Need Eggs Hatched or Chicks? We can help!
Hatching Services Available!
We specialize in hatching land fowl and have great success with it! We use a GFQ 1266 cabinet style incubator with an automatic egg turner. I have a separate hatcher so that we can stagger our settings to when we have eggs available or when orders are placed. 2011 was our first year using this unit and it worked great! development was very even with no cold spots (that are common in still air incubators like hova-bators) which led to uniform vigorous hatches. We hatched a couple hundred chicks this year, mostly chickens and turkeys, but also quail ducks and geese. Because we set the humidity for land fowl, we find the hatch rate on ducks and geese not to be as high as when we incubate them separately. We do better with ducks then geese.
The incubator runs from about late march till mid-late summer. Often time i do not have enough of my own eggs to fill it (the capacity is over 200 chicken eggs) so when space is available i will take on eggs for a fee. Eggs are checked regularly for growth. No dead eggs are ever left in the incubator as they risk any other eggs in there. I can give progress reports based on fertility and vigor to allow the breeder to make any changes to their breeding program as need be. Prices vary and are based on how much space the eggs take up and how long they are there for. I charge by the egg in + chick out, that is to say if you have me set 12 chicken eggs at $1 an egg, but only get 6 chicks, you don't have to pay full $12 for chicks, only the ones that hatch, so $6 for chicks plus $12 for eggs, total $18. Chicken eggs are $1 each($1 per chick), duck and turkey's are $1.50($1per chick), quail are $0.50($.50 per chick). I cannot guarantee hatchability, I can guarantee they will be set and monitored to the highest standard. I offered this service to a select few people this year and they were all very pleased, unfortunately space was limited, so when space is available i will take on eggs again for 2012.
The incubator runs from about late march till mid-late summer. Often time i do not have enough of my own eggs to fill it (the capacity is over 200 chicken eggs) so when space is available i will take on eggs for a fee. Eggs are checked regularly for growth. No dead eggs are ever left in the incubator as they risk any other eggs in there. I can give progress reports based on fertility and vigor to allow the breeder to make any changes to their breeding program as need be. Prices vary and are based on how much space the eggs take up and how long they are there for. I charge by the egg in + chick out, that is to say if you have me set 12 chicken eggs at $1 an egg, but only get 6 chicks, you don't have to pay full $12 for chicks, only the ones that hatch, so $6 for chicks plus $12 for eggs, total $18. Chicken eggs are $1 each($1 per chick), duck and turkey's are $1.50($1per chick), quail are $0.50($.50 per chick). I cannot guarantee hatchability, I can guarantee they will be set and monitored to the highest standard. I offered this service to a select few people this year and they were all very pleased, unfortunately space was limited, so when space is available i will take on eggs again for 2012.
Need Chicks?
Occasionally throughout the year i will have assorted chicks for sale. Most will be from the breeds i raise, but occasionally I buy hatching eggs from another breeder and will have different breeds available. I only deal with pure bred poultry, and usually with eggs from show quality lines.However due to the challenges of breeding show quality poultry, this wont guarantee you a winner, it just means that the birds resulting from these chicks will be very good examples of their breed. Chicks are always sold straight run, I cannot sex day olds. On average you will get 50/50 split between males and females. That's on average, some years are heavy on one sex versus the other. 2011 turned out to be heavy on the males. Its recommended to get twice the amount of chicks as you hope to keep as adults. That is to say if you want 6 hens when they are older, get 12 chicks. You can always sell any extra birds or process them for your table. Growing out a few extra also allows you to keep the very best for yourself! Some chicks will be available as day olds, others are held onto for a while longer before offered for sale. Sometimes we hold chicks because we're looking for a specific colour, or to make sure they are thriving before they go to their new homes.
Need Turkey poults?
Throughout spring we offer turkey poults(chicks). For 2012 we hope to offer Blue slate (in lavender and blue only, no blacks!) and bourbon red. Occasionally I may have other breeds available as well usually from shipped in hatching eggs. I don't expect to have many other breeds available next year as incubator space will probably be well occupied by the breeds i keep. Baby turkeys can be a bit fragile at first, so we tend to sell only started chicks, usually 3 days+. Once they are eating and drinking and moving around strongly we offer them for sale. They require a higher protein diet then chicks do, and prefer to be brooded a bit on the warm side. Once started turkeys are quite easy to keep and are as hardy as chickens. Turkeys can imprint as well (like waterfowl). an imprinted bird is easier to handle in the long run and not skittish in anyway.
Occasionally well started poults are offered, these poults are usually feathered and out of the brooder.
Occasionally well started poults are offered, these poults are usually feathered and out of the brooder.
Need Quail Chicks?
Quail chicks are available off and on through out spring summer and early fall. I offer Coturnix (aka Japanese) Quail in assorted colours (check out the Quail page to see the colours i'm working on). These little guys are very hardy, but are prone to water accidents so be sure to have the proper narrow base for your waterer. Wet quail chicks = dead quail chicks unfortunately. Also be sure to rodent proof your brooder as mice will kill quail chicks. Quail grow incredibly fast so will need high protein diet as well. Most people keep them on game bird (or multi-fowl flock starter) their entire life. They also learn to fly at an early age so an enclosed/covered brooder is a safe bet.
Custom Hatching Available!
We have had customers request chicks for certain dates, or want to get a certain amount at a time, so have decided to offer custom hatching for 2012. A 50% non refundable deposit is required to lock in your hatch date/quantity. Because we set extra eggs to allow for ample chicks for an order, any extras are first offered to the person who ordered the hatch (in case they wish to add a few more).
Timing is everything for custom hatches and we need to know about a week before the eggs are to be set so that we can collect a fresh set to put in the incubator. Turkeys are incubated for 28 days, chickens for 21 days and quail are incubated for 16-18 days (plan for 18 but be prepared for 16). We can also stagger the settings so that your order for turkeys and chicks hatch on the same day(quail also for that matter).
Chicks need to be picked up within 24 hours of last hatching chick. I have limited brooding space and usually have all my brooders full all spring and summer long. Feel free to e-mail me with any questions.
Timing is everything for custom hatches and we need to know about a week before the eggs are to be set so that we can collect a fresh set to put in the incubator. Turkeys are incubated for 28 days, chickens for 21 days and quail are incubated for 16-18 days (plan for 18 but be prepared for 16). We can also stagger the settings so that your order for turkeys and chicks hatch on the same day(quail also for that matter).
Chicks need to be picked up within 24 hours of last hatching chick. I have limited brooding space and usually have all my brooders full all spring and summer long. Feel free to e-mail me with any questions.