FAQ's
Q. What are the best egg layers? A. We can suggest a few different breeds for egg laying. Our best brown egg layers would include the Red Sexlink, Rhode Island Red, and Barred Rock. If you prefer a white egg, then we would suggest the California White, or the White Leghorn. |
Q. What are the best dual purpose chickens for egg production/meat? A. If you are looking for a dual purpose chicken used for laying/meat we would suggest the White Rock, Barred Rock, Rhode Island Red, and New Hampshire Red. All of these birds have good meat qualities, as well as efficiency in laying eggs. |
Q. What is the proper male/female ratio to insure fertile eggs? A. The proper ratio to ensure fertility of eggs is 1 rooster to approximately 8-12 hens. Like breeds should be kept isolated for 4-7 days to ensure fertility. |
Q. How much room must you have to raise a chicken? A. You should figure one-half square foot per bird for the first two weeks. Then increase to one square foot after that. |
Q. How soon can Ducks be allowed to swim? A. Ducks can swim at about 2 months of age. The most important thing is to make sure that they have completely feathered out, and have lost all of their down. |
Q. Can you raise chickens with turkeys? A. We would suggest that you do not raise turkeys with chickens. Diseases such as Blackhead can be passed between poultry. Also, turkeys should not be kept in an area that has been occupied by chickens in the last three years. |
Q. What can I do if my chickens are pecking each other? A. Chickens peck for many reasons. They can be hot, crowded, or sometimes pick on different breeds or chicks of different age. A number of remedies have been suggested to help fix this problem. Some people put large shiny objects in the pen, such as a bucket, to entertain the chicks. Many people choose to put pine tar on the pecked area as a detterent for would be "peckers". |
Q. What is the best bedding to use for chicks? Is newspaper OK? A. For bedding, we suggest you use Peat Moss or Wood Chips. Never, ever cover the chick bedding with newspaper or any kind of paper. If paper is used it can be disastrous when starting broiler chicks. They will often "spraddle" and a spraddled chick is a dead chick. They will not recover. |
Q. How long should you keep chickens for laying? A. Most hens will begin to lay at about 20 weeks. Egg type layers will continue to lay efficiently for 1-3 seasons. After this period egg production will slowly decrease. The number of eggs you can expect differs by breed. See Question 1 for the best egg layers. |
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Q. Do I have to pay shipping and handling costs? A. There are no additional postage or handling costs! The price you see per chick is the only cost you will have. There are no shipping tables, weight charts, etc. to worry about! |
Q. What is the difference between St. Run/Pullets/Cockerels? A. St. Run chicks are chicks that have not been sexed. They are shipped as hatched, and should be around an equal amount of males/females, although there is no guarantee. Pullets are female chicks. Cockerels are male chicks. |
Q. How long will it take to get my chicks? A. Your chicks are shipped Priority Mail and should arrive at your local post office about 2-3 days later. For example, if the hatch/ship date is Monday, your chicks should get to you on Wednesday or Thursday of that week. There are some occasions when your chicks could even arrive the next day, so it’s best to be prepared for 1-3 days after the ship date. Please be aware that once they are entered into the postal service, we cannot control the time/day that they arrive. |
Q. How are the chicks shipped? A. We ship our chicks via the United States Postal Service using Priority mail. They are boxed in specially made cardboard boxes with holes in the sides for proper ventilation. We box them according to the weather. We have minimum orders so that there are enough chicks to produce enough body heat to make the trip safely. In the warm months, we cut back on the number of chicks per box to ensure they do not get too warm. We do all we can to ensure that you get your chicks both happy and healthy! |
Q. How can I tell what's wrong with my poultry? A. Guide To Disease or Behavior Diagnosis |
Q. What kind of animal is killing my poultry? A. Predator Diagnosis For Persons With Poultry |
