Spring Chick Order

Ok- so I said I would never order chicks thru the mail this time of year again after our first disastrous round.

But three things happened-

1. Our second round of chicks last time needed saving at the Hampden postal facility because they got left behind. We got them in two days instead of three and as a result only lost three instead of the whole dang box. We believe that if we had driven to the Hampden facility the first time, our initial batch of chicks would have survived.

2. (This ones sad) The local competition for egg selling had her whole flock decimated by a Fox this last fall and is not getting back into the business. But because of this, we’ve had many inquiries about eggs for sale. We were already getting chicks this spring because it’s time to, but this affected how many we wanted and how soon we wanted them laying.

3. I went it preorder my breeds and they were already SELLING OUT. What the crap people. I know I’m not the only one that gets excited about new chicks, but holy.

So here we are- last night I put in an order for twenty new layers with Hoover’s Hatchery. We got them vaccinated for for Cocci and Mareks for an additional 40 cents each. We really want them to have the best possible chance for survival.

I decided on 10 different breeds- some new to us, some we’ve had in the past. So without further ado-

1. Buff Orpington– we’ve had these type before and they are just an amazing breed. Here’s a link to my blog about them.

2. Sapphire Gem– these beauties are related to Andalusians. They are a hardy breed that are excellent foragers and layers of brown eggs. From the Czech Republic, they do well in hot or cold climates.

3. Calico Princess–

Another chicken repping for Czech Republic, the Calico Princess is described as having tones similar to a “glimmering topaz”. They are strong layers, clocking in an average of 290 cream colored eggs per year.

4. Americana–

We get some of these every cycle– they’re always different looking and they lay eggs all over the color spectrum. We’ve gotten every color from light blue to peach to sage green.

5. Midnight Majesty Moran’s–

These unique hens feature feathered legs and feet, with a blend of black and brown toned plumage. They lay a dark brown egg and preform well in many climates.

6. Salmon Faverolles–

These are my unicorn. Every time I buy these, they die. I don’t know why I keep trying, but I do because they are so beautiful. It’s awful. I’m awful. But if I could just have my little pair of hens, I’d be happy.

7. Rainbow–

I’m pretty sure this is just a rebranding of a mutt, but they promise an egg-cellent laying rate and the no two chickens look the same. I’m good with that.

8. Polish–

We already have Elvira and Buttercup, but I couldn’t resist adding a couple new colors to our flock. I just love they’re little floofy top hats.

9. Black Australorp–

This is another chicken we’ve already had before- here’s a link to the blog about them.

10. Delaware–

Also a chicken we’ve had before. Here’s the blog I wrote about these gentle beauties.

All photos are from the Hoover’s Hatchery website.

The chicks will be here the first of February, so MrGillis is hard at work on the chicken brooder already. We’ll keep you posted.

Until next time, have a wicked good day.

02.01.2019 – update

The extreme temperatures around the country have led us to decide against having chicks at this time.