Are buying started pullets worth the expense?

[whitenack]

Hey all,

This is starting our 2nd year of chicken raising. We would like to get several more (chicken math) to add to our current flock. Due to availability, timing, and minimum order requirements, we are not able to purchase all the different breeds that we want. No single hatchery has everything we are looking for, and due to minimum order requirements, we can't split the order up across different hatcheries, and we are also wanting to get the chickens at about the same age so we don't have to coordinate different ages/needs.

I see that there are some places that sell 4-6 week old started pullets, that don't have the same minimum order requirements. I could get some of those to fill in the missing gaps in our order, and schedule it in such a way that the older chicks arrive about a month after the chicks arrive, which would put them at roughly the same age.

However, started pullets are 4x-5x the price of the day-olds. Is it worth it? Obviously there is some expense on our part to get the babies up to 4-6 week old, but I don't think it is that much.

I plan to shop around at the near-by farm stores to see if they happen to have the breeds we are lacking. That would be the best option. But in case they don't have what we are looking for, I am working on a backup plan.

 

[hysop]

Not including electricity, water and time, I think it’s only like $5 to get chicks to 5 weeks old, if you get regular feed not organic or expensive feed.

People in my area sell 5-6 week old pullets for $15

Because I have the time and patience to raise chicks to 5+ weeks I don’t think it’s worth it. But some people who may not want to deal with keeping them warm and healthy at the beginning stages may think it’s worth it.

 

[MissE]

I have done both. Started with 6 RSL at POL. Following year I bough 15 assorted dual purpose and hybrid layer day old chicks. I have an order in for 6 more RSL at POL for mid April.

At $12-15 per pullet it's worth it to me. That's 18 weeks that I didn't have to feed them, and lots of time saved instead of constantly watching the brooder temp. Also, I only need to keep them separated from the main flock for quarantine time, instead of waiting 4 months.

At the same time, it may be hard to find certain breeds/types at POL and you do miss out on cute chicks.

 

[hysop]

I have done both. Started with 6 RSL at POL. Following year I bough 15 assorted dual purpose and hybrid layer day old chicks. I have an order in for 6 more RSL at POL for mid April.

At $12-15 per pullet it's worth it to me. That's 18 weeks that I didn't have to feed them, and lots of time saved instead of constantly watching the brooder temp. Also, I only need to keep them separated from the main flock for quarantine time, instead of waiting 4 months.

At the same time, it may be hard to find certain breeds/types at POL and you do miss out on cute chicks.

I believe $15 for point of laying (18 week old) is definitely worth it. But $15 for a 6 week old chick?

The OP mentioned that is was 3 to 5 times more for a 4 to 6 week old chick than just buying day olds. Unless they misunderstood and it is a POL pullet they would be getting.

 

[MarkJr]

I throw a dozen under my broody..... then sell them for 12-15 each at 16-18 weeks. They free range, and my food consumption doesn't budge until the 8-10 week mark.

 

[Aapomp831]

YES... I love chicks, but raising them is a Royal Pain in the A**. I sell started pullets for $15 to $20 a bird and they sell almost immediately.

 

[Charles K]

Hey all,

This is starting our 2nd year of chicken raising. We would like to get several more (chicken math) to add to our current flock. Due to availability, timing, and minimum order requirements, we are not able to purchase all the different breeds that we want. No single hatchery has everything we are looking for, and due to minimum order requirements, we can't split the order up across different hatcheries, and we are also wanting to get the chickens at about the same age so we don't have to coordinate different ages/needs.

I see that there are some places that sell 4-6 week old started pullets, that don't have the same minimum order requirements. I could get some of those to fill in the missing gaps in our order, and schedule it in such a way that the older chicks arrive about a month after the chicks arrive, which would put them at roughly the same age.

However, started pullets are 4x-5x the price of the day-olds. Is it worth it? Obviously there is some expense on our part to get the babies up to 4-6 week old, but I don't think it is that much.

I plan to shop around at the near-by farm stores to see if they happen to have the breeds we are lacking. That would be the best option. But in case they don't have what we are looking for, I am working on a backup plan.

It’s not worth it unless you are a breeder. Think of it. You will spend 54.75 a year if you estimate that it costs 15 cents a day to feed each bird. If you feed them game feed and let them free range. It’s definitely possible. If they are pets then I say buy whatever you want and feel comfortable spending. I spend about 150 a month on chicken and duck food. They are just pets. So we just eat and sell the eggs. They help me by eating all the bugs and snakes on my property. Also you may not want to bring other birds into your flock that you didn’t hatch yourself. That saves a lot of time and money on the future.

 

[MissE]

I believe $15 for point of laying (18 week old) is definitely worth it. But $15 for a 6 week old chick?

The OP mentioned that is was 3 to 5 times more for a 4 to 6 week old chick than just buying day olds. Unless they misunderstood and it is a POL pullet they would be getting.

I think some hatcheries sell both. I have seen 4-6 week olds and 12-14 week olds at Hoover. Other than avoiding the brooder box, I don't know if 4-6 weeks would be worth it. At least not at the price they charge. And compared to what I can find locally, they are pricey.

The first batch of RSL I bought were from a small farm. They were ISAs and I think they just buy a bunch of chicks and sell what they won't need.

This upcoming batch are Golden Comets I believe, and are from an egg company in MN called Locally Laid. The bought an extra 1000 birds last year to offer the public due to COVID, and are doing the same this year.

 

[jher77]

If I hatch my own eggs and cull the cockerels, it costs me $7.39 per pullet to brood till 6 weeks of age in December, but in August it costs me $5.39 per pullet because I can dim down or partially cut off the heat lamps. Electricity is where alot of the cost comes into play. I brood mine outside.

If I brood in July or August to cut my costs, then they don't sell good that time of year so you have to hang on to them longer. If you want them to sell faster then you have to brood in the winter so they are ready to sell in the spring but that costs you more.

I've had people call me and act like I am trying to rip them off by charging $8 for a 6 week old. By the time you make a doller per bird, it isn't really worth the time invested in caring for them at those prices.

 

[NatJ]

Hey all,

This is starting our 2nd year of chicken raising. We would like to get several more (chicken math) to add to our current flock. Due to availability, timing, and minimum order requirements, we are not able to purchase all the different breeds that we want. No single hatchery has everything we are looking for, and due to minimum order requirements, we can't split the order up across different hatcheries, and we are also wanting to get the chickens at about the same age so we don't have to coordinate different ages/needs.

If you are willing to butcher some chickens to eat, you could just order the minimum from more than one hatchery, raise all the chicks up through 6-8 weeks, and then start butchering the extras. Yes, they will be small at that age, but probably not any smaller than the quail some people raise for meat. Young birds tend to be nice and tender, and small ones cook quickly on the grill

Or you could get extra pullets and try to sell the extras, either as soon as you get them or after a few weeks to people who don't want to brood chicks.

One year when I had a similar dilemma, I ended up ordering from 3 hatcheries for a total of 52 chicks that all arrived within a 10-day stretch. I brooded them together (4x7 feet of garage for 3 weeks, then outside in the hot summer.) I kept a dozen pullets for me, gave some pullets and a cockerel to a friend, and ate a lot of small chickens. Of course the bantam cockerels were the smallest, but they tasted fine.

If you don't want to raise extra chicks, then I think your idea of ordering started pullets is a good way to get the breeds you want. Yes, it costs more than raising them from baby chicks yourself, but it may cost less than placing an additional order and raising a larger number of chicks just to get the ones you want.