The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: ellied on July 11, 2016, 08:54:45 am
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I lost some of the free range layers to a fox earlier in the season and after waiting to be sure cub rearing season was over I started restocking. But I think I may have gone a wee bit overboard as they're all growing and I can see limitations in my egg customers if not my feed budget and pen space for juveniles.
So I'm planning to sell on some pullets (they were purchased as sexed female chicks but with a 5% error margin in the terms from one source (speckledy, cuckoo and copper maran, bluebells and sussex) and a possible 2/7 in the other (legbars) as the 2 were odd marked and autosexing not visible - I think one of those looks suspiciously well grown already at 2.5 weeks personally..)
I've some of each of the day old, 2.5 week and 6 week olds to sell on as the 4 pols I'm keeping for my immediate needs just now. I am guessing 15-16 weeks is the best time when reaching POL, but does anyone find a customer preference for growers at maybe 10-12 weeks at all? That would suit my timings better, but I don't want an ad getting old because I've posted the wrong age. What do you do?
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yes people do buy in growers, I bought mine in at 6 weeks and rwared until POL. Whereabouts are you?
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Do you have a local livestock market that does poultry sales? I take in all ages once they're off heat. I make a point of saying exactly what they are, on the box or on a label on the pen, age/sex/breed, including if "As Hatched" or "Crossbreed". Some folks don't but my stock always sells.
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I'm in north Fife so Lanark, Forfar, Stirling marts are probably my nearest and only Lanark I know does poultry regularly. They're all an hour or so away but Lanark probably nearer 2?
Thanks for encouraging info re buyers of younger ages - I'll maybe advertise at the local feed stores when each lot get completely onto growers pellets (feeding the 6 week lot growers pellets mixed with chick crumb at present), and put a hatch date rather than an age so the ad is still correct if it takes to 16 weeks to sell them.
That's really helpful, thanks again. I'm more hopeful of things coming together now, was starting to wonder if I'd taken on a wee bit too much!
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You will be fine ;)
Loads of chicks are sold at all ages from day olds to POL.
Me personally I would advertise them as soon as there off heat, they are already sexed so should sell fine :thumbsup:
Good luck.