Ed and I've been talking about getting a couple of pullets again this spring so that we'll have eggs over the winter. (Only first year chickens lay eggs over the winter... the chickens we currently have will not lay again this winter as they are now one year old...) .
That said, I've been checking Craigslist every now and again. We wanted to get pullets this time versus day old baby chicks with the thought being that it would be lots easier (and it turns out - cheaper as well). The closest place I found with pullets for sale at a reasonable price was in Sparta which is a little over an hour away. So off to Sparta I went!
I got 7 pullets for $24; this calculates out to about the same price as a newly hatched chick. Three of the pullets are about 6 weeks old and significantly larger than the other 4. The three larger birds are pure bred birds; 1 is a Rhode Island Red, 1 is a Buff Orpington, and 1 is something that I don't recall (it's a white chicken with black markings). The 4 smaller pullets are comprised of 1 Leghorn, 2 Ameraucana (1 black and 1 buff), and a Leghorn/Ameraucana mix.
Turns out, I bought the birds from a highschooler who's been raising birds for a while now. He was extremely nice, helpful, and professional; I learned a lot from him in our 10 minutes of getting the chickens loaded into my carriers.
The plan is to let the 3 larger pullets overnight in the cage for just a day or 2 whereby I will formally introduce them to the other chickens and our 2 cats. The younger birds will probably get a week longer in the cage.
Here's to hoping for smooth transitions!
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