Do we sell them now or later?

[crazylilchick]

Hello

We are new to having chickens. I received 25 chicks from McMurray on Monday but we are only keeping 8 there are 7 different breeds of all female chicks. Where we live we cannot have roos. We plan to sell or give away the ones we can't keep. The question is when should I sell them? Should I wait until they are over 8 weeks to make sure there are no roos. Even at 8 weeks will I be able to tell? I think I can finally tell the breeds apart so we can keep one of each kind. I would hate to get rid of the extras and accidentally keep a roo or two. I think McMurry says they are 90% accurate. The coop we are building will only be big enough for 8 mature chickens(4x8 coop and 8x10 run). They are in a big box in the basement right now. I'm not sure we will have room to keep them when they are 8 weeks old. Do you think we should sell now or later? How much room do 8week old chicks need? Will people want to buy 8week old chicks?

 

[justusnak]

Congrats on your new peeps. I would waite till they are 8 weeks...that way you are sure of the ones you want to keep...by color, and personality. Where are you located?? Im sure there are people on here, that might be close enought to take the ones you dont want....everyone loves a little chicken!

 

[cookie_chick]

yea i agree
except some people that live close are still not allowed to have roo's

 

[Foghorn]

crazylilchick, it may be best to wait, but they grow fast. I would let people know you have them and then take your chances on what you keep. I am not sure how much room you have in your basement, but 25 chicks can take up quite a bit of room as the weeks go by. Where are you?

 

[crazylilchick]

I agree, I think I'll keep them for a while. The're all so cute its hard to descide who to keep. I live in a rural area near Wentzville, Missouri and I think if I put some signs up a few of my neighbors may be intersted in the chicks. I'm on acerage but still technically in a subdivision and have to be considerate of my neighbors. That's why I can't have roosters. I'll just have to deal with the space issue as we go.