, being available for questions and picking up the incubator and chicks and all the cleanup. And what happens if the incubator get damaged?

I like helping families hatch chicks. I've encountered some very sharp kids and devoted parents, but I'm not sure they would all be respectful of the equipment and the lives of the chicks.

 

[dheltzel]

Blarney, that's throwing down a challenge to claim Orps are the best. I've never owned an Orpington, but I'm pretty sure I'd prefer a Welsummer if I did have both . . .

 

[dheltzel]

I've heard that said, but right now my only white one blends in with the snow!

If you kept your chickens at a dairy farm, the brown ones would blend right in with the snow . . .

 

[dheltzel]

Huh, goat milk is illegal to sell for consumption in PA? Makes me wonder how it's labeled at the little stores where my family buys it! I've never been fond of the flavor, but my sister, cousin and aunt buy goat milk pretty regularly.

It used to be, but there are ways around a lot of laws like that. Maybe they ship it from another state where it is legal to produce for human consumption, or maybe they changed the laws to allow it now.