WANTED-Southern California-Various Chicks

[Al-Diddy]

I am a chicken newbie and I want a few chickens for my backyard. I have done a lot of research but found out that no one is willing to ship a small number of chicks! We live in Southern California and want 3 to 4 hens...preferably the following.

1 Barred Rock
1 Buff Cochin
1 Easter Egger
1 Silkie

All female because roosters are outlaws

HELP!!!

Thanks in advance!
~Allison

 

[Kimiko]

Hi,

you can call My Pet Chicken (you have to call at this point they aren't taking on line orders). www.mypetchicken.com and they will ship as few as 3.

Otherwise this place is in Norco. I'd e-mail to see if she has sexed stock for sale or only chicks and which breeds she has in stock. I haven't been there yet, but she's been very helpful.

http://www.hamandeggsranch.com/live/animals/poultry/main.htm

 

[562Jen]

Local feed stores often have chicks and pullets. Breeds and whether or not they have any stock on hand will vary, so give them a call first. I have had good luck with Blacksmith's Corner (on Lakewood Blvd. just south of 91) in Bellflower and Kruse Feed in El Monte, but there's probably someplace closer to you as well. I also heard good things about this place on KCRW:

Wes's Pets and Feed
4424 N. Peck Rd.
El Monte, 91732
(626) 442-0781

Keep checking this site, too - you may be able to find some folks to do a group order.

 

[Al-Diddy]

Thanks you guys!!!
What a great help, I will be going to that Lakewood store tomorrow.
Also, I am still open to tagging on to an order or visa versa, to get exactly what I want.
Thanks again I really appreciate the help.

 

[Linda in San Diego]

Only 4? Where is your sense of adventure? LOL

We have the Delightful Dozen and DH want to add 2 Jersy Giants - I have too many eggs as it is and he wants to add more!

I get 3 dozen eggs every two days - even this winter! I love my chickens they gave us dinner tonight. Bacon and scrambled eggs - sweet eats.

Come on you need 2 of everything in my opinion!

 

[GardeNerd]

Hi,

I was in the same boat. I wanted a smaller number than the hatcheries would ship. I would suggest one of two things. Organize an order for a group or special order at a feed store.

I had a good experience organizing a group order. It was a little work, but I didn't mind. I used BYC and craigslist. If you do it, just be patient with the time to order. I gave a deadline of 3 weeks or so. It ended up being a large order, 45 chicks. Since the shipment was delayed an extra day, some died in transit. If it had not had so many they probably would have froze. The hatchery is reshipping the lost chicks on Monday, plus an extra one we added. They may end up adding a few extras as packing peanuts or just in case chicks. My cost was half of what it would have been at the feed store. It was easy to figure the costs per person with Welp Hatchery since the shipping is included in the listed cost per chick, plus I added an extra cost of $0.50 to each person's total to pay for the marks on any look a like breeds.
(Sorry, its too late to add anything.) How about organizing an order yourself?

Blacksmith's Corner places new orders once they run out of chicks. I was in there last week since I am not far away, and they still had 8 or 9 Barred Rock chicks and 3 Leghorns, about 3 weeks old at the time. That shipment came in on the 26th of January, so they should be getting close to doing another order. They may have gotten more in since last Friday, I don't know. You could ask if they could special order others for you. They special ordered the organic feed for me that I wanted, since they don't normally carry it.

Usually Blacksmith's stocks Easter Eggers, Barred Rock, Leghorn, and Rhode Island Red.

If you are in the South bay area or North OC, Midway City Feed, in Midway City, near Westminster, gets chicks from Redwing Hatchery in Lancaster. Maybe try calling that feed store if Blacksmith's doesn't have what you are looking for. They had chicks when I was in there 3 weeks ago and a little better variety than Blacksmith's.

I agree with Linda, only 4? What if one or more is mis-sexed at the hatchery? The feed store orders only pullets usually, but they are only 90% accurate. It is harder to introduce new chickens than it is to subtract. When a chick is only $3.00 it is an inexpensive investment. We ordered twice what we really want and plan on rehoming any extra ones at the end of 4 months.

 

[Kimiko]

A couple cautions with feed stores--they are straight run so you may get some roosters.

See if they are vaccinated for Marek's. I lost my first flock 'cause they were supposed to be vaccinated and weren't. I'm in riverside so I'd guess you have it in LA too--it's everywhere.

Chicks also have an alarming tendency to keel over--so there may be some attrition.

Basically, I'm telling you to get more chickens than you think you want so if something happens or they are roos, you still have some chickens.

My Pet Chicken is expensive, but you'll get what you want and you vastly increase your chances of getting hens. Worth it IMHO especially if you're limited by space.

 

[GardeNerd]

Quote:
They don't all order straight run. Ask, they'll hopefully be honest and tell you if they do or don't order straight run. A lot order just pullets and pass the added cost on to you. They will tell you what the hatcheries do..."we can't guarantee gender more than 90%."

In regards to Marek's, I totally agree with Kimiko, we did order the vaccine for all the chicks from the hatchery that we ordered. It only adds $0.10-$0.15 a chick. I hope they really vaccinated them like we paid for. That's terrible that Kimiko lost her whole flock to it when she thought they were vaccinated. Ideal doesn't reccommend it on their website, but enough Californian backyard flock owners here mention they have had some problems with the disease that that alone got us to order from the hatchery. The feed stores don't usually add it, as far as I understand.

Mypetchicken isn't perfect on the sexing either, just like the other hatcheries. Do a search on folks' satisfaction and opinions here at BYC and you will see people do complain their chicks from MPC were mis-sexed in the same proportions as the larger orders from other hatcheries, especially the bantams.

There is a show in Fresno coming up, or maybe it was this weekend. I don't follow those that closely, but those are supposed to be good places to buy hens.