• Home
  • Get to Know Me
  • Blog
  • Our Goat Herd
    • Livestock for Sale
    • BiteMe! Herbal Treats
  • Contact Me

The 104 Homestead

  • HOMESTEAD LIVING
    • CRAFTS & DIYS
    • GREEN CLEANING
    • HOMEMADE ALTERNATIVES
    • HOMESTEAD HOLIDAYS
    • SIMPLE SKILLS
  • REAL FOOD
    • BEVERAGES
    • DESSERTS
    • FOOD MATTERS
    • PRESERVATION
    • SIMPLE RECIPES
    • TIPS & TRICKS
  • BACKYARD GARDEN
    • BACK TO EDEN
    • GARDEN TIPS
    • GETTING STARTED
    • ORGANIC SOLUTIONS
    • SEED STARTING & SAVING
  • HOMESTEAD ANIMALS
    • CHICKENS
    • DUCKS
    • GOATS
    • HOUSE PETS
    • QUAIL
    • RABBITS
  • INSPIRING HOMESTEADS
    • URBAN HOMESTEADS
    • SUBURBAN HOMESTEADS
    • RURAL HOMESTEADS
    • FARMSTEADS
    • MORE INSPIRATION

03/18/15

Adding Started Pullets to Your Flock

  • 269shares
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Reddit
  • WhatsApp
  • Share

I’ll hatch chicks to sell, but I won’t raise them any more.

I love hatching out little chicks. They are super cute and both the children and I love seeing the hatch take place. It’s a magical journey. I have nothing against tiny chicks. I have a heck of a time not bringing home handfuls of them from the feed store when I go to pick up my order. Despite my love for the cute and fuzzy chicks, I only add started pullets to my flock. I hatch chicks to fund my started pullets.

Started pullets are teenage female chickens. Since chickens begin laying at around 6 months of age, you have a much shorter wait before you start getting eggs.

What are started pullets?

Started pullets are teenage female chickens. Male teenagers are referred to as cockerels. These chickens range from 15-22 weeks by hatchery standards, but a chicken remains a pullet until she is a year old. Since chickens begin laying at around six months of age, you have a much shorter wait before you start getting your eggs when you bring home a pullet.

Why choose started pullets?

As I said, for those of us that can’t wait to get our hands on those delicious eggs, there is a big difference between waiting 6 months and waiting one or two. This is especially important if you live further north. If you purchase your chicks from a feed store or hatchery in the spring, there is a high likelihood that they will be reaching maturity at the same time the days start getting shorter. In many cases, your chicken may postpone laying until the following spring when the natural daylight lengthens. Yeah, that’s a whole year of freeloading.

Another aspect that appeals to me is not having to deal with chick care. Yes, I deal with chicks in a brooder when I hatch out for customers, but usually all the chicks have been sold within a week of hatching. Chicks need to be on heat for five to six weeks, but they may need to stay indoors considerably longer if the weather doesn’t cooperate. The timeline for moving chicks outdoors needs to take into consideration the outside temperatures (at least 65ºF), the age of the chicks (at least 5 weeks old), the feathers of the chicks (they should be fully feathered), and the quantity of chicks (a larger amount of chicks can huddle to regulate temperatures better than just a few). For those of us in the north, it can be July before we get those sort of temperatures.

Introducing Started Pullets vs. Chicks

It takes time to add to your flock regardless of the age of the bird you bring home. You can’t take a started pullet, toss it in the coop and just walk away. Started pullets require a quarantine period as well as an introduction period. I typically keep my started pullets quarantined on the opposite side of our property for thirty days. I then move the pullets and their setup right next to the existing flock so the birds can have contact, but cannot actually touch one another. They stay in that arrangement for one to two weeks, depending on the quantity of pullets I’m adding (less than 3 pullets and I will wait two weeks or longer, I only move larger groups in after a week because there is less likelihood that one will be singled out from the new flock).

Chicks require and introduction period, but often don’t need a quarantine period. Chicks do require a substantial amount of time to “grow out” before they can be introduced to an existing flock. Again, there is power in numbers. You may be able to introduce a larger flock of new chicks sooner than if you are adding a just few because there will be less incident with bullying. You will still need to wait until the young birds can hold their own. This means they need to be fully feathered and of comparable size to the ones you have in your older flock.

Started pullets are teenage female chickens. Since chickens begin laying at around 6 months of age, you have a much shorter wait before you start getting eggs.

This pullet is near laying age. You can see she’s filling out and her comb is nearly full size for her breed.

Cons of Started Pullets

Two big issues that make starting with started pullets a challenge are the cost (a chick costs about $4 whereas a pullet can cost anywhere from $15-25 depending on age) and availability. Chicks are available through numerous hatcheries as well as at local feed stores. Pullets are available through a few farms, the occasional feed store, but mostly from local chicken keepers. Murray McMurray has a wide variety available, but watch those shipping costs. They add up quickly!

Most pullets are purchased through local chicken keepers. Keep these things in mind:

  • You need to be able to identify the approximate age of a chicken. Sadly, many private sellers will try to pass a retired layer off as a pullet. Check comb and wattle for an idea of the chicken’s age.
  • Private sellers may have an illness in their flock that they either don’t know about or are choosing not to disclose. You need to quarantine any new birds you add to your flock.
  • Your “purebred” pullet may not be as pure as the private seller tells you. As someone who appreciates a barnyard mix, this doesn’t bother me too much. You need to be educated if breed is important to you or you are paying purebred price.

Only you can decide the best route to adding to your flock. Getting chicks is your only option. We hatch out several dozen chicks and ducklings each year, but add only established birds to our flock. It’s the best of both worlds for us.

Don’t miss ⇒ The ultimate guide to raising laying hens.

