Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[kie4]

Anyone close to me is welcome to dream about what chicks they might want from Sandhill
I am thinking a of getting Welsummers (different line than the ones I got from Whitmore Farm) and Partridge Penedescencas. They have lots of other really neat breeds, some that are impossible to get anywhere else in the US. I want to decide soon and get the order in soon to get an early spot on their waiting list.

So, let me know if you are seriously considering anything. They are all straight run and will arrive at a random time next year, making it a little harder to get chicks than with a large hatchery. I fully support what they are doing, it really is a labor of love for them, so I am willing to be flexible with the order. Of course, I can house your chicks with mine until it is a good time to pick them up from me.

In your specific case, Anne, I would suggest that you pick a rare breed to concentrate on and setup a dedicated breeding pen for them next year. I (and others here) can help you with breeding, hatching and marketing. If small operations focus on a single (or at least very few) breed, they can become a significant source of stock and publicity for a breed that is near extinction, as least in the local area. Some people are already doing this with breeds like Barred Hollands and Scots Dumpys, but many other breeds are impossible to find (anyone ever seen Redcap or Erminette chicks for same on Craigslist?)

Just a warning - you can waste many hours poring over the Sandhill catalog and looking up pictures on Google. I don't want to get blamed for that . . .

Wow what a great selection Sandhill has!
My wife would like to add a Blue Orpington and a Blue Laced Red Wyandotte to our flock, but we don't want to subject the neighbours to a rooster. If they weren't straight-run we'd take you up on your offer to join in on an order.

 

[kie4]

A friend got 3 chicks from me last spring, a Welbar, an Olive Egger, and a Blue Egg Black Sexlink (in order).
Apparently, they want "the help" to speed it up a little . . .

Hi Dennis, will you be doing Olive Eggers again next season? What Fn did you breed? I never expected DNA to be a side-interest associated with keeping a few backyard chickens

 

[dheltzel]

Hi Dennis, will you be doing Olive Eggers again next season? What Fn did you breed? I never expected DNA to be a side-interest associated with keeping a few backyard chickens

Yes, I'm planning to expand them next year by putting Legbars into my Welbar pens. They will produce autosexing olive eggers from any blue eggs and pure Welbars from the brown eggs. This year I only had 1 pullet producing olive eggs, next year I intend to have 5 or 6 in there so I can hatch more at a time. If my genetic calculations are correct, about half will be gold barred and half silver barred.

 

[dheltzel]

Wow what a great selection Sandhill has!
My wife would like to add a Blue Orpington and a Blue Laced Red Wyandotte to our flock, but we don't want to subject the neighbours to a rooster. If they weren't straight-run we'd take you up on your offer to join in on an order.

You can very likely find those breeds locally, though getting sexed pullets of those 2 breeds is tricky. A few large hatcheries that employ sexers might be able to supply pullet chicks.
Sandhill really caters to breeders that want to establish flocks of rare breeds. Even breeds that are sexable as chicks (Welsummer and Norwegian Jaehons for ex) are not sold as pullets by Sandhill.

 

[hyzenthlay]

You can very likely find those breeds locally, though getting sexed pullets of those 2 breeds is tricky. A few large hatcheries that employ sexers might be able to supply pullet chicks.
Sandhill really caters to breeders that want to establish flocks of rare breeds. Even breeds that are sexable as chicks (Welsummer and Norwegian Jaehons for ex) are not sold as pullets by Sandhill.

Yes, you can get sexed blue orpingtons and blue laced red wyandottes from Meyer Hatchery in Ohio. I drive there to pick up since it's not too far from me, but I believe you can ship as few as 3 chicks depending on the season.

I wish I was closer to you for some of your olive eggers!!

 

[kie4]

Yes, I'm planning to expand them next year by putting Legbars into my Welbar pens. They will produce autosexing olive eggers from any blue eggs and pure Welbars from the brown eggs. This year I only had 1 pullet producing olive eggs, next year I intend to have 5 or 6 in there so I can hatch more at a time. If my genetic calculations are correct, about half will be gold barred and half silver barred.

Hi Dennis,

Great news! If you cross the Legbar with the Welbar will that make an F1 Olive Egger?
Just grabbed this picture off another thread:

 

[kie4]

Yes, you can get sexed blue orpingtons and blue laced red wyandottes from Meyer Hatchery in Ohio. I drive there to pick up since it's not too far from me, but I believe you can ship as few as 3 chicks depending on the season.

I wish I was closer to you for some of your olive eggers!!

Hi @hyzenthlay , yes I think that might be our best option next year when the breeds we want hatch on the same day. I see Olive Eggers are available at Meyer hatchery now https://www.meyerhatchery.com/productinfo.a5w?prodID=OEGS if you want some. Or do you prefer to buy from a top breeder like @dheltzel because you know then that you'll be buying quality? The reviews for the Olive Eggers on the Meyer hatchery site are quite mixed. Most reviews reporting blue and brown eggs after purchasing F1 Olive Eggers.

 

[dheltzel]

Tomorrow is the big day! I am giving my first Chicken Keeping 101 seminar at the Pughtown Agway. Feel free to come by, even if you are a seasoned chicken keeper.
There will be discounted supplies and some manufacturer samples for everyone that comes! If you know anyone that is thinking about getting chickens, tell them to come by at 2:00 to get an overview of what is involved and all the basic info you need to keep chickens successfully.

I'm including a link to BYC at the end of the presentation when people want more info. Hopefully some of those people will come join us here.

 

[BullChick]

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Tomorrow is the big day! I am giving my first Chicken Keeping 101 seminar at the Pughtown Agway. Feel free to come by, even if you are a seasoned chicken keeper.
There will be discounted supplies and some manufacturer samples for everyone that comes! If you know anyone that is thinking about getting chickens, tell them to come by at 2:00 to get an overview of what is involved and all the basic info you need to keep chickens successfully.

I'm including a link to BYC at the end of the presentation when people want more info. Hopefully some of those people will come join us here.

Good luck! I'm sure it'll be great!