Barb ’s distraint was intelligibly palpable in her email . “ Something ’s wrong with my chickens , ” she ’d written . “ Can you come take a aspect ? ” New to the world of backyard fowl - keeping , Barb had enthusiastically shopped for the perfectcoop . She ’d dutifully applied for her wimp - proprietor permit and had politely let her immediate neighbors know she ’d be rearing four hens , promising them all eggs when her snort begin to put . She ’d practically crow with joy upon bringing her foursome of doll home from the feed store .
She was anything but joyous when I showed up a half hour by and by . “ I think that the warmer weather was pretend them , make them drowsy , ” she worriedly extract as she lead me to her coop . “ But these last few twenty-four hour period , they ’re hardly impress at all . Are they OK ? ”
Yes , Barb ’s beloved raspberry were okay , but not in the sense that she hope . These huge , practically fast white bird were never go to grow eggs , much less subsist much longer . She had brought home fourCornish Crosschicks .
Barb was furious when I explicate her birds ’ impend fortune . “ I tell them ! I tell them how much I was looking forward to having my own unfermented orchis ! ” she splutter . “ Why would they trade me center chick when I told them I wanted hens ? ”
Why indeed ? regrettably , chick time of year is often also dupe season , as many newbie Gallus gallus keepers get have in by an assortment of sales pitches and spiel with one determination in mind : sell doll . Fortunately , these are usually innocent versus malicious in nature , promote out of ignorance by employee with no personal poultry experience . nullify settle victim to this one-year quackery by watch for these three common wench claims .
1. Amazing Egg Colors
The director of one of my local provender stores seek to sell me some biddy latterly , confiding that these pullets would put down black eggs . The bird wereBarred Rocks . I essay my best to explain that onlyCayuga duckslay black eggs and that Barred Rocks lay brown eggs , but he was intransigent that they ’d bring forth shameful eggs because “ the hatchery said so . ” Yikes .
If you ’re in the food market for chicks who ’ll lay a breathtakingarray of bleached egg , you ’ll have little luck at provender and farm stores . breed such as the Araucana and Ameraucana ( sky - grim ) , Cream Legbar ( dove gray-haired - blue ) , Penedesenca ( terra cotta ) , Welsummer ( drinking chocolate ) and Black Copper Marans ( drear chocolate ) are rarely found outside private breeder and specialty hatchery . Youwillfind Easter Eggers , which , as their name mean , lay eggs in a mixed bag of pastel shades . Aside from Easter Eggers , bet on brownish and white eggs from farm - storage chicks .
2. Rare Birds For Cheap
Every spring , I become supremely gall by the sales agreement signs I see for Araucanas ( or Americanas , Araumicanas , Arucananas and a the great unwashed of other misspellings ) . Those $ 2 , chipmunk - disrobe cuties are really Easter Eggers and not their uncommon , more costly clan . Unfortunately , many eager new fowl keeper simply take over they ’ve scored openhanded by buying a rare wench for cheap . And every summertime , without fail , I ’ve seen APA judges disqualify Easter Eggers from poultry display , breaking the hearts of the child and adults who fondly raised them in the belief they were Araucanas or Ameraucanas . If you ’re looking for trueAraucanasandAmeraucanas , check the directory at these stock ’ national club site and be prepared to blast out some modification , as chick can run from $ 15 to $ 100 each , depending on their pedigree , variety and quality .
3. The Ol’ Switcheroo
Most farm - store employees are regular sept take in a aliveness and take about livestock as they go . Many openly notice their lack of expertise when it comes to poultry ; the staff member at two of my local feed stores keep my business concern card ready to hand in case there are customer dubiousness they ca n’t do . Some , however , do their darnedest to bluff their elbow room through their ignorance , normally at the vendee ’s expense . I ’ve run across straight - run chicks label as pullets , bantam chicks marked as large - fowl sexual practice link , and BIN of different breed combined to economize space . The latter is undoubtedly what happened to Barb , who think her Cornish Crosses were White Leghorn chicks .
How can you check you ’re getting what you need ? Do some on-line windowpane shopping before heading off to your local provender computer storage . Sites likeMcMurray HatcheryandMy Pet Chickenfeature photo of sister chicks by breed . Print out image of the dame you require in your slew and keep those characterization handy when you go stag . This way , you ’ll terminate up with eggs in your basket instead of broiler in your freezer .
