What did you pay for your chicks?

[nuts4hotwheels]

A local farm is selling week old chicks from $10-$17. That seems pretty high to me. My first chicks about 5 years ago were $2. The last ones I but were $4. So, what did you pay for your chicks?

 

[Bruins]

I paid $2.30 per chick at my local farm store . The chicks were from an Ohio hatchery .

 

[rogersne]

We paid 3.50 one time and 2.75 at the chick sale in local farm store. Maybe the second ones were so cheep because they not the stated sexed pullets.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

It really depends on what your getting. Heritage or standard bred birds are minimum of $6 per chick. Hatchery stock or back yard mixes are $2-4.

I don't know what that local farm has or think they have for birds but it sounds overpriced.

 

[amelia123]

I paid $2.99 for my Barred Rock chicks...$10.00- $17.00 does seem VERY high. The local farm MIGHT be selling a rare chicken breed, but even so, that would be expensive. Hope I helped!

 

[burgerusmc]

Just bought 9 ftom the farm store and they were 3.45 a piece

 

[MaLoTu]

I just bought 7, sex-linked chicks for $3.50 each. I think my BOs were the same, but I bought so much stuff that I didn't pay attention.

 

[dheltzel]

If they were pullets of Crested Cream Legbars or Bielefelders, $17 each is very cheap. As mentioned it all depends on the breed, and the sex - I could sell CCL pullets all day for $17, but I would gladly give you males for free.

When you are raising hens for eggs, the lowest cost part of the entire endevour is what you pay for the chicks. Paying any extra $10 per chick will only increase the total price by a few percentage points. It generally costs the same to raise a hen of a rare breed as it does to raise a cheap one, so why not pay a bit more and get what you want? Want blue eggs, skip the Easter Eggers from the local farm store, they may lay a blue egg, but it could also be some other color, and you won't know until you've invest $40 in feed and 6 months of effort. Instead, buy a real Ameraucana or Crested Cream Legbar, then you can be sure to get blue eggs. If you can deal with a local breeder, ask to see the eggs they are setting to hatch their chicks, I will very happily show anyone my Welsummer eggs, right next to the BCM's and true Ams. Beautiful eggs hatching into cute and healthy chicks. I charge a premium price and still can't seem to hold back any for our own use, such is the demand for quality chicks.

This is my favorite illustration of this principle:

 

[Deerfield Acres]

My Buff Sussex were from a breeder and cost $15 each and were well worth every penny. I am eagerly awaiting some Speckled Sussex and Light Sussex from the same breeder, same price per bird and then there is shipping as well.

I just purchased some White Rocks from Cackle Hatchery for an entirely different purpose, 25 cockerels @ 1.45 each, 5 pullets @ $3.00 and shipping 23.10.

Good birds bring higher prices. Rare birds bring higher prices. If it is a breeder, who diligently breeds and culls to bring the birds to their fullest potential, it is well worth the money, unless you aren't into that.

So the flip side is, if you simply want a bird that will lay an egg, go to your local farm store or such.Many of those birds aren't often truly purebred birds even though they carry a purebred name and are much cheaper. If they are like our farm store they are all mixed in together and nobody can tell you what they are anyway. They do usually have a bin of "pullets", ($2 - $3) so at least you have a better chance of getting hens. My pricier birds are straight run, no other option and that's okay with me.

(I cannot discuss Cornish Cross meat birds in an unbiased manor after having raised 10 of them. They grossed me out so badly, it will probably take me another year to even consider trying again with completely different management methods, but they are the most efficient growers.)

 

[Natalierose]

I paid $5 ish each for my chicks from the local co-op and $15 for my English Orpington from a local breeder.