What I Do
I bring you healthy, beautiful, vent sexed chicks, but in a different way!
I lovingly incubate, hatch and brood fertile eggs from your flock or favorite hatchery/farm.
New to chicken keeping? I can help you decide which breed(s) are right for you. Whether it is a colorful basket of swoon-worthy eggs you are after, or a run full of rare and unusual tiny dinosaurs, I got you!
Once hatched, I vent sex those fluff butts, and you take them home knowing which ones are baby hens and which are baby roosters.
Not allowed to have a rooster or don’t need another? Yes, you can leave your cockerels (baby roosters) with me
My Services
$10
per hatched chick
Included
Incubation
Hatching
Vaccination for Marek’s Disease (optional)
Vent Sexing
Brooding for 2 Weeks
The option to leave your baby roosters with me.
Payments:
At this time, I accept Cash, Venmo (family and friends), PayPal* (goods and services) & Visa,* Mastercard,* American Express* & Discover.*
*A 3% fee for PayPal (goods and services) and 3.5% fee for credit cards will be applied to cover the processing fees.
What my Clients Say...
“To date I’ve obtained two babies in excellent health that have grown into two sweet, beautiful laying hens. Abbi takes great care in incubating, hatching, and the portion of raising them until they are sold or returned to their owners as hatchling chicks. I highly recommend City Peeps!” -E. Gorath
“Wonderful communication right on time easy to deal with; definitely want to get another chicken or two from her.” -M. Pasillas
“We love the chickens we got from City Peeps. Great pricing, birds were handled a lot prior so they aren’t afraid of humans which is a huge plus for us. Will be purchasing again in the future.” -H. Gregory
Hatching Eggs
Below are links to my favorite local farms & hatcheries. They have high quality, beautiful breeding stock. They also employ solid biosecurity practices which is important for the health of your flock.
If you are having eggs sent to me, I will contact you when they arrive to confirm the number of eggs I received and the condition of the shipment. (Loss of an egg or two is common and most hatcheries will add extra in anticipation of this.)
How Many Eggs Should I Bring You?
The hen to rooster, 50/50 ratio shows up as an average over many hatches. It is very unlikely you will end up with the exact same number of hens and roosters. So, plan accordingly with chicken math of course!
| How Many Hens You Would Like | # Of Eggs to Bring Me (Local) | # Of Eggs Needed (Mail Order) |
|---|---|---|
|
5 |
At least 12 |
At least 24 |
|
10 |
At least 24 |
At least 48 |
|
15 |
At least 36 |
At least 66 |
|
|
With local eggs showing viability (fertility) on day 4 of incubation, my hatching rate is 90% |
With shipped eggs my average hatch rate is 50%. |
Calendar
The calendar is where you can check in at any time to see where your babies are at in the process. Click on the day to view my progress notes!
Frequent Questions
How will you know if my chicks are male or female?
I rely on vent sexing, but if the breed lends itself to sexing via physical characteristics, I will use this as confirmation.
What is sexing?
When you sex a chick, you are finding out if it is a pullet (baby hen) or a cockerel (baby rooster).
Sexing is done a few ways, the common methods are:
Observing physical characteristics at hatch or shortly after, like in feather sexing. This only works if your chick has had that specific trait breed into its dna though. These breeds are called “auto sexing” (pure breeds) or “sex-linked” hybrids.
Via dna testing. You can send some dna off to a specialty lab for testing – $$$.
Finally, vent sexing is a reliable and pretty accurate method of determining the sex of a chick. Chick’s anatomy changes very quickly, vent sexing must be done within the first 24 hours post-hatch.
What is vent sexing?
Vent sexing involves training, practice and a very keen eye. It is not easy to do and can injure the chick if not done correctly. When I vent sex a chick I am looking through my loupes into the vent (where the poo comes out) for near-microscopic characteristics that tell me if it is a baby hen (pullet) or a baby rooster (cockerel).
Does vent sexing harm the chick?
When I vent sex a chick, I do not hold the chick upside down or on it’s back. The process is not harmful to the chicks with the correct technique and skill. They are however very much annoyed for a few brief moments.
How reliable is vent sexing?
It is not 100%, but 90% is pretty good!
What if I end up with a rooster instead of a hen?
Vent sexing is tricky even for those of us who are trained.
- It is known that 1 out of 10 chicks will present without a male eminence (bump) but actually be male and vice versa.
- If you end up with more than 10% of your chicks sexed in error (ie. 2 or more chicks sexed incorrectly out of 12), I will honor a refund for my services applying to the chicks that were incorrectly sexed.
- Please bring sexing errors to my attention as soon as you are confidently aware. A brief, live video in real time via FaceTime or Zoom is required.
- Due to biosecurity risks, I am unable to take a mis-sexed chick back. However, you may have success finding your rooster a new home on local Facebook pages. From time to time you will also see posts for “Rooster Roundups”.
Can you keep my cockerels (baby roosters)?
Yes! If you would like, you can leave your cockerels with me and take your pullets home.
Please note however, that once a chick leaves my building, I am unable to take it back.
Can you hatch my chicks for me without sexing?
If I have room, I am more than happy to incubate, hatch and brood your chicks for a week without vent sexing them, just contact me.
Are you certified with NPIP?
Since I do not have a permanent flock of my own, the National Poultry Improvement Plan will not allow me to participate.
However, I am certified with the Big Red Biosecurity Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and have a background in microbiology.
