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Benson Family Farm & Hatchery

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Hartselle, AL
Benson Family Farm & Hatchery

Small backyard flock and hatchery located in incorporated Hartselle Alabama. Currently working on getting our NPIP certification.

Chicks, Adult Birds, Fertile Hatching Eggs, and Eating Eggs all coming soon.

05/22/2021

Thankful for warm weather. Moving baby chicks outside to their new home’s today.

04/28/2021

32 chicks looking for a new brooder box. All straight run 2 days old to a week old. All hatched here by our breeder stock.

14 Rhode Island Reds
5 Lavender Orpington
6 Barred Rock
7 Mixed Breeds ( Dad is Rhode Island Red)

PM for pricing and availability!

04/21/2021

Latest hatch. More hatching on April 26th. Message if interested.

04/10/2021

This last incubator wasn’t much of our normal breeds from our stock but was mostly Cochin, Silkie, and Araucana eggs we had received to add for us here personally. So with that said we have 2 barred rocks and 2 mixes with one possibly being a Rhode Island Blue looking for a new home. Discounted down since it is only 4 this time. Next hatch is expected April 19th and will be back to business as usual.

04/08/2021

We love it when we get updated pictures of chicks we have sold! This particular one is a Rhode Island Blue from our very first customer since we started this a couple months ago.

04/05/2021

Available starting tomorrow Rhode Island Reds and Barred Rock Fertile Hatchings sold by the dozen by pre order. Once ordered I will begin collecting and labeling them to ensure freshness of egg and the label ensures I give you the correct eggs. Also available fresh eggs for kitchen use by the dozen. The plan currently is to slow down incubation to only Lavender Orpington chicks unless Rhode Island’s or Barred Rocks are pre ordered. Also the Rhode Island Blues ( Rhode Island Red and Black Australop Cross) will no longer be available after the last two incubators hatch since our only Black Australop was killed by a hawk. We hope to start back with full production in a month or two when the chick days stop at the bigger chain stores and the weather is consistently warmer! Thank you all for your continued support. Message us if you would like to pre order chicks or eating eggs!

04/03/2021

Still got lots of chicks left. PM for more.

04/02/2021

The latest hatch. 32 out of 36 (88.8%).
15- Rhode Island Reds
3- Lavendar Orpington
6- Barred Rocks
8- Barnyard Mixes

Next round April 7th.

03/30/2021

Thought I would post some highlights of the article about the Ayam Cemani. Y’all I’m so excited I finally got some of these. They have been a dream breed for 4 years now. Y’all please understand that these will not be your average cheap chickens but they will be nowhere near the 2500-5000 it says in the article. Breeding these will not be easy as stated below so availability will be limited so get with me now so I can get you on the list. I will go in order down the list once they become available. At earliest I will have some in September but more realistically it will be next spring. I stated when I started this page that my prices would be fair and I would try my best to give you the cheapest possible deal but I wanted to make this post to stress that this will be the most expensive breed we offer.

The world’s most expensive chicken, the Ayam Cemani, is a rare breed believed to be only native to Indonesia. In this country, this bird is greatly respected because many believe it holds magical powers and is seen as a good luck symbol. They are also known for their solid black appearance giving them an unusual look. But most of all, the Ayam Cemani is popular for its luscious meat which is sought-after by people around the world.

How Much Do Ayam Cemani Cost?

Just one of these chickens will cost you anywhere from $2,500-$5,000 depending on the size and health of the animal.

Why Is This Ayam Cemani So Expensive?

There are a few reasons why this chicken has such a steep price. The main one is because they are hard to breed. Hens sometimes have trouble laying eggs and will only produce about 80 eggs per year. An intriguing egg-laying fact about the hens is that once they lay 30 eggs, they will take a break from egg-laying for about a month, and then start back up again.

This chicken is only native to Indonesia so it’s very rare to find it anywhere else in the world. While a few could once be found in Europe, consumers were so obsessed with the chicken that it caused its population to quickly dwindle. Because of this geographic problem, shipping meat and eggs to various countries can be very pricey, something which causes consumers to have to pay quite a bit of money for them.

