Where do you get your baby chicks?

[aart]

Hi Aart,

Your rant is not jaded at all- it is probably the most true chicken statement I have read in awhile..

Good, thanks, most folks don't want to hear anything negative, even if it true. I am extremely pragmatic, bluntly honest, and not very diplomatic.

Do you have a good way to integrate new chicks?

 

[Chickassan]

Ok, the first girls here I got locally basically a bunch of mixes with awful genetics "i'm my own grandpa" scenerio. Iv'e already lost one of those to water belly and one of the others has issues as in soft eggs and extremely big normal eggs 120 grams and up. I decided to order eggs from MPC to boost the flock, faverolles. They turned a year in March, no heath issues so far. Iv'e hatched two small broods off them and besides an extremely lopsided boy/girl ratio everyone turned out perfect. Now i'm going to try the day old sexed route, I don't know how that is going to go and won't know until the 9th or so of next month. I went with Meyer as well due to their small minimum order and branched out into some breeds iv'e never had.

 

[mrskenmore]

There is a big difference between being constructive and being negative. You have a lot of experience and I value that. I Do have a great way to integrate chicks! They stay in the house until 8-10 weeks (depending on weather) they then go into their own coop that shares a wall with 1/4" hardware cloth. This is the look no touch method that I imply for several weeks. Then there are the supervised visits once they are 3-4 months old during the day on the weekends and in the evenings during the week. There are several different perches at various heights, food and water sources as well as 200 sq ft for the girls to have some space and interact. Then finally when the "little girls" no longer have their chick voices they start to spend the day together while I can supervise. We continue like this until 16-20 weeks depending on the situation until everyone loves one another lol.

Worked last time- so I am hopeful that it will work again in the future!

 

[mrskenmore]

Chickenassan-

Thank you for sharing your experience, I love your signature by the way! keep me posted with your next order- was your male/female ratio on the chicks you hatched? or from the chicks you received from MPC. or did you order eggs from MPC and not chicks?

There is so much experience out there- and I am very grateful for everyone sharing!

keep it coming!!

 

[Chickassan]

Eggs from MPC, I got 4 and 3 hatched 2 girls and a boy. My hatch from them I hatched 3 eggs from one hen and got all boys lol! I hatched 1 egg from the other hen and got my only girl. I only ordered eggs from MPC because I read faverolle chicks were delicate and didn't ship well "not true, they're about as delicate as a rock." My hubs also thinks shipping chicks is cruel, but he won't be here when mine arrive so what he doesn't know won't bother me.

Chickenassan-

Thank you for sharing your experience, I love your signature by the way! keep me posted with your next order- was your male/female ratio on the chicks you hatched? or from the chicks you received from MPC. or did you order eggs from MPC and not chicks?

There is so much experience out there- and I am very grateful for everyone sharing!

keep it coming!!

 

[mrskenmore]

That is great story lol! I see where your hubby is coming from, I will drive all over the east coast if it means getting to pick them out and pick them up!

 

[aart]

so what he doesn't know won't bother me.

 

[Chickassan]

Trust me, if I could I would. The very close breeders only have silkies, polish and bantams. I'm not subjecting any of those to my big Berthas so shipping day olds is about my only choice, unless I wanted to hatch again and play rooster roulette lol! Giving away roosters isn't easy.

That is great story lol! I see where your hubby is coming from, I will drive all over the east coast if it means getting to pick them out and pick them up!

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Other (please post)

My incubators.

 

[mrskenmore]

Trust me, if I could I would. The very close breeders only have silkies, polish and bantams. I'm not subjecting any of those to my big Berthas so shipping day olds is about my only choice, unless I wanted to hatch again and play rooster roulette lol! Giving away roosters isn't easy.

agreed- we have a lot of silkie breeders in the area, I just love the large fowl. I gave away my first rooster a year ago and still think of him fondly.

Rooster Roulette- so true!