I follow a Biosecurity Program and Plan that I created under the guidance and direction of the NPIP and The Big Red Biosecurity Program at University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
What is brooding?
Brooding refers to the period of time immediately after hatching when special care and attention must be given to chicks to ensure their health and survival.
Can you brood my chicks until they are ready for the coop?
Unfortunately, I am not set up to brood longer than 2 weeks. 7 days of brooding is included with Day 1 being the day your last chick hatches. An additional 7 days can be added at a cost of TBD per chick, per week.
When can I put my chicks in the coop with the flock?
For their first 6-12 weeks, chicks need a heat source and will need to be in a brooder separate from your flock.
After the first week, chicks can tolerate temperatures 5 degrees F cooler each week until they are 6-12 weeks old or the ambient outdoor temperature is the same as the brooder temp.
Keep in mind that if it is Fall or Winter, you will need to keep your chicks under heat or indoors longer.
They do appreciate being acclimated to winter temps a little at a time.
What temperature should my brooder be at?
Your new chicks need the temperature in the brooder around 95 degrees F for the first week. I recommend a heat lamp with a red bulb or a heat plate.
Chicks are very good at telling us what they think. If your chicks are on the other side of the brooder avoiding the heat lamp, or panting, your brooder is too warm. If they are huddled in one spot under the light, chirping away angrily, they are too cold. Grab a thermometer at your local feed store for peace of mind.
What kind of chick starter do you use?
Unless you specify, I will use medicated chick crumble. I do have Non-Medicated and Organic, Non-Medicated chick crumble available for an additional cost.
Medicated chick starter contains Amprolium. Amprolium is not an antibiotic. It is an analogue of Thiamine (Vitamin B1), meaning it is very similar structurally to Thiamine. The chicks body does not know the difference between Thiamine and Amprolium, but the intestinal parasite called Elmeria does and they are not able to replicate and cause harm without the real deal.
Elmeria parasites cause “coccidiosis” which is common among all species of birds including wild birds.
Between 8-16 weeks, you can start to transition your chicks to grower feed. They will have developed a strong immune response to the Elmeria pathogen by this time, which they will continue to be exposed to throughout their lives.
Pennsylvania State University, College of Agricultural Sciences Coccidiosis Article
Can I bring my own feed for my chicks?
Yes! As long as the bag has not been opened and is still factory sealed, you may bring me your favorite chick feed.
Unfortunately, I am not able to take home-made feed or bags that have been opened due to the possibility and risk of bio contamination.
Please note that I cannot take bags larger than 10lbs.
How long is the incubation period for chicken eggs?
It takes 21 days on average for chicken eggs to hatch once they are set and incubation begins.
Do you incubate, hatch, brood and vent sex other types of birds?
I do not have experience with other types of birds, but I love to learn and am always up for a challenge! Contact me.
Tips for Best Hatching Rates
- Eggs brought to me within 6 days of being laid is ideal, but up to 9 days is acceptable.
- Important! Avoid sudden temperature changes. In my experience, condensation on an egg at any point, equals no chick.
- If possible, please remove stuck-on excrement (poop) from eggs by gently brushing with a moderately stiff bristled dry brush or dry cloth.
- Don’t wash your eggs though, we need that protective cuticle.
- Cracks in Eggs: Despite my best efforts and tricks, my finding has been that eggs with even a hairline crack produce a chick only about 50% of the time.
- Store eggs with pointy end down.
- When possible, store eggs between 55-65 degrees F.
- If you suspect disease in one or more of the chickens in your flock, please hold off on bringing me your fertile eggs until everyone is healthy.
Grow Babies Grow
New to chicken keeping?
Your new chicks will need a brooder with heat for their first 6-12 weeks of life depending on seasonal temperatures. I find that a plastic tub works nicely for the first couple weeks followed by any number of things. Some people use a dog kennel, bathtub, feed tub, anything really that will keep them contained, safe and that you can hook a heat lamp to. A heat plate is a great alternative to a heat lamp. Don’t forget to add a screened top as some breeds like to test out their wings early. If you are looking for convenience, brooder setups can be found on Amazon ranging from small to large; and come with much of what you need.
What you need:
Plastic Bin, Feed Bin or Store Bought Brooder
Paper Towels For the Brooder Floor (first week or two)
Coarse Pine or Aspen Shavings (after a week or two)
A Feeder For Crumble
A Waterer (I like the ones that have adjustable legs for height)
Chick Starter
A Red Heat Lamp or Heat Plate
A Thermometer
Biosecurity
I am certified with the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources Big Red Biosecurity Program. I take biosecurity seriously and follow the most up-to-date poultry biosecurity recommendations put forth by the USDA, CDC, NPIP & CDFA.
I actively follow the leaders in poultry biosecurity education and policy, staying current on the latest news, recommendations, and alerts.
My biosecurity program and plan is reviewed and updated annually or upon an HPAI or other pathogenic outbreak.
Biosecurity Resource Links
CDC Current H5N1 Bird Flu Outbreak Status
California Poultry Federation Workshop Videos
California Poultry Federation Backyard Flock Resources
UC Davis Newcastle Disease Video
California Dept. of Food and Agriculture Disease Prevention Poster
California Dept. of Food and Agriculture Backyard Poultry Biosecurity
California Sick Bird Hotline:
To report an unusual number of sick/dead chickens, call 1-866-922-bird (2473)
