Where to get chickens from in Devon??

[Bluecat]

Can anyone help or does anyone know of anyone that has chickens
for sale?We are looking for up to 5 that will lay for our lovely country home.

 

[Devonshire dumpling]

http://www.poultry.allotment.org.uk/poultry-suppliers/live-poultry-egg-supplier-england.php ?? xx

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Do you want hens or bantams?

I dunno who does it, but ex-battery hens come cheap and cheerful. You could google it and see what comes up?

I think they (obviously) have to check you out to see if you're kosher, but I think they're very good layers and are mega cheap to start up with!

Good luck.

 

[EAST KENT]

Get a copy of either Practical Poutry or The Smallholder..both list suppliers, or google The Battery Hen Welfare Trust for ex intensive layers.Be warned that hybrids tend to lay more..but burn out before the pedigrees.

 

[Dobiegirl]

Be prepared if you take on battery hens they wont have much in the feather department and might find walking a bit difficult. Once you can get them to leave their house there is nothing as satisfying as watching them scratch around.

 

[sprite1978]

From Eggs Like everyone else.....Huh

 

[Spyda]

Where abouts are you? I know a chicken breeder close to me. She keeps many different types. East Devon.

 

[Queenbee]

Morrisons?
Tesco?
Asda?
Iceland?

AWWWWW, that was going to be my post!

 

[Bluecat]

Thanks for the replies i will keep looking. We did think about battery hens but wondered if we put them with other hens whether the stronger ones may pick on them. We thought also about trying the livestock markets to see if they had any point of lay hens.Any other ideas apreciated.

 

[Bluecat]

Spyda we are in Exeter so east devon is very close. Does she sell point of lay chickens?Thankyou

 

[MissTyc]

Have some fun, get yourself an incubator and some eggs off Ebay

 

[EAST KENT]

Don`t go the incubator route..50% will be cockerels anyway,and loads fail to hatch for whatever reason. As the incubator will cost £140 it is a lot of money..better to buy 22 week olds..sexed and grown for you. No, other hens won`t pick on ex batteries,one year I got a dozen bald ex bats just as it turned really cold,although kept indoors they did all die..but before that I was amazed to see my other layers actually sheltering them under their wings like they would chicks.Maybe Chooks do have more sense than we give them credit for. It was so sad and I have`nt got any ex bats since then. At the moment my old layers are dying of old age gradually,and indeed I am hatching eggs from a very very dark big egg laying line of Cuckoo Marans . They are very exceptional birds from a lovely breeder,so by this time next year my flock of these should be established.

 

[jhoward]

http://www.moonridgefarm.co.uk

although to be honest i googled chickens for sale in exeter and lots came up!

 

[PerlinoPlank]

My friend had a few ex battery hens at her yard (in Plymouth), she said she got them free, apparently you phone up and they'll deliver you 10 or so, free!!!
As soon as I can get a hutch/hen house for them, I'm going to get some =D

 

[Bluecat]

saree where did your friend get the hens from?Thanks

 

[MissTyc]

Don`t go the incubator route..50% will be cockerels anyway,and loads fail to hatch for whatever reason. As the incubator will cost £140 it is a lot of money..better to buy 22 week olds..sexed and grown for you. No, other hens won`t pick on ex batteries,one year I got a dozen bald ex bats just as it turned really cold,although kept indoors they did all die..but before that I was amazed to see my other layers actually sheltering them under their wings like they would chicks.Maybe Chooks do have more sense than we give them credit for. It was so sad and I have`nt got any ex bats since then. At the moment my old layers are dying of old age gradually,and indeed I am hatching eggs from a very very dark big egg laying line of Cuckoo Marans . They are very exceptional birds from a lovely breeder,so by this time next year my flock of these should be established.

