Every year, without fail, there are a growing number of people who are in a last minute scramble trying to find elusive Christmas chicks. And not just any chick will do – they must be newly hatched, adorable little fluff balls of joy less than four days old or fully feathered 2-4 month old pullets ready for that brand new Christmas Morning coop. Having chicks ready to pick up for Christmas gifting requires significant work and advanced timing on the part of you, the breeder. Here is how to go about planning for and successfully selling Christmas Chicks!
Selling Christmas Chicks
Nevermind that by December most laying hens have entered their molt, stopped laying and are enjoying a long, relaxing break from the nest box. The buying public will seem completely unaware of this cycle and the shortage of eggs wintertime brings. A cry goes out as Christmas Eve fast approaches of people looking for chicks – any chicks – especially among the residents of southern U.S. states where temperatures stay mild enough that garage brooders can remain in use year round.
What Are Buyers Looking For?
Holiday chick buyers are usually fairly new to chicken keeping. They are not yet fully educated about the cessation of laying that accompanies the autumn molt and winter months. Or it has not occurred to them that the slow down of their own flock’s laying would also correspond to a slow down in available hatching eggs. Either way, most are looking to add unique breeds or colored egg layers to their flocks and perhaps give their children something exciting to do while they are out of school for the Christmas break. The hatcheries are closed, feed stores have long-since sold out of fall chicks and their only option is to find a local breeder who they hope has some adorable colored hatchlings available.
Focus on What is Trending
Easter Egger chicks won’t be difficult to sell around Christmas but guaranteed blue laying purebreds, dark chocolate laying Marans or rich toned olive eggers will sell first. Any barnyard mix or a common brown laying breed will be a bit harder to move. Silkies, Polish and other interesting-looking purebreds are desirable. In short, you want to hatch unique breeds or vibrantly colored layers to set yourself up for easy sales.
How Many Chicks Do I Hatch?
Your hen’s reduced laying is probably going to set the limit and that is okay. Plan on selling 12 to 24 newly hatched Christmas chicks to a handful of buyers who are likely to select three to six each. You probably won’t need more than two dozen just-hatched chicks each year. (Unless the grocery stores are experiencing egg shortages and a chick buying panic is underway.)
What Do I Do With Chicks That Don’t Sell?
The scarcity of December-hatched chicks will help ensure they move pretty quick. However, if you’re left with a few don’t despair. They will feather out just in time to be sold as started pullets at a much higher price when the spring buying frenzy begins in February (or January if you live in the Gulf coast states). Again, unique breeds, chicks in an assortment of colors – like Easter Eggers – or interesting colored layers will be very easy to sell.
Planning Your Holiday Hatch
For just-hatched Christmas chicks, eggs should go into your incubator no later than December 2. This allows for a full 21 day incubation where chicks will hatch on December 23 and be fully fluffed, dried and in the brooder for buyers to select by mid-day December 24. If you’d like to have chicks available December 22 through the 24th, eggs should go into the incubator November 31 to hatch sometime on December 21. Four day old chicks still look adorably fluffy but 7 day old chicks will have visible wing and tail feathers, which can make them harder to sell if buyers want “baby chicks”.
Planning Started Pullets
Started pullets should be a minimum of 4 weeks old but look prettiest if they are 8-16 weeks old. They must be fully feathered if they are being sold as coop-ready birds. Buyers may want to pick them up on Christmas Eve or shortly after the holiday to fill a newly built coop.
For 4 Week Old Christmas Chicks: These chicks should hatch no later than November 26 from eggs placed in the incubator no later than November 5. If your breeds are especially difficult to sex until they are 6 to 8 weeks old, it is best to account for this and adjust your hatch timing to October so you can confidently sell only pullets.
For 8 Week Old Christmas Chicks: Chicks should hatch no later than October 29 from eggs place in the incubator no later than October 8.
Anticipate fewer buyers looking for started pullets around Christmas Eve but then seeing a sharp uptick in interest in January as buyers scramble to replace hens eaten by hungry winter predators who broke into their coop.
