It seems commercial hatcheries are getting too good at sexing chicks and I STILL don't have a rooster.

I am looking for a large brown egg rooster. R.I. Red, or Barred Rock or whatever else there is available. Does anyone have a spare they could shove in a box and send to me? I will gladly buy or barter. I live in Western Washington.

Thanks everyone.

-- Laura (LadybugWrangler@hotmail.com), June 25, 2001

Answers

We live near Stanwood and have a year old Black Australorp that we don't really need since we never try to hatch out eggs. I don't think you can mail a full grown rooster. Where are you located?

-- Skip Walton (sundaycreek@gnrac.net), June 25, 2001.

Laura, you can't go wrong with Murray McMurray Hatchery. There phone number is 1-800-456-3280 and there website is www.mcmurrayhatchery.com

A box of 25 cockerels of any one of the breeds you mentioned would cost less than $20. Rooster chicks are cheap as dirt.

-- Rags (RaggedReb@aol.com), June 25, 2001.

Skip, I am way out by Forks, a long way from everywhere.

Rags, 20 roosters? That sounds scary! Do they have a website? Maybe a straight run may do.

I just kinda think a big rooster may kick the snot out of some of these crows around here.

-- Laura (LadybugWrangler@hotmail.com), June 27, 2001.

Here's McMurray's website www.mcmurrayhatchery.com

The smallest shippable number is 25 chicks. Staight run of most common breeds is around $35 per 25; all females is usually higher. But if you order at least 25 you could mix them any way you like. They need 25 to ship because the chicks keep each other warm and packed together during shipment.

-- Rags (RaggedReb@aol.com), June 27, 2001.