Time To Order Chickens!

 

CHICKEN ORDERS 2011

GOAT HOLLOW GARDEN

This year, we will be ordering baby chicks from Cackle Hatchery for ourselves, and we invite others to piggyback on our order. This hatchery carries most of the egg layers, meat chickens, and even rare breeds.  Chickens can be purchased “straight run” (ST.R) or sexed (M/F).  In theory, straight run chickens should be 50% male and 50% female.  Sexed chickens will be 90% accurate as to sex, in theory!  Purchasing chickens from the hatchery gives chicken farmers more choice about the breed, and helps to ensure that the chickens are healthy from the very start.

We plan to purchase chickens in mid-April 2011.  The chicks should arrive by the end of the month or in early May, depending on the hatch date. Goat Hollow Garden can take care of your chicks as long as necessary.

Here’s how it will work (i.e., Terms and Conditions):

Customers will pick out the breed, sex, and number of chickens desired.   Available breeds can be viewed at: http://www.cacklehatchery.com. 

Please note that Cackle Hatchery has a minimum order of five of any breed or sex.  Provide your order (form below) to Goat Hollow Garden along with cash or a check for the price of the chicks.  We will place your order on April 16 and will charge $1.00 per chick for accepting the shipment (“acceptance fee”) and making sure that they are all arrive healthy.  If not, we will work with the Hatchery to get replacement or a refund.

Please indicate if you are interested in trading some of your chicks for another breed.  If so, I will email a list of who may have chicks to trade.  If you live within the Bishop City Limits you may only keep four hens.  We will help you find a home for your extra chick if all five of yours survive, and none are roosters. 

It can be quite difficult to identify the breed until the chicks lose their  “down” and grow their first juvenile feathers.  Goat Hollow Garden can hold the chicks in a heated brooder for as long as necessary until they are identifiable and you are ready for them.  Please note that until the weather is thoroughly settled, young chicks require supplemental heat (90 degrees or more).   The older the chicks, the less heat they need.  We will charge $1.00 per chick per week for keeping them in the brooder (which is located in our living room!), feeding, watering and picking them up (so they will be tame).  

If you want to wait until the chicks are reasonably hardy and can survive outside without heat, we will put the chicks on pasture in our Chicken Tractor by week four, weather permitting.  We will heat the tractor at night.  Pasturing ensures the healthiest chicks ever!

When you pick up your chickens, we will apply the acceptance fee, the weekly care fee (if applicable) and shipping from the Hatchery (divided equally among all participants – baby chicks don’t weigh much and the more there are, the better the survival). 

Please note that as we are dealing with living things, we cannot be responsible for things out of our control, including: mis-sexing, death, or disease.  You may get a rooster – one way to minimize this chance is to buy one of the “sex link” breeds.  This means that the male and female chicks are different colors from birth – less chance of a mistake.

Regardless, we will do our best to make sure that our chicks and your chicks grow and stay healthy, warm, and safe!

Please send an email for an order form!

posted by Brad