£140!!! :shock:
Mine cost £12 ... admittedly it's made of polystyrene, but it work fine!
Very good point about the cockerels though. I keep them on my yard so I have five cockerels running around together free range. I was quite lucky as got five cockerels and 14 hens out of 20 eggs. One never hatched. They all about 3 years old, but I'll never forget the excitement of watching them crack out of their eggs. Maybe it was beginners luck!!

I like the sound of the ex-battery route as well, though, OP.
I sometimes see initiatives where they try to rehome as many battery hens as poss in one weekend, as battery hens are normally slaughtered around 70 weeks old, so 4000+ hens would be heading to the abattoir from the same farm. Perhaps worth scouring the Internet/Google to see if anything like that happening near you? Some farms OK about private rehoming, but most don't like you anywhere near in case you an activist!

 

[Bluecat]

We are looking for battery or any other types of chicken that lay. So will continue the search and will pop to newton abbot market next weekend.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

If you take the WMN then there's usually a notice about a monthly poultry sale at West Bagborough; I think STAGS are the auctioneers? Its in today's edition.

Also, I think (not sure if it still happens) that Newton Abbot market used to have a poultry auction occasionally?

 

[Bluecat]

The only thing im thinking about the market is whether they have had vacs etc.

 

[Clodagh]

Most small poultry breeders don't vaccinate and theres no need really, for non intensively kept birds. I wouldn't buy from auction unless you are very experienced, though.
Preloved have poultry ads!

 

[Bluecat]

Yes we live on a farm and my husband is a farmer so knows abit much not much about chickens as we have never kept them before. Just out of interest why would be advisable not to buy from a sale?

 

[stressedmum]

Hi try the http://www.bhwt.org.uk/ they will have details of rescues for ex battery hens. I have 6 and they lay every day plus i am happy in the fact i have given them a great free range home. My local rescue centre also do battery hen rescue but i am in notts but its worth you asking about x

 

[stressedmum]

Sorry forgot to add that most ex-bats are vaccinated, wormed and healthy even though they look wretched..... they are kept healthy for max egg yield x

 

[Ravenwood]

Can anyone help or does anyone know of anyone that has chickens
for sale?We are looking for up to 5 that will lay for our lovely country home.

Not Devon, but just over the border into West Somerset and Cutcombe market hold poultry sales. You've just missed the last one but ring to find out when the next one is. You can find some excellent stock and at the last sales they were going for really good prices.

Or, pop into Mole Valley and read the "for sale" notices - there's usually loads of poultry for sale cards.

I think Hatherleigh market hold good poultry sales too but I haven't been myself.

I currently have just three Maran hens laying three eggs a day and I end having to give them away at work!! (the eggs, not the hens )

 

[Spot_the_Risk]

Hatherleigh market on a Tuesday, Newton Abbot market every other Saturday (that's Rendells), Moonridge are very good, and we will have a poultry dealer at our next Country Market on 2nd July!

 

[Bosworth]

I have bought hens from Hatherleigh market, every tuesday, loads of different breeds. I bought my chickens according to egg colour. I had Cream Legbars for the blue eggs, white Leghorns for their white egg, spotted marrens for their speckled dark brown eggs, some ex batts for the bog standard brown eggs and Aracunas for their green eggs. I bought the leghorns from Hatherleigh and the Aracunas. My leghorns cost me 50p each. my aracunas were about 12.50 each. My ex batts cost me originally 50p each then they went up to £1.00 each and now I have been told they are more than that. I loved teh ex batts, they were the ASBO girls, did not give a stuff about anyone or anything, they were determined to live their new life to the full and sod everyone else

 

[Jake10]

If you are looking for ex battery hens >>> http://www.bhwt.org.uk/cms/

The lady who runs this shop is apparently very knowledgeable>>> https://www.hensforpets.co.uk/ It's in Notts (I went there today ) so too far away but they do sell most things for chooks.

 

[Bluecat]

Thanks you all for your response.I think we are going to look at some today near Exeter. Will keep you posted on how we get on.