Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

Hatcheries have about 80~90% accuracy for the gender (100% for sexlink or autosexing breeds), but feedstores are much worse due to human mistakes. i believe you cannot order just one chick from a hatchery, so you can only get yours from a feedstore or a breeder. One time I saw half of "red-sexlink pullets" chicks were light yellow in tractor supply. I felt aweful for who bought those chicks, because they were obviously either male or another breed. So I decided not to buy any bird from tractor supply. Several friends bought their chickens from tractor supply had terrible results. One bought 7 "Ameraucana pullets" last year, and actually had 4 male and 3 female easter eggers.
The feed store orders them from a hatchery....then I pick up at the store. One of the chicks I was planning to get didn't make it, so I may go back and get a BO instead (they are the same age as the chicks I got). I know they can't guarantee the sex, but they will help re-home if a rooster, so that's good. And my local "chicken FB group" does as well. I would totally take a chick from a local breeder if they had one around the same age as my current girls.
 
The feed store orders them from a hatchery....then I pick up at the store. One of the chicks I was planning to get didn't make it, so I may go back and get a BO instead (they are the same age as the chicks I got). I know they can't guarantee the sex, but they will help re-home if a rooster, so that's good. And my local "chicken FB group" does as well. I would totally take a chick from a local breeder if they had one around the same age as my current girls.
It sounds that your feed store is much better than the tractor supply here. Good luck with your new chicks! I'm totally in love with BO, but I wouldn't order them from a hatchery if I wasn't to get the blue Ameraucana for my son. I just don't want to get a roo. Even I'm allowed to have a rooster, but I feel both my husband and neighbors will give me a hard time for the early morning wake up calls. :p

I don't know if Dennis has chicks now or not, since he only hatchs ever other weeks. But I love my girls from him being friendly, beautiful, and good layers. I had to drove 3 hours one-way to get my chicks from him.
 
It sounds that your feed store is much better than the tractor supply here. Good luck with your new chicks! I'm totally in love with BO, but I wouldn't order them from a hatchery if I wasn't to get the blue Ameraucana for my son. I just don't want to get a roo. Even I'm allowed to have a rooster, but I feel both my husband and neighbors will give me a hard time for the early morning wake up calls. :p

I don't know if Dennis has chicks now or not, since he only hatchs ever other weeks. But I love my girls from him being friendly, beautiful, and good layers. I had to drove 3 hours one-way to get my chicks from him.
Thanks for the recommendation. I don't have any chicks for sale that would be older, to match Susan-B's chicks ages. I have a big hatch going on right now, but they would be too small.
She is probably buying chicks from Pickering Valley Farm Store in Lionville. They get chicks from Ideal Hatchery and their employees are better trained than the TSC stores. I could not tell from their webpage if their chicks are vaccinated for Marek's, but I hope they are.
 
First batch of Ayam Cemani's hatching. 12 out so far. Still drying, plan to inspect them more closely tomorrow. They are not supposed to have any pink toes or a pink or grey tongue. I hear they don't breed very true, but the parents are supposed to be exceptional stock.
Also have 33 Opals out in a brooder so far, and dozens of Marans in Lavender and Black, Blue and Splash.
 
First batch of Ayam Cemani's hatching. 12 out so far. Still drying, plan to inspect them more closely tomorrow. They are not supposed to have any pink toes or a pink or grey tongue. I hear they don't breed very true, but the parents are supposed to be exceptional stock.

I find Ayam Cemani's kind of scary looking -- is it just me?

Curious about the opals. Can you tell at birth if they will have crests? Do you have pictures of the adult ones?

I am putting up more eggs next week. Still on a quest for a lavender female olive egger. So far 7 eggs from those parents hatched, 1 has been lavender, and it's a boy.
 
Thanks for the recommendation. I don't have any chicks for sale that would be older, to match Susan-B's chicks ages. I have a big hatch going on right now, but they would be too small.
She is probably buying chicks from Pickering Valley Farm Store in Lionville. They get chicks from Ideal Hatchery and their employees are better trained than the TSC stores. I could not tell from their webpage if their chicks are vaccinated for Marek's, but I hope they are.
Pickering Valley Farm Store looks like a place to order chicks. If I’m close, I would like to try a couple ideal 236(?), since they are breed to be resistant to marek. I don’t believe any feed store vaccines their chicks unless they are asked and paid to do it. She has a brand new flock, so it will not be a problem for her.
 
Thanks for the recommendation. I don't have any chicks for sale that would be older, to match Susan-B's chicks ages. I have a big hatch going on right now, but they would be too small.
She is probably buying chicks from Pickering Valley Farm Store in Lionville. They get chicks from Ideal Hatchery and their employees are better trained than the TSC stores. I could not tell from their webpage if their chicks are vaccinated for Marek's, but I hope they are.
Yep, that's where I got mine. They are vaccinated, I made sure to ask
 
I find Ayam Cemani's kind of scary looking -- is it just me?

Curious about the opals. Can you tell at birth if they will have crests? Do you have pictures of the adult ones?

I am putting up more eggs next week. Still on a quest for a lavender female olive egger. So far 7 eggs from those parents hatched, 1 has been lavender, and it's a boy.
I never liked Ayam Cemani’s look either. Based on my limited experience, I think you can tell those chicks having crest or not by looking if there’s a “bump” on its head. My Reese legbar had a larger bump than the two Oliver eggers, and she has a larger crest than them after they grow up. All three had bumps and all have crests.
 
I find Ayam Cemani's kind of scary looking -- is it just me?

Curious about the opals. Can you tell at birth if they will have crests? Do you have pictures of the adult ones?

I am putting up more eggs next week. Still on a quest for a lavender female olive egger. So far 7 eggs from those parents hatched, 1 has been lavender, and it's a boy.
I'm not really a fan of the cemani's either. I think they were hyped beyond their truth. For an all black bird I am happy with Black Ameraucanas (blue eggs) or Black Sumatras (fabulous tails). Some people really like them, so I am happy that I can hatch some.

The Opals never seem to be as well crested as the Rees Legbars. I plan to work on that by crossing them to my line of Rees until I get good crests and all blue eggs. I haven't take pics of mine yet, but they are pretty common online.
 

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