Despite their rareness, the Ayam Cemani is in high demand. While there are plenty of breeders, it can be difficult to produce an abundance of Ayam Cemani because genetics are key. While two of these animals might be successfully bred together, there’s no guarantee that an egg will hatch or be produced.

Why are Ayam Cemani Black?

Ayam Cemani are black because of hyperpigmentation due to a condition called fibromelanosis. Scientists believe that this condition is caused by an excessive amount of pigmentation in the chicken’s tissues. The pigmentation occurs when the EDN3 gene is over-produced. This gene naturally occurs in all chickens, but for the Ayam Cemani, it produces more than is necessary resulting in its vibrant black appearance.
This chicken is completely black, but sometimes their feathers can have a slight turquoise tint to them when shining in the sun.

03/30/2021

Pictures of the Ayam Cemani chicks I posted about earlier.

03/30/2021

Finally crossed a chicken breed off my wishlist and got my first ever Ayam Cemani chicks. Very rare high dollar birds. Will be posting pictures of the chicks later but these are stock photos of a hen and rooster. Attached is a good article about this breed if you’re interested in learning more.
https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/ayam-cemani/

03/28/2021

New babies. Next round next week. Pre ordering is available. One step closer to Lavender Orpingtons being available with 3 more hatching today.

03/26/2021

Becky our Bantam Birchen Cochin hen has went broody so she has been moved into the makeshift maternity ward and a dozen fertile eggs placed under her.

03/17/2021

Pictures of chicks that will remain here to become part of our breeding program. We have added a lot of new birds this spring to include silkies, bantam Cochins, buff orpingtons, and speckled Suss*x. We have also added more Barred Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, Black Australops, and Lavender Orpington, and Sapphire Gems to supplement our current breeders. Also just for fun we added 4 ducks but no plans currently to breed these just yet. Lavender Orpington chicks are expected to become available sometime in April right now with only the one hen and one rooster we are trying to supplement our stock and build our Lavender program without having to purchase through a third party.

03/17/2021

It only took 2 hours to sell out. I appreciate the business! Look for the next hatch end of next week! Also I wanna add this last hatch was 75% successfully with 27 out of 36 hatching.

03/16/2021

UPDATE: All 26 have been sold. Next hatch is expected March 25th/26th. Thank y’all so much!

AVAILABLE: Straight run only! Pickup preferred! Delivery or can meet for an extra fee to cover gas which must be paid up front before I leave my driveway. No shipping. PM for more details.

11 Rhode Island Reds
6 Barred Rocks
9 Backyard Mixes ( Rhode Island Red is father, Mothers are possibly Sapphire Gem, Black Australop, and/or Blue Maran.) They are mainly black or blue with some having red in the face.

03/14/2021

For those that have never seen a chick hatch. The chick first pecks a hole in the egg which is called a pip. Then it will creat a line around the egg which is then called a zip. After that it will then use its body to push itself out of the egg. 4 minute video of baby number 2 hatching out. This particular chick is one of our backyard mixes.

03/14/2021

They are starting to hatch. Look for Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks, and Backyard Mixes being available soon. Amount will depend on how many hatch. Should be ready by Tuesday! This will be the last batch until March 25th!

03/11/2021

Pictures of this last hatch since they have been moved from incubator to brooder. Breed Name is captioned in the pictures. Right now live count is 16. Total hatched was 19 but two have died with the other being one I helped hatch that is still currently drying off in the incubator unknown if it will survive yet or not. We had 4 other eggs break the egg shell but did not hatch and died within the shell. This incubation hatch rate was higher (right around 50%) than last weeks bust but still not where we would like. Again incubation is still fairly new to me and I learn more and more with each batch eventually I would like our success rate to be 80% or higher. Most of our breeder stock were chicks last summer so they are fairly young and just now starting to breed. Eggs should become more fertile as the weather continues to warm up.

SIDE NOTE: I know that plastic tote is not very big it is just a holding spot for a couple days then they will be moved to the bigger brooder and most of these will not be staying here but will be sold.

03/10/2021

To follow up the last post we have also had Barred Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, and Backyard Mixes hatch. I’ll be posting pictures of some tomorrow to show examples of what they look like. This current batch of Mixes are Rhode Island Red (Father) and possible Mothers are Black Australop, Sapphire Gem, and Blue Maran. The mixes will vary since they are not true breeds and will vary depending on which hens and rooster(s) I have in the general area of my pen.

