I must be out of touch with reality. I am finally at a point in my life where I can have a few chickens an Guinea hens again. I started looking on-line at ordering some (just window shopping for now) and they are like $6-7 each for day old chicks. Guineas were about the same. OK, I still have my incubators so I will just order some fertilized eggs. They were like $4 each. I just I won't be having a flock of tick eaters this summer.

Call or go to the hatcheries on shipping day and offer to buy their over hatch. Hatcheries typically hatch many more chicks than they need to fill their orders. They sell the extra chicks very cheaply, because otherwise they go into the trash or get ground up for feed, if the hatchery is lucky enough to have that demand nearby.

Keith

I don't know of any hatcheries that are relatively close and I am only looking for a handful of chicks and keats, probably 10-15 of each. I am not even picky about the breeds but I won't pay $6 each to feed the coon, fox and coyotes all summer.

Find a local person that sells eggs. Most likely they have a rooster and the eggs are fertilized. You can probably get them for 3-4 bucks a dozen.

Rob,
L & M Supply always sell chicks in the spring at least in Cloquet, so I'm sure Grand Rapids and Hibbing sell them also. I have no idea of price or anything else about them.
Gary J

As said above, just buy eggs of a local person if they have a rooster …… heck if you were close to my neck of the woods, I would give you a couple of dozen for you to sit on

Yep just buy "eating" eggs from someone local. When you call/stop to buy the eggs, ask if they have a rooster in with their girls. If they do, viola, you now have hatching eggs.

Also, I don't know about in your neck of the woods, but around here, local places like TSC have been selling chicks for about $3-something.

Just ordered 16 birds...138.00 ..got a few fancy ones

With the avian flu hitting a lot of chicken operations it sounds like there may be a shortage of chicks this spring. A lot of the big operators who had to kill flocks off are working to restock their egg laying facilities and meat operations. It may be more difficult to find chicks, or at least price will be higher on what u do find.

Rob...
My hens are real Layers 12 for 12 eggs per day even now in winter.

I'll sell you some Hatching Eggs for less than half that.


$1.25 per egg. I usually collect for hatching in April- may because of stable temps

But ill get yours when you want.

Just an offer.



Summer picture

Nice 330

Winner Winner. We sell eggs and keep roosters with the girls. So if ours eggs are put in an incubator they will hatch som crossed up chick's. We did this several years back for a few years and had some cool colors and patterns.

Edit to add I plan on buying a nice incubator this year since our cheap one well I want a nicer one and I want it so it will hatch chicken, quail and can have egg turners removed so snakes can be hatched in it also. I want one thet regulates humidity as well if they make them.

330 do you normally get $15 a dozen for eggs you sell? Is a hatch egg harder to handle?

Snake eggs, depending just a little on species, almost all hatch best at 78F to 84F. They will hatch a lot better in a modified cooler than a standard cabinet style incubator. They don't need the flow from the forced air fan and are easy to dry out and ruin.

Keith

Keith my daughter us moving into breading ball pythons. I figured if I spent the cash on a nice incubator she could utilize it also. But the snakes are her thing. Well reptiles she has quite a few varieties of todes,, frogs, and is down to ball pythons on snakes now, plus she raises all the various insects mice and rats to feed them.

Snake eggs as with many reptile eggs have to remain up right , or they die in the egg.
Whatever position you find them , they have to stay in that position.
Not sure about crocidiles , or gators..

How about this? Pick up a few laying hens and add your own rooster. No need to grow out for months for that first egg.
2 yr ols laying hens

2 years is when I consider starting culling.

So do most. That's why they are cheap, still laying, an excellent value for a few eggs and starting a new flock.

amish in my area have laying hens they replace them every year i talked to one replacing his in 2 weeks he has 6500 all the old birds are spoken for and theres 3 more like him in the same area replacing theirs at the same time and their all spoken for to