Utah!

[vermontgal]

Hey all, does anyone know what breeds of chicks IFA has? Also, any experiences with getting chicks there?
Are there any locally-owned feed stores in Salt Lake area?

Back in Vermont, I had good experience with getting chicks at my local feed store. This was an advance order system -- order the birds in advance, they gave you a date they would be in, and call you when the box actually came. In contrast, I would not have gotten chicks via Tractor Supply Company - chicks sitting there in a stock tank for days or weeks, possibly being handled by customers, possibly being mixed from the "pullets" bin to the "straight run" bin or vice versa!

PacsMan, depending on the response to the above -- I might be up for sharing a chick order but I think I'll only be wanting 4, which wouldn't be enough to put you over the top. I need to order from somewhere that has Speckled Sussex.

 

[darkroo]

Welcome to Utah.
I got my first birds from IFA last year, the sign said not responsible for high mortality rate. I found the problem to be more of a high male rate. When I saw the sign I went from wanting 6 to buying 12 they all survived and ended up with only 5 hens.

I visited both of the draper locations over a period of a month and a half while they were stocking birds and they both kept a variety of birds and stocked different birds at different times. At the time I was paying the most attention to Bantams and Silkies and didn't pay much attention to what breeds were in the standard bins. My advice would be if you see what you want get it the prices don't drop till the end of the stock period.

There is a lady at the east location with a deep history and experience working there (and with chickens) and the stocking procedures of when and what will be available. She was a great source of knowledge for me.

A tip I got to late was that if they were all hatched at the same time the larger ones are probably male not more health.

 

[PoultryPedia]

I don't know if anyone else has already mentioned it on this thread, but when you join the Utah Fancy Poultry Association ($10/year) you get a membership directory and I'm thinking it lists what breeds people raise. Or you can just ask club members. Then you can contact people with breeds you like to see if they have eggs, chicks or grown birds to sell.

Also, breeding pairs and trios are auctioned at every UFPA show (held twice a year at the Davis County Fairgrounds north of Salt Lake). You can often get birds at AMAZING prices ($3 to $8 per pair, etc.), though some sell for $25-$50+, depending on who shows up to bid and what birds are donated for the auction that particular time.

The majority of members live near Salt Lake, and there is a club meeting with free dinner pretty much every month.

Websites with info on the UFPA:
http://www.utahfancypoultry.org/
http://sites.google.com/a/larsencreek.com/ufpa/

The club is very friendly and welcomes new members! People are always eager to share info and help each other learn. Come join!

 

[kimbobim]

Vermontgal - last Spring, the IFA in Lehi was taking 'reservations' sort of - you'd tell them what breed you wanted, how many, etc., and they'd call you as soon as they came in. If I remember correctly, they held the 'reserved' birds aside and didn't put them in with the general population - so I'm assuming they wouldn't have been handled by the masses. They had a variety of the more common breeds available (BR, RIR, Leghorns, EE, Sex links). I can't remember if they offered Speckled Sussex, but I'm betting not. Although, I supposed you could try asking them to order a few, maybe? Are the Steve Regan stores owned locally? I've had pretty good experience with the folks at the IFA in Lehi for feed questions, but I did not end up buying any chicks from them.

SpeckledHills, do you know when the next UFPA show is going to be? I missed the show in October due to sick kids but would love to attend the next one. Can anyone show up for the UFPA monthly meetings and then join? I'm interested, but don't want to join until I've attended a meeting... from the address given on their website, I'm assuming their monthly meeting at the state fairgrounds? Or am I wrong?

thanks!

I'm having to make all kinds of corrections. Maybe I shouldn't think I can type after four hours of sleep. Our freezer is dying, so I ended up making 25 pints of apricot jam yesterday afternoon. 9-yr old DD was up half the night barking like a seal. I'm going back to bed!

 

[jrossetti]

Don't forget Steve Regan stores sell feed, that's where I've been buying mine. 25lb bags of medicated starter crumbles were like $6 or so I think, and the 50lb bags of layer pellets are something like $11-12. Their buyer in the Salt Lake store (it's on 500 west and just off of 45th south), his name is Kyle and he told me that he will beat prices, not that this matters much to me. I've never had a problem with their feed. Also, a few weeks ago when I had one of my chickies get sick I was able to go down there and pick up some amprolium, which was a lot closer than IFA or CAL Ranch, and they had a small quantity (I would have had to buy a gallon at CAL Ranch, and IFA was already closed at the time, it was like 7:30pm).

The name reason I go to Steve Regan is it's close to my house, I live in Cottonwood Heights, so either IFA store is a bit of a drive.

Just my 2/100ths of a dollar.

 

[PoultryPedia]

I did have a problem a couple years ago with Steve Regan's chick starter.

When my chicks were a few days old, it started looking like they either had "split wing" or "twisted wing." I had this problem in chicks from multiple breeding pairs, and my chicks that were on another feed (IFA, I think) from one of the pairs did not have this problem.

I have found out this can show up in chicks when their feed has too much protein. I believe it doesn't necessarily cause a permanent problem.

I switched all chicks to the other feed and the problem went away. Maybe it would have anyway as they grew.

It might have been a problem with just that one feed batch, though...

 

[PoultryPedia]

Quote:
The most clear information is on the second website I listed. There is a club calendar at:
http://sites.google.com/a/larsencreek.com/ufpa/ufpa-poultry-club-calendar
To view more details on the calendar, just click on an event you are interested in.
The club meetings are at the Northwest Multi-Purpose Center. The calendar will even show you a map when you click on any club meeting!
Note: There is a club meeting this Friday, Jan. 8.

You can just go to a monthly meeting and then decide if you want to join.

 

[hen-thusiast]

Quote:
Thanks for the info! I've been thinking about joining.....

 

[hen-thusiast]

kimbobin - how's your molting bird holding up? Our two dominiques have been cycling through awful molts. When we had that really cold snap in December, they had entirely bald heads and butts. They are under a year, so we were surprised at the full molts. One finally seems to be ending, although the other one is still losing a ton of feathers.

Anybody on here have any experience with severe frostbite on the feet? They are rescues from an ad we answered on ksl.com for blue-laced red wyandottes. Lady said she had a "mild" case of frostbite when we arrived. One of the pullets will probably lose most of her foot and half the other. The other will probably lose half of her feet. I've been getting some great advice from the emergency section, but am always looking for more.

 

[Stands With A Fiddle]

Quote:
How sad! I almost answered that ad myself, since they looked like such beautiful birds.