Chickens.?

[deerwhacker444]

I like eggs for breakfast and do a little baking. These sorry things in the store they pass off as eggs these days aren't going to cut it any longer. I'm gonna get a handful of chicks this spring.

For those with chickens, any special places you buy your chicks or hatching eggs?

I've been thinking about Atwoods. They have a kinda hodge podge grab-bag of breeds all thrown in the same trough, but I've read the quality of chicks is pretty good.

I've got an incubator but not sure if I want to commit to 3 weeks of manually turning eggs multiple times a day.

Any breeds that really shine in the Oklahoma Summer heat?

 

[FreeSpiritBalloon]

Following. We have looked at tractor supply for the last two years and talked about converting a horse stall to a chicken coop. If I knew more about them, we would have them already. Hopefully this spring.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MacFromOK]

If you want laying hens, buy pullets. The "straight run" chicks in my experience are mostly (like 80% or more) roosters. Where you buy them shouldn't be a factor.

The best laying hens we ever had were so-called "burnouts" from Mahard Farms. They're already mature and laying, and ours pretty much laid an egg per day apiece until we got rid of them.

YMMV.

 

[steelfingers]

My wife had the same idea after seeing the cute little chicken coops at TS. She had the fresh eggs and so on and I explained how the reproductive ability of a single chicken. I continued with an in depth description of my childhood and chickens. How I had to clean coops, rake up CS, collect eggs and feed the little feathered rats every day so our family could have eggs.
I may have mentioned the Rooster that hated me and I hate it. Would attack me every time I had my back turned. Tried to kill the little monster many times but I think it was possessed.
I swore that I would never own a chicken or collect an egg. NEVER!.
Sorry. Had a prozac moment.

 

[MacFromOK]

I've got an incubator but not sure if I want to commit to 3 weeks of manually turning eggs multiple times a day.

I built an incubator out of an old TV case, and we hatched a dozen (maybe two dozen?) or more chickens, 40 or so ducks, and 1 turkey (lol, turned out the turkey was suicidal).

We simply marked an "X" on one side of the egg and an "O" on the other, and turned them once per day. Worked just fine.

 

[deerwhacker444]

I built an incubator out of an old TV case, and we hatched a dozen (maybe two dozen?) or more chickens, 40 or so ducks, and 1 turkey (lol, turned out the turkey was suicidal).

Mine's made out of a throw away Styrofoam cooler. Holds temperature like nobody's business. I haven't had chickens since I was a kid and I've forgotten most of what my Grandpa tried to teach me. So I've got the "Chickens for Dummies" book and I'm going to dive in this Spring.

We simply marked an "X" on one side of the egg and an "O" on the other, and turned them once per day. Worked just fine.

That's good to know, most of the literature I've read wants 3-5 times a day. Nice to know it will work with less..

 

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

We used to get them shipped, but I can't remember from where (it was back before the Interwebz). But when we did, we were pretty much guaranteed they were pullets and 100% guaranteed the breed was correct.

We always had good luck with Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rocks. They lay well, and are big enough to eat when the time comes. They were hardy birds.

It was a lot of work when I was a kid, but the eggs are SO much better. Plus, it taught me how to bust my ass. I'm THIS close to getting a coop. My folks have chickens, so the need isn't quite as great, but still...it would be kinda fun.

 

[deerwhacker444]

We used to get them shipped, but I can't remember from where (it was back before the Interwebz). But when we did, we were pretty much guaranteed they were pullets and 100% guaranteed the breed was correct.

We always had good luck with Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rocks. They lay well, and are big enough to eat when the time comes. They were hardy birds.

It was a lot of work when I was a kid, but the eggs are SO much better. Plus, it taught me how to bust my ass. I'm THIS close to getting a coop. My folks have chickens, so the need isn't quite as great, but still...it would be kinda fun.

I got 18 duck eggs from a friend before Thanksgiving, I had forgotten how good farm eggs are.

I'm finding that folks seem to have good luck with the RI Reds and Barred Rocks, they seem to put up with the Summer heat rather well.

There's lots of hatcheries around, most of won't sell you chicks unless you buy 15, that seems to be the magic number so the chicks can ball up and keep warm. There's Country hatchery in Wewoka that will sell a dozen hatching eggs, but there's no idea how many pullets or cockerels you'll end up with. That's why I was thinking about going the Atwoods mixed bag pullet route..

My luck I'd end up with half a dozen Turkens and be the laughing stock..

 

[Annie]

Personally I find ducks MUCH easier to care for -- and the eggs a lot better -- but I'm not like most people. Year before last I ordered chicks from some mail order place because I missed the window at TSC. NEVER again. Like someone else said, find out when the truck delivers at either Atwoods or TSC and get a few pullets. Don't wait too long. Thanks employees will mix chicks that are left before the next truck arrives and then who the **** knows whether they are actually pullets or straight run or a mixture of the two. Unless you are like me and don't mind eating the roos.

 

[indi]

I bought a bunch of chicks from Atwood’s. I bought 5 first time, then 2 or 3 or 4 every time I would go. I ended up with 26 of them. My wife banned me from going to Atwood’s...lol. Some died as little chicks couple days after bringing them home. It’s been about 1.5 years and I’m left with 7. 2 roosters and 5 hens.I lost 7 chickens last month to a fat raccoon. He left me with a heck of a story to tell. I had bantams, buff Orpington's, Australorp, Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Red, guinea fowl, silver laced wyandotte I had one silky which my daughter loved the most and some others I can’t recall. I enjoyed the guinea eggs more than the chicken eggs. They all did fairly well in the heat as long as I did my part and gave them fresh water everyday. You can read online on how to sex the chicks, you can get pretty lucky. I’m 100% so far in selecting hens and that’s for about a dozen hens. I really enjoy watching the chickens roam the yard and run around. It’s therapeutic in a way. Good luck!!