Should I go with Chicks or Pullets

[ThatTeowonna]

About a month ago, I had to cull my flock of 7. I hated to do it but it was necessary. Now it’s time to get started again. My first flock was a combination of gifted and purchased chickens. I never wanted the hassle of dealing with chicks... setting up a brooder, having to worry about heat sources, etc. Too much trouble for me. I preferred pullets because they were a pretty much ready to go as soon as I got them. The integration of new chicks into the existing flock was a challenge, but a lot easier than having to deal with chicks. For me, it was worth paying anywhere from $12 to $25 for pullets.

Now that I need to rebuild, I’m thinking about starting from chicks instead of pullets because the cost of pullets (I want 10) can be kinda high. I’m looking at around $150 for 10 pullets vs $50 for the same number of chicks. I also figure that I wouldn’t have to worry about integration issues and having to quarantine new chicks.

But that means I still have to brood chicks, keep them warm and all the riggamarow. What are your thought? Is raising from chicks worth it? Any tricks for making this process as foolproof as possible? How can this reluctant chick owner successfully get through the brooding process?

 

[nuthatched]

I've never had any difficulty with keeping chicks warm but it is something to keep track of.
As you say, Pullets cost more, plus shipping if you get them from a hatchery.
Last time I bought Pullets, half of them were the most skittish things for the 7 years I had them, one would run away screaming until the day she died. And some of them were fine. I like to socialize them early.
Tips for brooding
Make a mama heating pad Brooder, they take a lot of the worry away and it's better for the chicks so they can move from warmer to cooler as they need.
Put your Brooder up high, try to rig a Brooder they can see through the sides like a hardware cloth box so they can see you coming and you won't turn into The Hand of Fate, that comes to sweep them up.

 

[deidreg]

Like you, I purchased pullets because I wasn't ready to dive into raising chicks. Even though pullets cost more, the time an money spent on raising chick may even out.

Having said that, if socialization is important to you, then chicks are the way to go. My pullets are great but we'll never have a close relationship.

 

[Percheron chick]

You can't look at it as just an additional $100 for the pullets. Your costs to get 10 day old chicks to POL pullets will far exceed that if you have to go out and buy the supplies. Feed alone will cost àpproximately $7/ chick for 16 weeks of feed. Heat source? $5-100 depending on what you go with. Bedding? Feeders? Vitamins? What about incidental cockerels, crossbeak or deaths? Add to that you will be 4 months farther out before you get eggs.
If you have a reliable source for feathered out chicks up to POL pullets go for it.

 

[BlueBaby]

You said that you had to cull your flock of 7 a month ago. Did they have some kind of disease that may still be in the soil and/or coop?

 

[ThatTeowonna]

Like you, I purchased pullets because I wasn't ready to dive into raising chicks. Even though pullets cost more, the time an money spent on raising chick may even out.

Having said that, if socialization is important to you, then chicks are the way to go. My pullets are great but we'll never have a close relationship.

Thank you so much for that new perspective. I never considered the socialization/relationship aspect of raising chicks. It would be nice to have chickens that enjoy being handled.

 

[ThatTeowonna]

You said that you had to cull your flock of 7 a month ago. Did they have some kind of disease that may still be in the soil and/or coop?

Yes. They had LT. My chicken yard was on quarantine for 30 days. The state chicken vet will have to come clear me before I can more forward. I fully expect to gain her clearance. I’ve done everything she mandated: cleaned all equipment with bleach based dilution, washed the coops with the same solution, let it air dry in the sun. I also had all the leaves raked and burned. There are still some areas of concern, like heavy poop areas. I’ll get additional guidance from her on that. But now that you question that, it makes a good point. If there still is active virus living, it would be much less costly to lose chicks instead of pullets.

 

[ButtonHoarder]

I would go with chicks if it were me. They are cuter, for one. You could also get them tamer

 

[ThatTeowonna]

I've never had any difficulty with keeping chicks warm but it is something to keep track of.
As you say, Pullets cost more, plus shipping if you get them from a hatchery.
Last time I bought Pullets, half of them were the most skittish things for the 7 years I had them, one would run away screaming until the day she died. And some of them were fine. I like to socialize them early.
Tips for brooding
Make a mama heating pad Brooder, they take a lot of the worry away and it's better for the chicks so they can move from warmer to cooler as they need.
Put your Brooder up high, try to rig a Brooder they can see through the sides like a hardware cloth box so they can see you coming and you won't turn into The Hand of Fate, that comes to sweep them up.

Thanks for the insight, especially on socializing and building a brooder. Good info.

 

[BlueBaby]

Yes. They had LT. My chicken yard was on quarantine for 30 days. The state chicken vet will have to come clear me before I can more forward. I fully expect to gain her clearance. I’ve done everything she mandated: cleaned all equipment with bleach based dilution, washed the coops with the same solution, let it air dry in the sun. I also had all the leaves raked and burned. There are still some areas of concern, like heavy poop areas. I’ll get additional guidance from her on that. But now that you question that, it makes a good point. If there still is active virus living, it would be much less costly to lose chicks instead of pullets.

Glad that I was able to help in giving you something to think about for your situation. Good luck!