pullet hatchery?

[questions543]

Which hatcherys the best to buy pullets from?

 

[nanaluvsgps]

Not sure where you are but if you are in australia there is an amazing chook hatchery (Herritage Hating and hens) there are so many frre range birds running round with their babies. Best place to be

 

[Fred's Hens]

More information is needed. Pullets at point of lay? Day old chicks, sexed as pullets?

Townline Hatchery, Zeeland, MI and Meyers in Ohio both have point of lay pullets. They are typically de-beaked, so be aware of that reality. Caged birds in the industry typically have beaks clipped as to prevent feather pecking in close quarters. Last time I checked, POL pullets cost around $13 each and buyer must pickup.

 

[questions543]

Thanks, is debeaking just trimming the end off the beak?... is it good or bad?

 

[questions543]

also does anyone know whats the best hatchery that can ship to Canada? for cheap?

 

[nanaluvsgps]

debeaking comes under crulty in my way of thinking. It doesn't really affect them they just can shred things like hard skin og fruit. My ones are debeaked but they are fine we just cut off the skin of cut it up smally.

 

[Oregon Blues]

I'm not so sure debeaking counts as cruelty. There is no pain involved. The chickens don't know the difference.

Since it is done to prevent pecking and cannibalism, it is probably more kind than allowing battery hens to brutalize each other. It's probably more kind than making them wear peepers or bits for their entire life.

There is no reason to do it for home raised chickens, where the birds have a lot of space and can get away from each other and run from a hen that is biting them ceaselessly.

Chickens really are not very nice to each other. They are very capable of eating each other alive. That can be a major problem when chickens are raised close together.

 

[nanaluvsgps]

It is very painfull! chickens have nerves that run in the upper part of the beak. It is not nessecary as hens shouldn't be locked up in a closed up area, they should be out free ranging. They are hens after all, not just another 'it' to make food, they have a life!

 

[Nambroth]

I will completely withhold my opinions on de-beaking and will try to present only the science of it:

I study avian biology. When "Properly" de-beaked, the fact is that the knife must cut into the base of the beak, where the cells that re-grow the beak rest. This is to prevent the beak from simply re-growing.
This area is full of nerves and nociceptors (pain receptors). It has also been studied that it is not unusual for neuromas for form in the beak as it attempts to heal... while we do not know exactly how these make a chicken feel (truly, the only way to know is to be a chicken), neuromoas in humans can cause chronic pain where they form.
Nerves run nearly to the tip of a chicken's beak, and nociceprors have been found down the length of the nerves.

In more personal observation, I have a hen that has broken her beak several times-- she's terrible about getting into weird situations-- and even when it is just the tip, I have noticed that it causes her pain to eat until it has healed.

De-beaking factually does cause pain, and speculatively might cause chronic pain.