Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[The Dogmother]

According to this article, the price has gone up.... well, they're behind the times..... the price of hybrids went up about 6 months ago. And I've never paid £40 for a pure breed!

[foreveryoung]

I wont pay £40 for a hen - its well over priced but then it may deter people from buying hens just because!!

 

emma

xx

[Redwing]

For a slow maturing fully grown premium quality pure breed like an Orpington I dont think £40 is too bad

 

Most pure breed breeders do not have the luxury of knowing which are boy chicks at hatch so they must rear the male chicks until they do know, this adds costs as does lower fertility rates associated with some breeds

 

I have bought pure breeds as low as £5 and as high as £80, it depends on what you want, how good quality it needs to be, where its coming from and what age it is

 

I'd always recommend buying a pure breed from a specialist breeder, you know exactly what you are getting then but of course there are two types of breeder, one who values their stock highly and who prices them accordingly and one who sees the ones they sell as those not good enough for showing and passes them on at a low-ish price - it also depends on whether the person relies on the sale of birds to make a living

 

Its the hybrid prices that annoy me, these are nearly always bred on an industrial scale and passed on at a low price to a distributor, these then get sold to retailers at similar prices which doesnt explain why some feel the need to charge double or more than others

[karena]

I bought my hybrids 2 weeks ago and paid less than that, and saw some change hands yesterday for even less. But then I expect nothing less from the Daily Fail.

[Mercedes55]

According to that article

 

"Fans of the hobby say chickens are easy to keep, amusing to watch and, importantly in these tough times, save you money."

 

They obviously haven't taken on board the cost of buying a coop and run plus all the other essentials. My OH is still waiting for one of ours to lay a golden egg as he reckons we have paid out so much money that we deserve one

[LuckyChickenLover-]

According to that article

 

"Fans of the hobby say chickens are easy to keep, amusing to watch and, importantly in these tough times, save you money."

 

They obviously haven't taken on board the cost of buying a coop and run plus all the other essentials. My OH is still waiting for one of ours to lay a golden egg as he reckons we have paid out so much money that we deserve one

 

That's exactly that I thought when I read it! For people keeping just two or three hens it would take a long, long time to get your money back...

[The Dogmother]

Yes, I nearly choked at the 'saving money' bit too

 

My pure breeds have all come from show stock, but are 'rejects', not that it bothers me. I've paid between £10 and £25 for a hen. Some of them are from batches of eggs I have hatched and cost even less.

[Jools]

I think it depends. If it's top quality show or breeding stock you're after, then you have to pay the price for it, but I'd agree with Redwing about making absolutely sure you're buying from top quality breeder with the very best credentials.

 

However, if you're simply buying a few hens for eggs and to make the garden interesting, then you pay whatever the going rate is, and as our hobby is the new black, I'm not surprised people are charging stupid prices - nor that people are paying the stupid prices!

[beach chick]

that article made me and OH laugh!!!! save £180 a year on 3 chooks laying an egg every day each - I dont think so... add in the cost of housing, food, plus the times they dont lay because they are moulting/broody/too hot/too cold/too wet/too contrary!!!

[chocolatedog]

I have no idea when or whether we'll ever break even but one thing I do know is the eggs are scrummy and the girls are such characters too!

[Calamity Jane]

Ooooh am I supposed to make money ??? I have had my girls for a month now and still havent had an egg !! I am not complaining they are worth every penny spent .

[stoice]

I've only ever bought hybrids (oh and some exbatts) and going back over three years when I got my first hen could not find one for under £15, I'd love to know where I could have got one for 'a couple of pounds' (apart from my exbatts). I'm thinking about a few pure breeds this year and was taken aback at £50 for an orpi or £45 for a silver laced Wyandotte. And these prices were at two seperate breeders. Apart from the 'save £180' comment I'd say for once, sadly, the DM has it right for my neck of the woods. Does any one know of any pure breeds in Essex for sale under £40? What are the prices like through wernlas? (as I know they deliver instead. Shame I can't view them first but they're too far away)

[Guest]

Unfortunately now our hobby has become the new fashion this is where we come in and help save the ones who were just a fashion statement The prices in some breeders you pay for quality and service but other places are in it just for the fad. I would happily pay £35 for a show orp from my breeder but then when you go to a country fair and see hens from £10 up to £25 you buy a couple. SAVE MONEY! gah that would be lovely I worked out a rough amount for all the food hens and whatever else I needed cost over £900 in just over a year and 2 months this newspaper are trying to big up the fad. They probably talked to some big scale breeder who wants to get rid of stock. People are not even thinking now when they buy the poor soles. They buy them then don't want to deal with them and then turn to this wonderful community to take in their ill hens and bring them back to health.

[ubereglu]

The lowest price I've bought hens for has been £8.50, highest £9.50...I don't know what prices are like at the minute though as I haven't ventured into buying hens for 3 years now. Although that may well change in a few weeks as I'm deliberating about getting a fourth again!

[Alis girls]

Bog standard gingernut rangers are £10 at our farm shop - i think that is what i payed for my 3 from Omlet

[Mollie333]

I paid £6.50 for my Hybrids, £10 each for my Pekins, £15 for the frizzle, i think, £7 each for my turkeys, Cheryl was about £20..

Too many to remember, really, but as i don't show i'm not really bothered about show stock, as long as they look nice to me!

[Guest]

£15 light sussex bantams. £20 Marsh daisies. £20 pekins. £12.50 appenzeller. £12.50 araucana. £10 rescue hen

[newboy]

£10 each for my first 2 Welsummers...

[LuckyChickenLover-]

I got both of mine for free

 

But they're priceless to me.

[Margaret]

Went Chook looking yesterday, was very good only went to get some ideas for when I expand.

Buff Orpingtons were £140.00 each

Was told that they were quite rare, is this true or was I been told fibbs

[Guest]

Went Chook looking yesterday, was very good only went to get some ideas for when I expand.

Buff Orpingtons were £140.00 each

Was told that they were quite rare, is this true or was I been told fibbs

FIBS FIBS FIBS. If this is cookldedoodlequack in kent they are scam artists. over 50 pound for 1 orpington hen is ridiculous they are trying to make money off the trade. My breeder breeds most of their colours and has them on at £35 each.

[The Dogmother]

Price will vary with the quality of each bird, but unless it's a chocolate orp, then I think that price is a bit steep.

 

Tasha knows far more than me about show quality and prices, so best check with her.

[Margaret]

They were Chocolate, thought buff was technical name

[Guest]

Ahh if chocolate still a steep but if you use them to breed you can make the money back. Buff is like a yellow colour

[The Dogmother]

If you do a bit of googling, you'll find that prices of chocolate orp breeding stock and fertile eggs is very high indeed.

 

Buff is a golden ochre colour and is one of the original standard colours for orpingtons. here you go....

 

Buff orp:

 

Chocolate orp: