Frequently Asked Questions
Do you vaccinate your birds?
I vaccinate every bird that stays on my farm for Marek’s disease, including grow outs. Mareks vaccines are optional for chicks for sale for $2 each, and highly recommended. While disease resistance is the ultimate goal, foreign breeds with less exposure may be more susceptible, and simply are too valuable to lose at this point in their necessary preservation.
Do you sell hatching eggs?
Why don’t you sell hatching eggs?
I do not sell hatching eggs formally, and I cannot accept orders from customers for hatching eggs. I have some available on very rare occasions when I am out of town and cannot incubate, which will be posted on my Facebook page only.
The primary reason for not offering hatching eggs is quality. I am dedicated to the improvement of the breeds I work with, which means selectively breeding birds and letting only quality birds leave the farm. With hatching eggs, I cannot control the quality, and the customer will receive more “culls” than when I sell chicks and juveniles. While it is still up to buyer to select out the culls from what they raise, and only use the best for breeding, extra culls is ultimately bad for the breed overall. In addition to quality concerns, unpredictable shipping, and usually using all eggs to hatch chicks here are contributing factors as to why I rarely offer hatching eggs.
Do you have any chicks available now?
All chicks are first come, first serve only. I hatch chicks to raise as grow outs for my own flocks, and when available, I will post/list extras for sale on the website and Facebook page. If any are available now, they will be advertised there.
Can I tour your farm and see your birds in person?
For biosecurity purposes, visitors are strictly not allowed. Farm visits expose chickens to potential disease tracked in on visitors boots, or on their clothing, that could infect and devastate the flocks. The only place to see my birds in person would be at a local poultry show!
Do you have a waitlist for adults and juveniles, or can you let me know when you have something in specific?
No waitlists of any kind are offered, nor can I let you know when I have something in particular. I can receive dozens of inquiries and communications on multiple platforms daily depending on the time of year, making it difficult to keep track of who is seeking what, and where I heard from them. In the past, waitlists have exceeded one hundred names, many of which did not respond once contacted. This heavily delays or completely prevents serious buyers from acquiring birds. Those interested in “first come, first serve” birds will need to keep an eye on the Facebook page or the “What’s Available” section on the homepage of the website.
Can you call me or can I place an order over the phone?
I don’t take phone calls or place orders over the phone. My farm is run solely by me, as a hobby and a passion. I work a regular job as well, and cannot accommodate requests to place orders over the phone.
Why do your birds cost so much/more than a hatchery/feed store/this other breeder?
My chicks are priced according to how much it costs for me to both produce them, keep them fed and healthy until shipping (2-3 weeks), vaccinate them, and both the time spent selectively breeding and enormous cost spent on my breeding stock to begin with. I do not even come close to turning a profit on birds for sale - they are priced as low as possible to justify the out of pocket expense in incur. Over the course of a year, I will spend far more on our flocks than we make. Selective breeding to the standard of perfection is very costly compared to tossing some chickens of a specific breed in a pen, and selling whatever comes out. The quality difference is clear as well! It’s all about preserving the breed, and getting quality chickens into the hands of hobbyists and dedicated breeders alike.