Advice on buying hens off CL

[serenityNH]

Hello!

I want to buy some Ameraucana's off of Craig's List but need some expert advice- my last buy off CL was a bit of a regret because I had no clue what I was doing.

The chickens that I want to buy are described as from show stock, they are aprox 6 months old and I am buying a breeding trio. What do I look for, what questions do I ask? I don't want to end up with unfriendly, sick or mite/lice infested chickens. What if I get there and the birds aren't what I expected? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, I'm nervous about adding new chickens to my flock and want to do it right!

Thanks!

 

[jm93030]

Ask as many questions as you have

Look at the birds
hold them
smell them

they should have red combs and wattles

look at their vent and under the wings looking for mites

their legs must be yellowish ( the older they get the more pale the legs turn)

check their beaks, nostrils , make sure they breath right.


Also you can ask if the flock is NPIP tested



and no matter what....
you should always quarentine when you buy new poultry before you introduce it to your flock.

I always give them a bath as soon as I get home and wash their feet with bleach solution ( little bleach wont hurt them)

Hope this helps


also look around for other sick birds if all birds are in same pen and one of them look sick , there may be a risk.

 

[ChicKat]

Hi Serenity,

among the things that you check, perhaps one would be to see if the breeder has joined the Ameraucana Association. I think on that web page it lists the breeders that are members, and what type of chickens they provide. Not a guarantee, but if someone is a member they must take the breeding somewhat seriously.

You could also ask for references. A serious business person shouldn't mind that you are looking for the best and that you don't want to waste your time.

If you go and the chickens are not what you want...then you wasted time and money in travel, but you would not buy the chickens.

Good luck, I hope that you get the answers that you need, and that you end up with a breeding trio that you are very pleased with.

 

[ChicKat]

I think that jm93030 has great ideas and suggestions, but may have meant bluish not yellowish for the legs. I think that you will be looking for a slate color in the shanks.

That leads me to saying check out the Ameraucana web site for the breed standards, and make a checklist to be sure that the birds you are buying are as close as possible.

ETA Here is a link to their site:
http://www.ameraucana.org/faq.html

 

[jm93030]

Do they need to be true Ameraucanas?

or easter eggers will do the job?

easter eggers will lay very good, they are gentle birds and you can get blue , green ,pink or yellowish eggs

 

[serenityNH]

Thank you jm93030 and ChicKat for the great advice! Helps a lot. JM no they don't have to be ameraucana's, I would be interested in EE. I actually just found someone from the NH swaps on BYC that may have some EE and an ameraucana that she may sell me. That would probably be the best, safest option! I'm getting a bad feeling about this person on Craigs List- I think I better listen to my gut.
Oh and....Thanks for the tip about giving them a bath, great advice.