Started pullets are teenage female chickens. Since chickens begin laying at around 6 months of age, you have a much shorter wait before you start getting eggs.

You May Also Like

  • It's the day you've been counting down to. But do chicks really hatch on day 21? Find out what to expect when hatch day arrives and what may have gone wrong when not all the chicks make it.Hatch Chicken Eggs: Day 21 (The Hatching Process & Losses)
  • Whether you are a backyard hobby homesteader or an avid homesteader on your journey to live off-grid, these are the homesteading articles you want to be reading.Safe Egg Handling Practices
  • Learn what you need to candle, how to candle, when to candle and what you are looking for when you are candling chicken or duck eggs.Your Guide to Candling Hatching Eggs
  • Sprouting fodder is something farmers have been done for generations. Let's chat about sprouted barley because it's a great all-around grain for livestock.What is Fodder? Sprouted Barley for Livestock
  • 269shares
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Reddit
  • WhatsApp
  • Share
The following two tabs change content below.
  • Bio
  • Latest Posts
My Twitter profileMy Facebook profileMy Google+ profileMy Instagram profileMy Pinterest profile

Jessica Lane

I am a non-traditional homesteader. What is a non-traditional homesteader? I'd like to think we are the people who don't fit the mold. I am a busy mom on a small bit of property with not a lot of financial resources, but I am figuring out how to live the life I want. A homesteader's life.
My Twitter profileMy Facebook profileMy Google+ profileMy Instagram profileMy Pinterest profile

Latest posts by Jessica Lane (see all)

  • How to Make Vapor Rub with Essential Oils - March 7, 2018
  • Bringing a Barn Cat (or two) to Your Homestead - February 7, 2018
  • Creating a Silvopasture to Benefit Your Farm & Goats - January 18, 2018
  • Garden Supplies You’ll Want This Season - December 27, 2017
  • Instant Pot and Slow Cooker Meals for Dinner - December 23, 2017
Home » Homestead Animals » Adding Started Pullets to Your Flock

6 Comments
Homestead Animals

Subscribe

« A Meadow of Bee-Friendly Flowers
Monarch Butterfly Gardens »

Comments

  1. Linda Scariano says

    December 24, 2015 at 7:02 pm

    Hi Jessica, very soon l am going to start my flock. I have the coop, but need to build a run. I am only going to have 5 due to the size of my coop. I have decided to get pullets. My question to you is do I have to quarantine each one? Your article was very informative and helpful. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Jessica Lane says

      December 30, 2015 at 11:09 am

      If they are coming from the same source at the same time, then no, you don’t need to quarantine. If you are getting them from different places or spread out over time, yes, the need to be quarantined.

      Reply
  2. Monica says

    April 4, 2015 at 11:59 am

    Interesting!

    What do you do with your chickens after they retire from laying eggs? Do you eat them? 🙁 I realize that is what most people do but I cannot do that. I will just have pet chickens! I feel like I’m gonna end up with hundreds of chickens in the long run since I started with 7… We wanted to raise them to learn about chickens and for their eggs, so if none of my chicks lay eggs anymore, we’ll probably get more chicks. I do prefer the babies. They are irresistible, but I see the benefit in buying started pullets!

    Reply
    • Jessica Lane says

      April 4, 2015 at 2:59 pm

      We have eaten them a few times if they are still fairly young, but most of the times they are sold, no questions asked. If a hen is sick, she is dispatched and buried in the yard.

      Reply
  3. Sarah Koontz {Grounded & Surrounded} says

    March 18, 2015 at 8:48 am

    I haven’t ever considered this approach. You make some very valid points, thank you for sharing at HBN! I think my kiddos would shoot me if we skipped the baby chick stage of raising chickens, but maybe when they get a bit older I could try this approach 😉 We don’t get to add to our flock this season, but am looking forward to next year when I get to triple it (and actually have enough eggs to share with friends and family.) I have noticed your pretty face popping up in my pinterest feed a lot lately 😉 Love your blog, and look forward to getting to know you better.

    Reply
    • Jessica Lane says

      March 18, 2015 at 8:18 pm

      You just made my day 🙂 Thank you!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Welcome! My name
is Jessica Lane. I live a nearly self-sufficient lifestyle with my sweet
husband and three beautiful children on 1/4 acre in Maine. We raise Nigerian Dwarf goats, ducks, and chickens, and we grow as much food as we can. What we can't grow or produce ourselves we barter for. If we can homestead where we live, what's stopping you?

Read More…

Search This Site

Now Trending

Sand is becoming a very common coop bedding and it's easy to see why. Sand has so many benefits and when used properly, I think it's a bedding that you wont regret using.
Do you have a bunch of squash on hand? Freeze it for later! Freezing spaghetti squash is super easy and takes less than an hour from start to finish.
We love this classic and comforting broccoli rice and cheese casserole for easy weeknight meals. Freezer-friendly and reheats well for leftovers.

My Latest Videos

Keep In Touch

  • 52,328 Pinteresting Followers
  • 19,827 Fabulous Fans
  • 4,818 Twitastic Friends
  • 2,140 InstaBuddies
  • 81 Subscribers

BiteMe! Goat Treats

  • Home
  • Homestead Living
  • Real Food
  • Homestead Animals
  • Gardening & Outdoors
  • Inspiring Homesteads

Disclaimer

I am not a doctor, lawyer, veterinarian or Martha Stewart. Please use the knowledge acquired from this site responsibly.

See Our Privacy Policy

Disclosure

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Work With Me

Become a Contributor/Guest Writer
Meet Our Current Contributors
Advertise on The 104 Homestead
Contact Me

© 2013-2018 Jessica Lane of The 104 Homestead