Utah!

[kimbobim]

Quote:
I had an email conversation with Christie last week. Said she would still sell special order chickens, but didn't want to babysit all those chickens again this year. She's focusing on ducks this year. Said she had some sickness in her birds too, and that ducks don't get sick.

Marty

Ducks don't get sick? Really? Our neighbor's several houses down did. Even worse than that was their poo - their entire backyard was a slimy mess. Got so bad I wouldn't let my kids go down there to play (I was afraid they'd track something home on their shoes and infect our gals, and if they fell down, they'd come home covered in it

).

We got a Speckled Sussex from Christie last year that was sick - sneezing before we even got to the freeway. Turned around and took her back, exchanged her for a different one that was in the yard, not from her garage. She's been fine, but I'm a little skittish about getting any more from her. It seemed like she was keeping the sick ones in her garage with the newest babies (she popped the sick one we were returning into a brooder with a bunch of others). Buying more from her is a moot point for me, since she told me - very firmly - last year that she won't get Delawares ever again, and that's the breed I'm most interested in.


Marty - Do you have your Delawares mixed with any other breeds? Christie insisted that Delawares will starve to death if they're mixed together, that they're not aggressive enough to get to the food.

 

[PacsMan]

Oh, also, I guess word had gotten around about my eggs. I can't keep up with orders. I've had to routinely turn away orders on about 4 dozen eggs a week.

Anyone need any customers?

It's hard to tell you kids they can't have eggs because they are for customers, and their reply is, "So dad, what good is having chickens if we can't eat our own eggs?"
Sad....

Marty

 

[PacsMan]

Quote:
I've now only got 14 Delawares mixed in with 18 non-Delawares. Which really sucks, because I have to bury a starved Delaware about every.... NEVER!

I don't know what her experience was, but I've always had enough feed and feeders that none of my flock had any problems.

Interesting comment she made... I've also heard a few other things from her that I sorta cocked my head and went, "wow, really?".....

 

[kimbobim]

Quote:
I've now only got 14 Delawares mixed in with 18 non-Delawares. Which really sucks, because I have to bury a starved Delaware about every.... NEVER!

I don't know what her experience was, but I've always had enough feed and feeders that none of my flock had any problems.

Interesting comment she made... I've also heard a few other things from her that I sorta cocked my head and went, "wow, really?".....

Marty - thanks! I thought that couldn't be right. We have several feeders and water sources for them scattered all over the place - in their coop, in the run, in the yard - and even our timid BO gets plenty to eat (she certainly is bigger than the other gals, even if she's not laying yet, so she's got to be eating something!). Our run is plenty big enough so that when we scatter scratch or treats, there's enough area that everyone has a spot to eat. We don't see much fighting over food - unless it's watermelon, in which case you'd better drop it and run or they'll climb up your leg.

Have you decided when you're ordering Delawares yet?

 

[PacsMan]

Quote:
Yeah, sometime this spring...

No, actually, yesterday and today I started to clean out the ~other~ corner of my garage to enlarge my coop. Today I went to home-depot and bought some OSB and 2x4s to start working. Brought it home, drug (dragged?) it out to the garage, and promptly pooped out.

I have a place for the baby chicks in the garage, so I can order any time, but I'd like it to be just a wee bit warmer for me to pull the trigger. Not only because they're going to be in the garage (with a space heater) but I don't want to ship them in this cold. I think I'll order them the 3rd or 4th week of January, for delivery in probably 2nd or 3rd week of Feb.

I just don't like to order them much later, because I'd like to see some eggs by July 4th... And I've got my original 11-bird flock that I want to sell sometime in there... (who buy the way, are now only producing 2-3 eggs a day

)

But, I guess I'm kind of flexible on the order date...
Anyone who wanted in, have a suggestion?

Marty

 

[ElkMtnCove]

Quote:
I've now only got 14 Delawares mixed in with 18 non-Delawares. Which really sucks, because I have to bury a starved Delaware about every.... NEVER!

