What to look for when buying poultry

Poultry keeping certainly comes into that category, for all types of chickens are kept for commercial reasons, to provide a supply of eggs, as a hobby, for the occasional income, to exhibit and as pets. Not only is keeping chickens now 'very cool' but with the downturn in the economy people are looking at ways in which to provide their own food and also some extra income by selling on surplus eggs.

This leaves prospective new poultry owners with a confusing number of options when it comes to purchasing their first birds.

Before anything is bought a decision needs to be made on what to buy and what it is for? Once this has been settled where and how they will live must be sorted. A poultry house, as well as penning or fencing if required must all be in place before the arrival of any birds. Source where the feed can be bought - so that there is no delay if feed needs to be ordered. Also, a nest box generously covered with shavings or hay will encourage the birds to lay their eggs inside if point of lay pullets are your choice.

Depending on why you are going to keep chickens will have some influence over whether you get hatching eggs, chicks, point of lay pullets or older hens, such as ex-battery rescue. If the birds are for egg production for the family then I would recommend commercial hybrid point of lay pullets. These are often as attractive as the pure breeds and will certainly do the job of supplying you with plenty of eggs during the laying season. Point of lay pullets will be the most expensive way of buying in birds, however, these little egg machines will be ready to begin laying eggs straight away. Expect to pay between £8 - £15 per bird depending on the variety and where it is bought. Although hatching eggs will be a lot cheaper you may not end up with female chicks and there will still be an expense in rearing them under heat and feeding them until they are at point of lay at about 19-22 weeks.

Should the chickens be for pets or conservation of a rare breed then one of the pure breeds - either large fowl or bantam would certainly give you lots of pleasure and a few eggs. Bantam eggs will be smaller than those from large fowl and it is important to realise that the pure breeds will not lay as many eggs as hybrids.

Chickens can be sourced from the following outlets: 1. Through a breeder of hybrids or pure breeds 2. From a specialist poultry auction 3. From a general poultry auction 4. At a poultry show with a selling section 5. Through an advertisement in a specialist magazine 6. Via the Internet searching for chicken equipment businesses that also sell poultry 7. Via an auction website on the Internet 8. Through a poultry related contact 9. Ex-battery hens via The Battery Hen Welfare Trust If you are willing to rear your birds from day-old, then consider buying a small number of day-old chicks from a commercial egg laying hatchery. Large companies do not sell this way on a regular basis but may be willing to part with a few chicks if they are collected. There may or may not be such a company in your county but one of the quickest ways to find this out is to contact the local NFU office, which can be found in local telephone books.

There are a great number of poultry equipment businesses that also sell chickens to go with the housing they provide. These are usually the commercial hybrids, such as Black Rock, Speckeldy, Sussex Ranger or Bluebelle to name but a few. Many of these businesses now have their own websites so try to glean as much information as you can from these. However, if you arrange to make a visit with the intention of buying birds, do not be influenced by what the website looked like. When you see the birds make sure they are fit and well and are what you really want before parting with your cash. Should there be any sign of coughing, sneezing, or other ailment in any of the birds on the premises, then leave them where they are and make sure you wash your hands thoroughly and change your clothes before visiting any other premises with chickens.

To find the location of a particular pure breed contact the Poultry Club of Great Britain, who can put you in touch with the secretary of that breed club. Buying direct from a breeder is ideal because it should allow you to see the parent stock and how the birds are bred and reared as well as being able to tell if the stock is healthy. If a local agricultural show has a poultry marquee then it is well worth a visit because if what you are after is on display then speaking to the secretary and asking to be introduced to the exhibitor will be a contact well made. If that person does not have stock to sell at the time, you may well be able to order some young stock for later in the year.

Be prepared to travel if you are after a specific breed because there may not be anyone keeping that breed locally. If you are happy to buy the birds without seeing them - which is never recommended - and cannot collect them yourself, there are animal courier companies that carry out this service but it will make the cost of buying and getting the chickens that much more expensive.

Most of the livestock marts across the UK have specialist poultry sales in the spring and autumn. Often, the birds are graded, which is intended to give an idea of their quality or otherwise. Expect to pay good money for any birds that have been given a red card or a rosette for their section. Even in specialist sales there will be a cross section of birds ranging from excellent exhibition quality chickens to those that are only suitable to run around the yard. However, just because they are not exhibition quality does not mean they are not capable of producing some good eggs for the house. If that is what you are after they could fulfil your requirements but the most important thing then is to make absolutely sure they are healthy before bidding. Ask a poultry steward if you need advice, they should be able to assist you without prejudice.

Weekly poultry sales are also held at some livestock marts but you are less likely to see quality birds at these, most will be spent hens and other chickens that people want rid of for various reasons. Although this is one way of buying hens from the commercial sector I cannot emphasise enough that the condition of the birds should be very carefully checked. If you want to give a home to an ex commercial laying bird then contact the Battery Hen Welfare Trust, for there might be a branch organiser in your area. Your name will then go on a list for some birds when the next batch of spent hens are collected by the Trust. This is probably the cheapest way of buying adult hens as they are usually £1 each, but time and care will need to be spent on getting the birds used to their new surroundings and in recovering to peak condition.

Specialist magazines, such as Smallholder often carry poultry adverts and occasionally people with chickens for sale will put an advert in their local shop window or the agricultural merchants. What they are selling maybe just what you are after and the advantage would be that you don't have far to travel to see them.

A modern way of buying chickens or hatching eggs, which again I would think twice about, is through an Internet auction site. I have known a few people to be delighted with what they have acquired this way but many more that have equally been unhappy. You cannot be sure of what you are buying.

So beware - most people keeping chickens will do all they can to make sure you have fit, healthy and suitable birds to get your chicken experience off to a good start. On the other hand, there are also people whose primary motivation is making good money, with little concern for any heartbreak brought about by dubious transactions.