A
Anonymous
Guest
Hi Guys I would be very greatful if someone could point me in the right direction of where I can buy fertilised chicken eggs in Essex or have them delivered?
Thanks alot
Thanks alot
A
Anonymous
Guest
Hi Primrosey,there are a lot of fertile eggs advertised on Ebay,obviously they can be delivered anywhere in the u.k.
pebojuno
New member
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2009
- Messages
- 444
- Reaction score
- 0
I'd agree with Lydia about Ebay - there are lots of fertile eggs for sale there. I've hatched out a few chicks from there this winter with very variable results- look very closely at the feedback before you buy. And remember fertility and hatch rates will be lower at this time of year too! 
MitchaRooster
New member
- Joined
- Jul 2, 2009
- Messages
- 20
- Reaction score
- 0
I think Smilers farm in Pitsea near Basildon sell fertile eggs. I got all my hens from there and they have a great range of hens there. Where abouts in essex are you?
Tim
Administrator
Not a suggestion of where to go, more of my opinion about somewhere I visited in Essex:
Hens4Homes in Essex was pretty bad when I visited. There were chickens walking around with respiratory problems, I saw rats eating the birds food in their houses, birds in small cages with no saddle feathers and cockerels with overgrown upper beaks. Some of the cockerels that were lucky enough to be walking around free had overgrown spurs. Many growers were kept in small rabbit hutches.
The girl running it told me she was a Vet Nurse..
She advertises in the poultry magazines. I went home empty handed after a 140 mile round trip.
Rant over - but in my opinion a place worth giving a miss in Essex.
Hens4Homes in Essex was pretty bad when I visited. There were chickens walking around with respiratory problems, I saw rats eating the birds food in their houses, birds in small cages with no saddle feathers and cockerels with overgrown upper beaks. Some of the cockerels that were lucky enough to be walking around free had overgrown spurs. Many growers were kept in small rabbit hutches.
The girl running it told me she was a Vet Nurse..
She advertises in the poultry magazines. I went home empty handed after a 140 mile round trip.
Rant over - but in my opinion a place worth giving a miss in Essex.
MitchaRooster
New member
- Joined
- Jul 2, 2009
- Messages
- 20
- Reaction score
- 0
I got my hens over a year ago now. When they only had hens in big stables. I went a few days ago to check it out and my girlfriend found 2 dead birds in a broken hutch. We left straight away and will not be goin back there. I also like Ebay for eggs, hatched my rooster from some eggs on there. Just got my first incubator and will be hatching some new babies soon hopefully.
girlracer265
New member
urgh these place's sounds awful 
good luck mitch
good luck mitch
MitchaRooster said:
I went over the Christmas break,Smilers farm was a mess many of the birds had colds and all puffed up, 10 Silkies all in one Rabbit hutch, just generally poor condition for the chooks
next day i visited Rosehill Hatchery, big pens healthy chickens and helpful people. (i dont work for them!)
they also do hatching eggs
Tim
Administrator
MitchaRooster said:
Is that Hens4Homes you're talking about or Smilers?
A
Anonymous
Guest
I've been to hens4homes on 3 occassions over the last 4 years, once for a beginners course, then to buy my hens and starter kit which i thought was great value - i didn't get a hen house there as there was a 6 week wait!!! I got a handling lesson and the wings were clipped for me by a boy who was helping out on the day i went, he was also really knowledgable.
There were loads of birds free ranging when i went, hens and cockerels, and the birds for sale were in outdoor runs on straw, there were also birds in small pens - i wanted some bantams and some bigger hens but was advised not to mix them together and told the ones in the small pens wern't for sale anyway.
My girls were really healthy and well handled and i'm so glad i got them, i'm now addicted!
I went back and got some skyline hatching eggs in 2009, the hens had bare backs which i assume was from the cockerel but they were in a large kennel and run type enclosure and looked healthy otherwise. I hatched 10 out of the 12 eggs and got 4 cockerels which they took back from me, i was really pleased with all the advice i got and the 6 hens which are now laying lay blue, green and pale cream eggs.
Still wanting my bantams I went to smilers farm to have a look, the birds didn't look heathy and so i didn't buy anything, i'm still looking if anyone knows anyone with bantams in essex.
There were loads of birds free ranging when i went, hens and cockerels, and the birds for sale were in outdoor runs on straw, there were also birds in small pens - i wanted some bantams and some bigger hens but was advised not to mix them together and told the ones in the small pens wern't for sale anyway.
My girls were really healthy and well handled and i'm so glad i got them, i'm now addicted!
I went back and got some skyline hatching eggs in 2009, the hens had bare backs which i assume was from the cockerel but they were in a large kennel and run type enclosure and looked healthy otherwise. I hatched 10 out of the 12 eggs and got 4 cockerels which they took back from me, i was really pleased with all the advice i got and the 6 hens which are now laying lay blue, green and pale cream eggs.
