Please help me achieve my silkie bantam dream.

[citychic(k)]

Hello friends! My family and I are newcomers to the backyard chicken game and have 4 chicks reserved for this March! However, my dream is to have 2 silkies to add onto that (city has us maxed out at 6) and I can't find anywhere that ships less than 3 by March (I want them all to grow up together-ish, at least.) I understand that it's for the safety of the chicks, but I can't even find a local hatchery I could reasonably drive to where I could get a smaller amount.

So is anyone in the Cleveland area selling chicks (or able to sell part of a large order), know where I can find them, or willing to buy one off of me so that I could in fact order 3 chicks and be sure not to break any laws?

Thanks much and I am so glad to have found this lovely forum.

 

[Better Than Rubies]

Hey there!
Sorry I won't be much help in making your dream come true, but I have a little advice to offer... If your chicks haven't shipped yet, could you change your order and add in two Silkies?
In any case, I hope you'd be able to get some.

 

[Welshies]

Find a neighbour to split the chicken project with! Split the order

 

[citychic(k)]

Hey there!
Sorry I won't be much help in making your dream come true, but I have a little advice to offer... If your chicks haven't shipped yet, could you change your order and add in two Silkies?
In any case, I hope you'd be able to get some.

I wish! The place we ordered from doesn't have any left. I will keep checking back and hoping for some, but it looks like for the moment I have no luck.

 

[Better Than Rubies]

Welshies' advice is good, too!
But yes, you should keep checking back...they may, at any given point, get some well before your chicks are shipped.

 

[Adrien515]

Hello friends! My family and I are newcomers to the backyard chicken game and have 4 chicks reserved for this March! However, my dream is to have 2 silkies to add onto that (city has us maxed out at 6) and I can't find anywhere that ships less than 3 by March (I want them all to grow up together-ish, at least.) I understand that it's for the safety of the chicks, but I can't even find a local hatchery I could reasonably drive to where I could get a smaller amount.

So is anyone in the Cleveland area selling chicks (or able to sell part of a large order), know where I can find them, or willing to buy one off of me so that I could in fact order 3 chicks and be sure not to break any laws?

Thanks much and I am so glad to have found this lovely forum.

First off, to solve your Wilkie problem, I suggest finding someone else that wants chicks and order them together and split costs. A friend of mine just wanted 3 buff orpingtons but the minimum was 8, so she want to Facebook and found someone to pay for the remaining 5 and they each payed the price for their own chicks and split shipping.


Secondly, Cleveland? As in Ohio? Or Texas? I live in Cleveland, TX Myself

 

[citychic(k)]

Aw, no, Cleveland, Ohio! But hey, we're like parallel chicken owners, operating in different Clevelands. I've actually found someone who breeds silkies in a nearby, more rural, city. Does anyone have recommendations of what I should look for or ask about to ensure that this lady is properly caring for her chickens, breeding in a healthy way?

 

[AlleysChicks]

Silkies are straight run. Being bantams I believe only my pet chicken sexes them.

 

[AlleysChicks]

Aw, no, Cleveland, Ohio! But hey, we're like parallel chicken owners, operating in different Clevelands. I've actually found someone who breeds silkies in a nearby, more rural, city. Does anyone have recommendations of what I should look for or ask about to ensure that this lady is properly caring for her chickens, breeding in a healthy way?

Check parents out, living conditions and where the chicks are kept. Ask about any diseases that may be in the flock. Respiratory, Mareks etc

 

[Adrien515]

Aw, no, Cleveland, Ohio! But hey, we're like parallel chicken owners, operating in different Clevelands. I've actually found someone who breeds silkies in a nearby, more rural, city. Does anyone have recommendations of what I should look for or ask about to ensure that this lady is properly caring for her chickens, breeding in a healthy way?

Parallel chicken owners XD I like that. Anyways, make sure to check for scaly leg mites (on the legs of course) and dig through the feathers for any signs of mites or lice. Ask to look around the living quarters, make sure they’re well cared for and have a constant supply of food and water. Ask her/him questions about his/her birds. Typically, someone who cares for their birds will have quick, solid answers. Lastly, make sure they aren’t selling you diseased birds, mutts, old ones, or ones that don’t lay eggs.