Ready for chicks in Alaska!

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Ak funny farm

Ak funny farm

Hatching
5 Years
Jul 27, 2014
5
0
9
Alaska
Hi! I just finished my set up on my new property outside of Wasilla Ak. Very excited about starting a chicken adventure. Any other Alaskans out there know the best place to purchase chicks? I'm wanting a straight run of Buff Orphingtons. I have gotten several catalogs but I am nervous about being so far away from the hatcheries. I had a friend tell me about efowl.com. Any ever used them? Crazy excited!!!!
 
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When you order straight run you're inviting a bunch of roosters into your life. If the weather is cold they use extra roosters as heating pads - that is all the hatcheries think about cockerels.
 
I'm ready for that. I have a freezer waiting for all but one or two of the Roos. Depending on how many hens there are. Do you know the average roo/hen ratio in a straight run order?
 
Welcome to BYC! Glad you decided to join our flock. Buff Orpingtons are a great breed; very cold hardy, calm and gentle, and good layers of large brown eggs. Statistically, a straight run normally should be about 50/50, but over the years, far too often I've seen straight runs with way too many roosters to be coincidence. I know for a fact that hatcheries always have an excess of roosters and I'm convinced that they pull some of the pullets from the straight run hatches to fill pullet orders, which leaves an excess of roosters that are shipped in the straight run orders. This is why for two or three decades, I haven't ordered anything but pullets, with the exception of some Cornish cross to put in the freezer. Even with pullet orders, I usually end up with a rooster or two unless it's a sex link order. I would suggest that you order Buff Orpington pullets, and if you want a few roosters for the freezer, you can always tack some Cornish cross onto the order. It's the most efficient way to get meat birds anyway as Cornish cross grow superfast and are ready to butcher at 8 weeks. I don't know how many BO pullets you want, but if the minimum order from a hatchery is more than you want, you shouldn't have any trouble selling off the extra pullets and recouping your money. I have done just that many times. Please feel free to ask any more questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck in getting your Buff Orpingtons.
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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You will want to chat with your chicken neighbors in your state thread to see what breeds to best in your climate. Orps are generally very cold hardy, so I am sure they would be a great breed for you. You can also find out how others survive your brutally cold winters....https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/84141/north-to-alaska

Straight runs can sometimes yield more roos than hens. Depends on a lot of factors. So just be ready for new accommodations for the boys. The proper ratio of roos to hens is 1 to 10.

Good luck on this new adventure and welcome to our flock!
 
Thank you everyone! I've been reading about raising chickens for soooo long on here, I feel like I'm already addicted and have not placed my order yet!!!!
 

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