Please read this information all the way to the bottom!
Congratulations, you are here to confirm your purchase of your new Feathered Family Members!!!
Given Unprecedented Demand, we have decided to open our books to take confirmed preorders for the following commercial strains of chickens, which will be delivered to Cranbourne (Melbourne) in early July 2020. We are not able to provide you with an exact delivery/pickup date as the Covid19 restrictions are still changing daily; these chickens are coming from Interstate so arrival/pickup will need to be confirmed dependant on Government travel restrictions and restrictions on levels of Human interaction allowed. All precautions will be taken as per our Covid19 Policy Page here…
Chickens will be around 15/16 weeks old, and consist of the following choices –
Brown Chickens – ISA Browns
White Chickens – Leghorn x Rhode Island White
Black Chickens – Australorp x Rhode Island Red
Prices
All chickens are $35 each and you are placing a confirmed order for your girls. We are asking for full payment both to confirm order numbers (to meet demand) but also for customer peace of mind so you know they are definitely on their way and you can start preparing everything they need. This also minimises the need for dealing with payment methods etc. (aware of limitations whilst we are living in a pandemic) when the delivery arrives in early July 2020.
Delivery and pickup
Delivery is NOT available. Pickup only from Cranbourne (Melbourne), by appointment (to be confirmed).
Orders are Subject To Change and Variations
Whilst pricing will not change, we may have to bring forward or delay the pickup date, depending on Government requirements and restrictions based on the Covid19 Victorian situation. The last thing anyone needs is to get sick and/or fined for being out in public unnecessarily. We will be keeping accurate records of orders and contact details of customers to enable clear communication regarding confirmed delivery dates, which is planned to be late Easter. Of course, this depends on whether the State borders are opened for crossing as our supplier is located interstate. Date of writing this is 20/04/2020.
Which chicken breed suits my family?
Australorps are considerable friendlier than their White Layer cousins, so if you are looking for something your kids can pick up, your Black Layers are more suitable. White Layers tend to be more cautious and potentially flighty, and this is just their nature. As they are not a particularly cuddly chicken this then means they are not the best ‘pet’ breed.
ISA Browns love, love love Humans. But they are a chicken that can be quite polarising so to determine if they are best fit for your situation, please read our ISA Brown Information Sheet here before making your decision.
Are these chickens vaccinated?
In short, yes, they are vaccinated against most serious nasties that may potential serious issues in the commercial industries. Namely (and I don’t recommend you Google them) Mareks, Fowl Pox, Coryza, Infectious Bronchitis, Infectious Laryngotracheitis (ILT) and Newcastles Disease.
These are not vaccinations that are readily available to breeders or even vets but are done at the hatcheries when they are day old babies. So basically, anything serious disease that can happen to a chook, these are vaccinated against…
When will my new chickens start laying eggs?
Given that these chickens will only be 16 – 18ish weeks old when they are delivered in early July 2020, they are simply too young to start laying eggs. Commercial chicken breeds can lay as early as 22 weeks old (in the right conditions and given the right nutrition) but normally start at around 24 weeks old.
Chickens need a good quality, nutritionally balanced food and daylight to start laying, even when they are the right age. In the middle of Winter, there won’t be enough daylight hours then to trigger the hormone production needed for laying.
Nothing lays in winter, except for commercial layers who started laying in Summer/Autumn and then they just continue (some slow down or even stop with the short daylight hours). If you speak to some of the true ‘Old Timers’ who are around, some of them will remember not being able to get eggs in Winter and if you could, they were INSANELY expensive. This is the same for strawberries to people in my generation. As a child we just couldn’t get strawberries if it was ‘off season’. With the increase in scientific knowledge, they produced a chicken that would lay a lot of eggs, all year around to meet consumer demand. But backyard conditions are more natural than the industrialised egg factories so these girls will need time, good food and love before they will start laying.
Expect to collect your first eggs around late August/September, in Spring as the daylight hours increase..
What does Aussie Chook Supplies recommend to feed my new Flock Members?
We have put together all you need in a Chicken Keeping Starter Kit that you can pick up at the same time that you pick up you Girls. Please find the link to what it includes here.
What do you need to know about keeping your chickens healthy and happy?
Please do your research regarding local council laws and regulations, what a good coop setup requires as a minimum and how to feed and care for them after they come home. We have lots of information on our Information Centre. We are also happy to support any chicken keepers in their journey and help with any issues you may experience. The best way to contact us is through our Facebook page, which we check regularly throughout the day.
