h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Things between curly brackets {} won't be in the final entry.
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Procuring Poultry

There are myriads of ways to start or add to a chicken keeper's flock. One can buy adult chickens, POL pullets, young pullets*, small

chicks, or fertilised eggs. Once someone has an established flock, that person can still purchase any of the above, or, if there's a

rooster in the flock, they can get 'free' replacement birds. There are advantages and disadvantages to all chicken ages.

Adult Chickens

Fully adult birds are the easiest to sex--if it lays eggs, it's a hen, and if it doesn't and crows, it's generally a rooster*. As far

as secondary sexual characteristics, as a general rule, roosters are more colourful and larger than hens*. A rooster's stance is more

vertical than a hen's, and his legs will usually be longer and thicker. There are differences in the feathers, as well*. A rooster

will have longer tail feathers, and there will be 'sickle feathers' alongside the tail, which are long and curved. A hen's saddle

feathers* are wide and rounded, while a rooster's are long, thin, and pointed. The same differences in feather shape hold true for the

feathers at the base of the neck, or hackle feathers. And if one's goal is to have a colourful egg basket, getting hens that are

already laying will guarantee the colour of the eggs*.

While a well-taken-care-of chicken can live for 8-15 years, and can lay reliably* up to 4 to 5 years--longer if she's a heritage breed

as opposed to a production breed {note to self--add "heritage" and "production" to vocab section}, most people looking to sell adult

chickens aren't going to be selling them until egg production slows down* at about 2 or 3 years old. If a flock keeper isn't primarily

interested in egg production, this may not matter. Adults can tend to be a more expensive option, but not necessarily. If ordering

adult birds online, however, they are the most expensive to ship, because a special box is required and they must be shipped Express.

Adults are also heavier than younger birds, so that contributes to shipping costs, as well.

POL Pullets

Pullets at Point-of-Lay (and cockerals of the same age) are also easy to sex, though some individuals can still be ambiguous. A person

buying a POL pullet won't have a long wait for eggs, usually. The first year of laying is generally the most prolific, as well.

POL pullets tend to be the most expensive. After all, the previous owner has fed her for anywhere up to 6 months with no return, and

the new owner will be getting all the eggs. The same shipping regulations hold for near-adults as for adults, and there's not that

great a weight difference between an animal at the point of sexual maturity and an older one, so shipping cost is nearly the same as

for adult poultry.

Younger Pullets and Cockerals

Depending on the breed and the age of the chick, sexing may or may not be reliable, or even possible {add "straight run" to vocab

section}. Because of this, and because of the lesser amount of feed bought by the previous owner, the younger the bird, the less

expensive*, as a general rule. If one has neither a brooder nor an incubator, a chick that is just old enough to be fully feathered is

the least expensive option. The same shipping rules as above, though the younger the bird, the less it weighs.






*Or cockerals, but most people are looking to get pullets for their backyards.

*Some hens crow, as well, but that's usually due to a hormonal imbalance, so they may not lay. They definitely can't fertilise eggs,

though.

*Of the same breed. A female red laced blue wyandotte is going to be more colourful than, say, a male white leghorn, and a female of

any standard breed will be larger than the male of any bantam breed.

*Except in those breeds where the rooster is supposed to be "hen feathered".

*Located where a saddle would be placed if chickens were chocobos

*Though knowing what breed you're getting can give you a good idea if the bird is a purebred, there's still variation in some

varieties of some breeds. And if you've got a mixed breed with any chance of a blue egg gene in the mix somewhere, all bets are off.

*Hens don't ever really stop laying

*Unless they can't keep their flock for some reason, or the hen has some problem behavior. Or chicken math may have made the flock too

large, {must have section on chicken math!}

*In the US, the Postal Service is the only carrier that will deal with live animals. Shipping animals may differ in other countries.

*Assuming you're not getting a rare breed--even then, if you compare prices for various ages within he same breed, it should still

hold true. Just don't expect to pay less for a 6-week-old Ayam Cermani than you would for a POL Red Star.

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This section will be continued on the 16th--I've still got day-olds, eggs, and some places to actually get birds once you know what age to get!

Deb

This is a nice series of posts about chickens, Amy.