[cammi]

I put this comment at the end of one of my posts but thought i would copy it into a post of its own - see if I'm the only Newbie who feels a bit 'done'


" this chicken buying business doesn't seem very honest, got a bird older than she should be and a bird that isn't what she should be and a girl whos eggs aren't as brown as they should be!!    lol"
 

[PaulineM]

Hi
I know what you mean! 
I bought 6 girls all mixed breeds etc.
The place was the best I had seen up to that point, nice farmer who bred lots of chickens,
when I asked 'what age are these ones' he kept saying 'they are all this years birds'.
Turns out they all had lice, worms and scaley leg  as a first time hen keeper it took me a while to discover this 
So far the barnvelder and the 2 welsummers are still to lay and I bought them at the beginning of August, so I am starting to wonder what age they really are! 

[ManicMum]

It is certainly a steep learning curve - buyer beware!

I have been browsing the "Poultry Breeders Directory" on the internet & looking at local (or further afield) links.  I'm not necessarily looking for high-tech wow websites, but a feeling that the seller will be vetting the buyer and will provide after-sales support.  There seem to be some who also run courses - they could be a good bet as they are letting you see quite a lot of their operation.

[Foghorn-Leghorn]

It is a bit of a minefield when buying chickens, I agree. 

When we got our first birds I knew I wanted hybrids and did a lot of research on t'interweb and eventually found a supplier that I thought seemed above board and stocked all the different types I wanted.
When we went, it wasn't quite what we expected - we couldn't even really view the birds we wanted as they were kept in large sheds and you just told the old bloke who owned the place what you wanted and he fetched them out.

Fortunately the birds were young POL as advertised and in very good health.  He did know his stuff too re getting birds from the same sheds so that there would be less of a pecking order to sort out and he did offer advice (once asked) on wing trimming. 

I guess we were lucky really, as looking back now I know I'll never buy a bird that I can't have a good look at first.  (Unless it's in an egg but then that's a different story!  )

[New shoot]

There are a lot of backyard/farmyard breeders who will sell you exactly what they say it is and a good laying bird to boot, but there are also the other end of the scale.

I would say have a good look around at where you are getting your bird from.  Probably won't be shiny new or spotless but should be clean and well managed.  Deffo get a look at the birds and make sure everyone is bright eyed and bushy tailed.  Finally, ask loads of questions as geniune chicken folk love nothing more than talking about and showing you their set up and their birds.  If you get evasive answers or feel unsure, then walk away.

Sorry you got a bit burned Cammi and Pauline, but I bet your girls are glad you took them to a good home and are treating all their health problems 



 

[cammi]

Yes not being local i didn't know anyone word of mouth, so looked at the poultry supplies bit on here ( not meaning anything about the suppliers listed on here, just think we have been unlucky and they saw a newbie coming!)

First place where the Araucana came from seemed good lots of different breeds, but when asked how old she was the lady first said one thing and changed it to make her a bit yonger, but i still think she is even older, She just looks older in her face lol.

Second place, where Bluebell and Mystery Hen comes from was in someones (large) garden.
Ruby the Bluebell is a lovely girl and lays everyday.  But Mystery Hen Pearl when we got her, had a crack on her beak and actually a bit near the tip fell off!  When i contacted the lady about this it was i very curt reply like 'well she was fine when she left here' .  And again when recontacted to confirm Pearls age and whether they were vacinated i never got a reply.

Third place Fenellas Garden i wasn't able to go to i had to send hubby, but he said it was alot more like he was expecting happy chickens running around all over the place.  From what i understand its hit and miss on egg colour from a Copper black anyway, and Emma is a lovely girl like Ruby.  The people their were really  nice too, definately where we will go to get more i think when the time arises.

[PaulineM]

Its funny once you get hens you end up hearing about a reliable supplier.
I had a shopping delivered from Asda and the delivery man's uncle bred chickens, I went to see him but his were really well bred show birds but he did have some brown hens, he put me in touch with that lady and we got 2 more girls from her.
When we got there it was a small scale battery farm, it was very clean but the girls were in those cages, we picked 2 POL and I could not believe the good condition they were in. Absolutely spotless, anyway they came home with us and we got lovely eggs almost immediately 

[evie2]

We've been lucky or first hens came from a friend, our next set of hens came from a good commercial source who weren't pushy and were happy for us to have a good look and feel.

Our Sablepoots come from a breeder who has lots of breeds to choose from and again is quite happy to let you take your time choosing and is always at the end of the phone if you need support.

Remember, your paying cold hard cash, so as in all things, have a good look around, talk to other hen keepers if you can and if in doubt walk away.

[ManicMum]

"If in doubt walk away" is very good advice but it's very hard to ignore the little voice that whispers that you're sure they'll be fine once you get them home........ 

[jinty1911]

I was very lucky.  I had seen my hubbys workmates neighbours  hens and he had 3 young chicks that were beautiful.  I spent ages looking for the same x breed on the net to no avail.  Then the neighbour decided to build a new brick avairy so hubby did the brickwork and got the chicks in return for 2 days wages    He wasn't going to charge anything anyway but I defo won out of it.