Tips for ⛏️ ng up chickens from craigslist or other such sites

[Percheron chick]

Look for feathered out chicks. By 10-12 weeks, you can identify the gender of most breeds. The risks will be lower as most groups in this age are isolated from the main flock. Will save you time and you should be in eggs by Valentine's day. A flock of different age groups will also keep you in eggs.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

They won't be cheap tho.

No, I think they’re about 20 bucks apiece if not more depending on breed. You’re paying for someone else to raise them to that age for you I guess!

 

[LordEvan5]

No, I think they’re about 20 bucks apiece if not more depending on breed. You’re paying for someone else to raise them to that age for you I guess!

I mean to me 20 isn't bad for the extra labor I save

 

[Percheron chick]

Startec pullets from a hatchery will run close to $100 each by the time air fteight is factoref in.
$20 is more in line of what you should expect to pay for a CL 15-20 week old pullet.

 

[aart]

No, I think they’re about 20 bucks apiece if not more depending on breed. You’re paying for someone else to raise them to that age for you I guess!

I mean to me 20 isn't bad for the extra labor I save

Started pullets from a hatchery will run close to $100 each by the time air freight is factored in.
$20 is more in line of what you should expect to pay for a CL 15-20 week old pullet.

Exactly!

 

[CaroleW]

Look at your state forum here on BYC (Where am I Where are you?) and see if any local BYC members ordered extras and are selling chicks or pullets. I've also gotten good point of lay pullets from local home-schoolers that hand raise them and also from a local farmer (both on CL). I prefer BYC members or home-schoolers as a source.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Exactly!

My mistake.

 

[LordEvan5]

My mistake.

Hay we all make a mistake here and there no big deal

 

[aart]

My mistake.

No biggie, many forget about shipping costs.

 

[Mrs. K]

Well, I will take the opposite view. More than once I have bought birds from someone else, and have always been happy with them. However, you can't buy just anything.

• Never buy anything you are sorry for
• Never buy from an auction, or swap unless you can seriously quarantine
• Never buy old birds, the older they are, the longer they have had to catch something.
• If you buy from someone that is similar to your own set up, in similar coop set ups, and climate. Technically, if the birds are healthy there, they are almost in a quarantine there like what you would have if you quarantined them on your own place.

It is a real risk, and one has to be comfortable with taking it, I am not arguing that. But I gal that is raising up chickens, under similar circumstances as I do, who got chicks from the same hatchery that I use, well ???

Mrs K