Swap Meet Chickens

[333113]

I also recommend hatcheries as a source of chicks for newcomers.

If you want to win prizes in a chicken show, hatcheries are not a good choice. But if you want pretty, healthy birds that lay well and are good pets, then hatcheries are often a fine source. (It's common for their chickens to be a bit too small or too large, or have the wrong comb type or the wrong leg color or slightly wrong feather color, when compared with what is required for a show. These things have no effect on egg production or ability to be a pet.)

Chicks bought from a feed store can also be good, but they are more likely to be the wrong breed or sex. We've seen lots of threads this year about chicks that were mis-identified in the store. (One yellow chick looks a lot like another yellow chick, so it's easy for them to get mixed up. And they do not have bar codes to scan and sort them out again!) The chicks themselves are typically healthy chickens, just not kind that was expected.

I think it would be better to finish the coop and run, and get your fertile eggs hatched, before getting more chickens. It is easy to get lots of chicks while they are so little and cute, and then find that you have too many in just a few months when they get a lot bigger.

Great advice!

When you buy chicks, the label "straight run" means you will get males and females. The label "pullets" means females, the label "cockerels" means males.

Chicks that are sold for raising meat are seldom good for laying eggs.

Reading through the hatchery descriptions is helpful, but remember, those are written for selling you a chick. As Mary pointed out, above, a breed comparison chart is helpful. Feathersite (www.feathersite.com) has great photos and information, from someone who loves chickens but isn't trying to sell you one. What I especially like is the chick pictures. They can help you identify chicks in the feed store.

If you are looking for something different, the Livestock Conservancy has a comparison chart of heritage chicken breeds that are endangered.
https://livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/chicken-chart

This is a great hobby. Enjoy!

 

[MysteryChicken]

Yeah, & to help the recovery of certain Heritage breeds, look into Meyer Hatchery? They have a great selection of good quality birds.
My Heritage Plymouth Barred Rock pullet for example.

I need to get updated pictures of her. She fits exactly like the Heritage Rocks are supposed too.
Meyer's Breeds for both Quality, & Quantity.

 

[Geckolady]

When I saw the chickens, I thought that I could just take them home and take care of them, and they would lay lots of eggs, grow their feathers back, and mother hen the ones in the incubator if they hatch. I had plans to get some sort of run set up, then get them next weekend if they were still there. They would be past the fragile chick stage and used to this climate, and all would live happily ever after.

In dreams vs. reality, reality normally wins, and everybody here brought me to reality. Guess it's a good thing this forum is here.

 

[aart]

In dreams vs. reality, reality normally wins, and everybody here brought me to reality. Guess it's a good thing this forum is here.

Good for you to see the Romance meet Reality before you jumped in too deep.
So you've got eggs in the bator.......got a coop ready?

 

[Geckolady]

Good for you to see the Romance meet Reality before you jumped in too deep.
So you've got eggs in the bator.......got a coop ready?

Yes. On Friday I was cleaning out a shed and thinking of what a great coop it would make. All it needs is a run added on, and in an emergency, I could throw one together. It has three rows of shelving that are the same size as what my grandmother used to use for her chicken's nests (she is no longer with us, so she can't give me advice) and is roomy enough for a good sized flock. I'll candle the eggs to check for growth. If any are growing, it's coop setup time. Otherwise it'll get done between now and spring.

 

[Folly's place]

It is a good time to get that shed organized!
Mary

 

[Geckolady]

I just candled them again, and it looks like the green ones are completely dark at this point. Yikes! I have some work to do!

Edit: OK, tried another flashlight, and not completely full, but it looks like there is somebody in there.

 

[TARDIS37379]

If your swap meet is like our Flea Markets, I wouldn’t get any chickens on a dare.
I’ve gotten some really good birds from Animal Control when they needed to regime some birds.

 

[Folly's place]

I sometimes take birds to a local small farm animal auction. NEVER would I bring any home from there!
Mary

 

[aart]

I just candled them again, and it looks like the green ones are completely dark at this point. Yikes! I have some work to do!

Edit: OK, tried another flashlight, and not completely full, but it looks like there is somebody in there.

If you just started incubation, not much should be showing.