Why Do People Buy Live Chicks From Breeders and Farm Stores‭?

[snow5164]

This is a great discussion,
Forums are for talking about all sides of the topic .

Great job guys , I for one have learned a lot here.

 

[007Sean]

They shouldn't even let you any where near their birds.

I don't let anyone near my birds. I catch them, box them in my boxes, the customer doesn't get off of my driveway. No matter what, that's the procedure.

 

[BantyChooks]

I don't let anyone near my birds. I catch them, box them in my boxes, the customer doesn't get off of my driveway. No matter what, that's the procedure.

...for a second there I thought you caught and boxed customers that tried to see your birds.

 

[apryl29]

I believe chicks do need a mum.
The above needs some clarification.
I would agree that a chick can and probably will survive without parents.
You can say this about any species, to a greater or lesser extent.

I’ve had incubated chicks here. In general they tend not to survive as long as those that have parents and a social group to belong to.
The chickens here free range and I have a number of distinct groups much like jungle fowl.
The incubated chicks have much more difficulty getting accepted by a group. What makes life easier in the circumstances the chickens here are kept is the mother introduces the chicks to her social group at some point between hatch and the point at which she stops mothering. This I believe is the ‘natural’ way of the chicken. Once introduced to the group the chick then gets protection from the groups rooster and the company of the rest of the group. When free ranging this is vital to the chicks survival. The chicks that were incubated tended to stay apart from these groups and consequently got picked off by predators and chased away by the groups hens.
For people who keep their chickens in coops and runs this isn’t a problem. However, keeping chickens enclosed with other unrelated chickens often of a different breed isn’t what ‘natural’ chickens would do.
It’s the conditions we keep the chickens in that dictate their behavior to a greater or lesser extent.
It’s not my intention to damn those who keep chickens in coops and runs. However, it is my intention to make them aware, if I can, that the conditions they keep the chickens in will often adversely effect the flocks behavior. It would seem to apply to all other species when kept in ‘unnatural conditions, including humans.
However, this isn’t really the issue of the thread.

Why did you want to give chicks to your broody hen if you believe that chicks don’t need a mother may I ask?

The chicks didn't need a mother & would have been perfectly fine had I not bought them. I needed the chicks for my hen. She went broody & hatched a chick, but it died. She returned to her broody state & was trying to hatch eggs again. As she'd just sat on her nest for 3 weeks and the heat was already in the 90's for early June, having her sit for another 3 weeks wasn't feasible or safe. My daughter was having surgery the following Monday so I didn't have time to break her before the surgery. So I bought 4 chicks from a local woman to make the hen break broody. It worked and she raised her babies for about 5 weeks, then left them off on their own, but they no longer needed to be kept warm.
A hen does make raising chicks easier, but can easily be made unnecessary with proper accommodations. Having raised chicks myself and having a broody raise them it was easier to just toss the chicks under a broody and let her keep them warm than fretting over whether they were warm enough & if they were safe in the brooder... but also, the first chick that she hatched on her own, literally disappeared. It was there the night before and when I went to check it the next day it was gone.. That didn't happen when I raised them in a brooder.
Also, you have to start somewhere. It makes more sense to buy chicks than grown birds for several reasons, then if desired you *could* buy fertilized eggs and allow a hen to hatch them to increase your flock, but then if you can't have or don't want roosters you will need to deal with the possibility of having to cull or rehome often unwanted boys. Buying from a hatchery or feed store gets rid of *some* of that risk, esp if buying sexlinks.
It's really just an option. I've talked to chicken owners all over the US and they've all done something different, but it's always what works best for them. Some are solely buying heritage breeds, some are happy w/ barn yard mixes. Some have their birds for food, others for pets.
If your personal opinion is that you want to buy adult chickens and have them hatch eggs to build your flock, great. It doesn't mean that other methods are wrong, they're just different. All usually end with the same result, happy and healthy chickens.

 

[007Sean]

...for a second there I thought you caught and boxed customers that tried to see your birds.

No, most of the time, I shoot them!

 

[roosterhavoc]

I like to keep things as natural as practical. I don’t think a human can do the same job as a hen equally.

Anyone who thinks differently might want to try a different breed of chickens.
The only fad part I see is allowing chickens in your house, clothing them and walking them on a leash.

 

[MissChick@dee]

I buy chicks about 2 days old. I can skip the experience and stress of incubation and loss.
I can look the chicks over. If they let just anyone handle them I pass on those.
I get all females. No more culling or dealing with Roos.
If for some reason I’m not happy I can get a refund.

 

[Shadrach]

I like to keep things as natural as practical. I don’t think a human can do the same job as a hen equally.
Anyone who thinks differently might want to try a different breed of chickens.
The only fad part I see is allowing chickens in your house, clothing them and walking them on a leash.

I’m not Mr ‘everybody should do exactly what they feel like and we will all just be nice to each other and not disturb the status quo’; I’m happy to agree.
I do have convictions yes.
I don’t expect anyone to agree with me.
Campaigning (?) sure, why not if you believe in something.
I’m polite. I care about chickens. I contribute to the forums.
I’m just not ‘nice’. No interest in being so either.

 

[MissChick@dee]

Take what you need and leave the rest on the table.

Learning requires an open mind.

Teaching requires humility.

I love to learn. Let’s keep it simple.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Seriously. I agree with the majority of what you’re saying. You’re never going to convince people to do things your way though. Space and time may not allow for it.
I have no idea what you call a “tribe” is other than a group of chickens.
The fact is some people just want chickens. They don’t particularly want to do all the work or find all of the extra work of hatching and raising their own chicks enjoyable.
I believe 90% of people’s problems with roosters are their own fault.
I personally think its utterly ridiculous to lock up a bunch of chickens in a run and coop. IMO they do best loose on the yard at least part of the time. It’s not my place to tell anyone different though. I don’t think you should treat chickens for half the stuff that people do. Once again not many people are going to change their minds based on my opinion.