Getting Eggs from Your Hens
Several of your girls might be a little sluggish when it comes to laying in November when you absolutely must have their eggs if you are planning on selling Christmas chicks. Ideally you would have some spring chicks who just came into lay in the late summer ready to supply you but in most breeder’s mixed-age flocks that is not always the case. Here are some tricks you can use to help the hen’s bodies produce the eggs you need:
• Increase your flock’s protein. It is a good idea to put everyone on an 18% protein crumble when molting begins. This protein boost can help you get a few more eggs and get those warm feathers growing in faster before the plummeting temperatures puts everything on hold.
• Ensure waterers are sparkling clean. Reduced water intake because of dirty waterers is known to slow down laying in commercial poultry facilities. Hens need adequate water intake to keep up their egg production. Offering water sweetened with 1 Tablespoon of molasses per quart for one day’s duration can encourage eager drinking and good rehydration.
• Opt for Black Oil Sunflower Seeds, not corn. A heavy corn-based diet creates liver stress, which can result in developing fatty liver that eventually slows down laying. The healthy fats in black oil sunflower seeds will give your birds energy and warmth while being easier on the liver so opt for sunflower seed scratch, not cracked corn, if you’re wanting an abundance of eggs.
• Offer raw beef trimmings and fat. This is a trick I learned from reading an old book which talked about how young farm boys usually had the job of taking a small game kill in the winter to feed to the hens so a few would keep laying the much-needed eggs. Today I find it easiest just to trim the fat from a purchased brisket or roast that I am feeding to my family. The trimmed bits are diced into small pieces and about 1 teaspoon is hand-fed to each hen I’m hoping to encourage to lay. USDA inspected, human-food-grade raw beef fat is of little risk to your girls. Chickens can consume raw meat just like their vulture cousins who spend their wild lives eating nothing but raw meat. Cooked beef can be offered instead if you are more comfortable with that idea. Anticipate the protein & fat boost from the beef trimmings to take 48 to 72 hours to show an increase in laying. My experience has been that poultry and venison trimmings are leaner and do not seem to provide the same oomph in the nest box that beef does. But venison meat did seem to increase speckling on the eggs my speckled olive eggers laid.
• Do not give white bread or pasta at all. Most flocks get a few kitchen scraps that contain bread but I have found that a bird filling up on even a little bread or pasta will suddenly experience a slight drop in laying. White flour products are junk food that reduce her total intake of greens, grains, good fats and high quality proteins. The result in 1 year old hens is often a skip day that happens sooner than it should as her body re-adjusts. This is not what you need when you’re counting on every hatching egg! On the other hand, whole wheat berries – and the choline they contain – are good for your laying hens so don’t fret about the whole wheat in your scratch grain mix.
Getting the Word Out
Frantic shoppers frequently turn to Facebook, trying to network to locate whoever might be selling Christmas chicks. Your local poultry group pages are a great place to mention that you have Christmas Eve chicks coming a couple weeks before they hatch with an email or phone number for those who want to join your wait list. (Don’t be surprised if the entire hatch sells by wait list and be careful not to over-sell them. Buyers like to add an extra chick when they are picking out their babies and hate being told they cannot have just one more.) Last minute chick shoppers will often be tagged or directed to your posts so make them eye-catching with a Christmas themed chick image that is vibrant and easy to find among the other posts and chatter.
Create a Sweet Experience
Holiday buyers will often show up with their children in tow and you can rest assured pictures will be taken around the brooder! If you can create a pleasant experience, by all means do it and enjoy the word of mouth advertising that results. Chicks love warmth so don’t hesitate to drape the brooder box with a festive strand of white lights when buyers are expected. A few smooth plastic ball ornaments in with the chicks is an unexpected touch that will not hurt them at all. A bale of straw for kids to sit on while holding their new chicks will be utilized for photo opportunities. Our tutorial on how to make inexpensive but adorable chick carriers from treat boxes will make transport a breeze. (Affiliate link.) If nothing else, you should anticipate excited holiday buyers eagerly wanting to take pictures but to have completely forgotten to bring a box to take their chicks home!
Enjoy Those Holiday Sales!
Selling Christmas chicks can be a fun way to bring in just a bit more income before the brutal winds of winter put everything on hold for a time. It is also a great way to advertise your farm and give springtime buyers a sneak peek of what you will have to offer them next season. If you sold Christmas chicks and have additional tips, please share them in the comments below!
You Might Also Enjoy Reading:
Leave a Reply