Still wanting my bantams I went to smilers farm to have a look, the birds didn't look heathy and so i didn't buy anything, i'm still looking if anyone knows anyone with bantams in essex.
where are you in Essex
Still wanting my bantams I went to smilers farm to have a look, the birds didn't look heathy and so i didn't buy anything, i'm still looking if anyone knows anyone with bantams in essex.[/quote]
Still wanting my bantams I went to smilers farm to have a look, the birds didn't look heathy and so i didn't buy anything, i'm still looking if anyone knows anyone with bantams in essex.[/quote]
A
Anonymous
Guest
Hi there
Only just came cross this posting, but better late than never! Just to mention we have fertile eggs and we are 4 miles from Southend - silkies, leghorns, blue eggs etc check out our site www.barlingpoultry.co.uk
Thanks Stewart and Jo
Only just came cross this posting, but better late than never! Just to mention we have fertile eggs and we are 4 miles from Southend - silkies, leghorns, blue eggs etc check out our site www.barlingpoultry.co.uk
Thanks Stewart and Jo
A
Anonymous
Guest
Tim, I have just read what u said about HEN4HOMES and I am so upset. We took our 2 cockerels that we couldn't find homes for there and paid her to take them as she said they had a good chance of finding new homes. Although it wasn't quite what I hoped I didn't see any of the hens cages only a few cockerals roaming round. What I have now read has made me feel sick and I really fear for my little fellas. Do you think I should ask for them back? (We took them there in Nov) I just don't know what to do but I am really really upset.
elmwood
New member
Claire,
Bless you..... What a dilemma. You clearly did what you thought best for your fellas. You were obviously reasonably happy with what you saw on the day, or else you wouldn't have left them. Nov seems a long time ago now. If you were to enquire as to their whereabouts now do you honestly think they will tell you the truth or maybe what you want to hear. I.e. They have found new homes and are really happy etc....
I know I would be feeling exactly the same, but the harsh reality is you couldn't give them a home any longer. It must be so difficult to part with them, and such a shame cockerels are surplus.
Sleep on it, and lets hope someone else comes on here with a happier tale.
Sharron
Bless you..... What a dilemma. You clearly did what you thought best for your fellas. You were obviously reasonably happy with what you saw on the day, or else you wouldn't have left them. Nov seems a long time ago now. If you were to enquire as to their whereabouts now do you honestly think they will tell you the truth or maybe what you want to hear. I.e. They have found new homes and are really happy etc....
I know I would be feeling exactly the same, but the harsh reality is you couldn't give them a home any longer. It must be so difficult to part with them, and such a shame cockerels are surplus.
Sleep on it, and lets hope someone else comes on here with a happier tale.
Sharron
Tim
Administrator
Hi Claire,
If you think about reviews of products on the internet, you can find really good next to really bad, a complete contrast. I think on balance, you must think of the average... you birds are probably fine.
What I would say is I wasn't too impressed and won't be going back, however what I noticed and heard from my visit contrasts what others have found.... so you could say I have a critical eye for these things and might notice things that other beginners to the hobby wouldn't see.
Making money out of poultry breeding (in fact any animal breeding) is really tough and it is common to find people taking a few short cuts along the way. I certainly found (going back a few years now when I had 200+ birds) that you just couldn't give the same care and attention to them as someone with a dozen birds could for example. Not that this is an excuse to neglect their basic needs but I guess we shouldn't expect the same standard of care when they are kept in large numbers.
So, I'm getting rather philosophical here :roll: but in reality, we all have to keep in mind for every hen there is a cockerel. Most of course are killed so if she keeps your boys and finds homes for them, on average, they are very lucky boys...
I hope this helps.... :?
If you think about reviews of products on the internet, you can find really good next to really bad, a complete contrast. I think on balance, you must think of the average... you birds are probably fine.
What I would say is I wasn't too impressed and won't be going back, however what I noticed and heard from my visit contrasts what others have found.... so you could say I have a critical eye for these things and might notice things that other beginners to the hobby wouldn't see.
Making money out of poultry breeding (in fact any animal breeding) is really tough and it is common to find people taking a few short cuts along the way. I certainly found (going back a few years now when I had 200+ birds) that you just couldn't give the same care and attention to them as someone with a dozen birds could for example. Not that this is an excuse to neglect their basic needs but I guess we shouldn't expect the same standard of care when they are kept in large numbers.
So, I'm getting rather philosophical here :roll: but in reality, we all have to keep in mind for every hen there is a cockerel. Most of course are killed so if she keeps your boys and finds homes for them, on average, they are very lucky boys...
I hope this helps.... :?
A
Anonymous
Guest
Hi Elmwood & Tim,
Thanks for yor kind replies;they have made me feel abit better. Had a bad day yesterday so I maybe reacted to what I read more strongly than I would have (though still am not happy about it and will not take anymore there). I suppose, naively perhaps, I expect everyone to care for animals as well as we do (and she does have a very convincing website). I did email her last night enquiring whether she had found the boys homes but as yet there has been no reply, though it might not be the truth anyway as you pointed out Sharron. Anyway, we live and learn as they say...............................
Thanks for yor kind replies;they have made me feel abit better. Had a bad day yesterday so I maybe reacted to what I read more strongly than I would have (though still am not happy about it and will not take anymore there). I suppose, naively perhaps, I expect everyone to care for animals as well as we do (and she does have a very convincing website). I did email her last night enquiring whether she had found the boys homes but as yet there has been no reply, though it might not be the truth anyway as you pointed out Sharron. Anyway, we live and learn as they say...............................
daniellesdogs
New member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2011
- Messages
- 384
- Reaction score
- 0
iv always found the chickens happy and healthy in smilers. 3 weeks after my sister bought a hen from there it looked ill they treated it and offered a refund which they didnt have to do. the young teen boy knows more about hatching than any one i know and advise is free. if i could use some thing else cheap they didnt try and make me buy it with a chicken on and high priced.
i also might know some one local to you if you say where you are and what breed did you say
i also might know some one local to you if you say where you are and what breed did you say
daniellesdogs
New member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2011
- Messages
- 384
- Reaction score
- 0
iv also got a fue bantams
dorinda
New member
What sort of breeds are you looking for - between everyone on the forum you would be bound to find the breeds you wanted - then you know where they have come from and have a direct link for "after sales" service.. I send eggs all over the place properly wrapped in loo paper, and put into the right sized polyboxes, and plaster "live embryos", "hatching eggs" "fragile" stickers all over the parcel - puts the fear of god into the postie!!
