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gardengalrn

I finally ordered my chickens!!!!!

gardengalrn
16 years ago

YIPEE!!! After several years of planning and plotting, I finally ordered my chickens today from Ideal Poultry. They are being shipped March 26th. They will be spending their first 5 weeks in our basement in a child's swimming pool under lights. I went ahead and ordered and hopefully this will put a fire under DH to get the coop done:) I ordered 20 pullets and 2 roosters: Black Australorp (2), Buff Orpington (2), Cuckoo Maran (2), Ameraucanas (4), Golden Laced Wyandotte (2), Delaware (2), New Hampshire Red (2), Production Black (2), Production Red (2). For roosters I got a New Hampshire Red and Iowa Blue. A large flock for a first attempt but I have the space and can sell or give away eggs. My MIL raises 10 or so chickens and never has enough to supply the demand. I'm really excited!!!! Lori

Comments (12)

  • gardengalrn
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    I'm commenting on my own post; If I by some luck have the quantities of eggs that I'm envisioning, what do you sell them for? I realize this will differ from region to region. The sales would mostly be friends and coworkers. I kinda hate to think of charging anything but a few dollars towards their upkeep would probably be very helpful. Lori

  • annpat
    16 years ago

    I've just started selling my eggs. I was going to charge $1.50, but my first customer told me that he'd gladly pay $2 so I changed my price. A nearby seller asks $3 and hers aren't organic (which mine have been until recently).
    I have a friend who gets $10 a dozen for her Aracauna eggs in N.Y. city.

    (You're going to love your black sex links, I bet. Mine are egg laying machines.)

  • Jonathan
    16 years ago

    Whoa, $10 a dozen for Auracana eggs!

    Gotta love NYC.

    --Jonathan

  • gardengalrn
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    I was thinking $2 wouldn't be too much to ask since the store eggs are almost that anyway. Maybe they can earn their keep or at least defray some of the feed costs. I've read various opinions about chickens in the garden, does anyone have experience with this? I understand it would have to be established. Lori

  • johanna_h
    16 years ago

    Depends on your market. I get $3/dozen with no problem here. Our area is a weekend getaway for Chicagoans, but even at the grocery stores around here a dozen cage-free eggs are $3.50, so my "Beautiful Eggs" with many colors are a bargain.

    You can read about my hens in my blog (see below).

    --Johanna

    Here is a link that might be useful: The Busy Solitude Life

  • annpat
    16 years ago

    Chickens in your garden? Yes. As long as you don't mind your garden being completely DE-stroyed! Mine just killed my extensive veronica groundcover yesterday and completely uprooted my lavender. Everything else is under three feet of snow or it would be dead, too.
    I thought chickens in the garden was going to be a good thing---until I experienced it.

  • gardengalrn
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    I guess that is out but probably beneficial in the early spring before planting or in the fall when you are basically done. Lori

  • marlingardener
    16 years ago

    Lori,
    I, too just ordered my chickens. Since we are just down the road a piece from Ideal, we will be picking up our pullets in mid-March. We are getting 8 Black Australorps, since they supposedly stand our heat better than some other breeds. As to pricing your eggs, if there is a Farmers' Market near you, you might want to see what they are charging. If you have free-range eggs, you can charge pretty much whatever you like. Here free-range brown eggs are $3.00 dozen, or more.
    If you want to free-range, consider a chicken tractor. A tractor is easy and cheap to build, gives your gals a chance to scratch, eat greenery and bugs, and get exercise while being protected from predators and also not interfering with garden plants. There are web sites that picture tractors and give instructions on building them.
    Enjoy your chickens, and let us all know how things turn out for you!

  • Flowerhen
    16 years ago

    I also just ordered my chickens. I have only posted here a couple times lately, but I thought I would share my info as well. I just ordered buff orps, RIR's, Black Giants, Barred Rocks, Partridge Rocks, Silkies, Frizzles and Polish. As far as egg price, I use to only charge $1.50 for free-range,,but the price is going UP to $3.00. Grocery store eggs (old nasty eggs) are around $2.50 per dozen and they're not even free range. I haven't had chickens for 1 1/2 years, so I am really looking forward to having them again. My chickens are due to arrive on April 1st. We have a great little chicken barn that my husband built about 3 years ago. Also, for those who do not want to order 25, I think ideal will let you order less.

  • mabellyn
    16 years ago

    Hi Lori, I too just ordered my chickens, I ordered 6 Buff Orpington and 6 Hubbard Golden Comets. I have other 7 chickens, I charge $1.75 now. This will be my first time raising chicks. Good luck. :) Mabellyn

  • sullicorbitt
    16 years ago

    I get $3 per dozen, they are free range but I stopped the organic feed, it got too expensive.

    -Sheila

  • songbirdmommy
    16 years ago

    I would think that $3.00-$3.50 would be a going price.
    What part of KS are you in?
    Does your town have a Farmer's Market during the Summer?
    You could sell your eggs there, and as long as you are the only one selling eggs at that price, you will sell out.
    I would suggest though, if you are doing a farmer's market, to add some more birds to your order.
    Remember that the eggs you get this year will be small and few.
    They will start laying later in the summer too.
    I would assume that your family would eat most of the eggs before you ever get a surplus from this year.
    Your plans would be better suited to next year's production.