I don't know what her experience was, but I've always had enough feed and feeders that none of my flock had any problems.

Interesting comment she made... I've also heard a few other things from her that I sorta cocked my head and went, "wow, really?".....

Hmm, well I got those freebie adult Delawares and NHR's and the Delawares are far from starving, they are the aggressive ones and the famous Mother Plucker is a Delaware, but the peepers have really helped btw!!

. However, the NHR's are MUCH friendlier to me even tho everyone's in the same pen and treated the same.

The Mother Plucker is obviously a mix w/an Americana and lays different colored eggs every time. I would love to get some more of the same mix...but as chicks. Does anyone have or will have any? I don't want to go through getting a roo, hens, broody banty, and then hope for chicks. But if anyone does happen to have this mix, I would love to buy some. I'm thinking the roo needs to be the Americana as I understand they determine the egg color. (?)

I've decided I'm going to place an order soon so if someone has chicks (or will have) I could raise them together.

Also, anyone have a preference fm McMurray or Randall Burke (this time of year)? I've ordered w/McMurray and hv been very pleased. No experience with RB but just got their catalog and it's so fun! I just love shopping for chicks. No IFA ever again... tired of the 50/50 (or worse) ratio of roos from their so-called pullets.

Hope everyone is staying warm and thank you again for the advice on extra protein and the peepers!

julie

 

[PacsMan]

Quote:
Now, I have to be real careful how I say this. I've had BYC posts deleted, and almost gotten a 'warning' because I argued with BYC admins about it.
So, I'll just tell the bare facts, and only say I won't do business with RB any longer.

I own the domain name "my-last-name".com (replace that with my real last name)... it's kinda cool, because I have a 'catch-all' email system. I can use any email address with the ending of "@my-last-name.com"

So, I ordered a catalog from RB, and used the email address of (spelling out their name) RB@'my-last-name'.com
I had never used that email address before, and haven't since.
Within 24 hours, my mailbox was flooded with spam email to the addresses "RB at 'my-last-name'.com". And even today, If I unblock that email address, I ~still~ get tons of junk mail to that email address box.

RB denies they sold my email address, and BYC does a lot of business with them, and they both said, "we don't believe you, prove it".
Then all of my BYC posts on the subject were deleted, and I was told never to speak of this evil again. (so, if this post is still here and you're reading it, consider yourself lucky...)

Anyway, that's why ~I~ won't do business with RB any longer. Not saying you shouldn't...

Marty

 

[ikatiemay]

we got 13 from christy and lost 3. I want to replace them this year, heard IFA doesnt do a good job sexing chicks! We ended up with an extra roo from christy so i really want pullets this time

 

[ElkMtnCove]

Thanks Pacsman! I'll hv to watch my email, glad I'm up early to hv read urs in the event of deletion. I did notice that the catalog seemed pricy, but then I haven't ordered chicks for a couple years.

I was at IFA last night and noticed the chicken breed poster was from Privitts (sp?). Maybe that's where they get their chicks fm? They (IFA) hv such a high ratio of roos that I bet they just order straight and call them pullets, I haven't heard of any hatchery with such a bad error %. They remodeled the 21st store since I've been in there. Very nice. Picked up the biggest metal hanging feeder for only $22 - it's the one withOUT those two cross-bars that always end up coming loose and getting lost. I didn't look but I'm pretty certain the typical size is around $25.

I'd go in on an order with you but I know I want at least 25 and with living where I do it'd be a pain. Also, I just love picking up that peeping box at the p.o... I'm a dork but I think that's so fun.

 

[PacsMan]

Yes, IFA also orders from Pirvett Hatchery. For me to order from the, it's a little .cheeper. than getting them from IFA, plus I don't like how IFA takes care of them. (pasty butt, etc). So that's why I ordered them from Privett by myself.

Last year I ordered 50 Delawares, and got 2 roos, and sold them as 2 breeding pairs. They guarantee 90% pullets, so I was happy.

Marty