03/10/2021

Our first ever hatch of Lavender Orpington Chicks. This little guy is about 18-24 hours old. The first couple of hatches will remain here to be apart of our breeder line. Availability for these expected April/May.

03/08/2021

3 in the morning and hatching day is underway as these 2 little ones have made their appearance.

03/04/2021

Update on incubator number 1. Expected hatching day was Sunday night/ Monday morning and it is now Wednesday night. It is not necessarily uncommon for them to be a little late. At last check we had fully developed chicks but this doesn’t mean that for some reason they died last minute for some reason. If by tomorrow they don’t hatch then this incubation is a bust. This is heartbreaking especially after waiting for 3 weeks but sometimes it happens and if all else fails we have more eggs that have been waiting to go in and we will try again. In other news incubator 2 will be going into lockdown tomorrow night and expecting them to hatch Sunday night into Monday. Incubating eggs during the colder months can sometimes be challenging to keep temperatures and humidity where it needs to be and the recent power outages during this cycle due to winter weather did not help the situation. Hopefully baby chicks coming soon!

02/28/2021

Here is a pic of the essentials to have in your kit for chicken care, what they are used for & dosages. 👇

1) Nutradrench- vitamin supplement
Dosage: .5cc just inside the beak twice a day or add 1cc per gallon to the water source. Change the water daily. *No withdrawal*

2) Corid- treats Coccidiosis
Dosage: liquid- 1 tsp per gallon of water
Powder- 3/4 tsp per gallon of water
Make sure it is the only water source for 7 days. Wait 10 days and repeat for 3 days.
*No withdrawal*

3) Ivermectin cattle pour on- worms and keeps parasites such as lice, mites & fleas off of your birds
Dosage: use the eye dropper and place one drop (not a full syringe, just a drop) under each wing, one drop between the shoulders and one drop by the vent. Repeat in 10 days. *No withdrawal*

4) Calcium Gluconate- cures egg binding
Dosage: 1cc shot (.75cc for bantams) sub q in the back of the neck. *No withdrawal*

5) Poultry Cell- cures wry neck
Dosage: 1cc placed just inside the beak and let them swallow. Do this twice a day for 7 days.
*No withdrawal*

6) Vetericyn- fast healing wound spray
*No withdrawal*

7) LA 200- Best antibiotic for bacterial illnesses such as respiratory infections.
Dosage: 1cc for full sized birds, .5cc for bantams or younger birds. Give the injection in the breast muscle, wait 3 days and do another in the opposite breast muscle.
*2 week withdrawal from last injection*

😎 VetRx- used as supportive care for a respiratory illness to make them feel better (will not cure illness)
Dosage: Place 2-3 drops under wings and on the beak and wattles. *No withdrawal*

9) Acidified Copper Sulfate- cures canker
Dosage: 1/4 tsp per gallon in water. Make sure it is the only water source for 7 days.
*No withdrawal*

10) Monistat- cures sour crop
Dosage: cut ovules into thirds. Feed one piece to the chicken twice a day for 3 days.
*1 week withdrawal from last dose*

11) 22 gauge needles- for administering antibiotics & calcium

12) Safeguard- dewormer
Dosage: place a pea sized amount into the mouth of each chicken. Repeat in 10 days.
*No withdrawal* (

02/27/2021

Week old silver laced Wyandotte. We was able to acquire several of these this past week due to a surplus. We hope to be adding these to our breeding line by next year.

02/26/2021

Incubator #1 going into lockdown at day 18. Started with 48 eggs down to 32. 16 total were tossed during the candling process starting at day 7. A total of 10 were tossed tonight that had begun developing but had since died during development. If all 32 hatch that will make this incubation 66.6% successful. Next week incubator #2 will be going into lockdown.

02/25/2021

LONG POST! General Guidelines for Pricing! * Subject to change but any changes will be posted in advance with reason on why the price increased*. I strive to provided the lowest price I can.

FRESH EATING EGGS: These are collected as ordered to maximize and to guarantee freshness so please give 2-3 days depending on ordered size. Cartons are provided but your welcome to bring your own or to donate cartons to us. The following prices are consistent with my pricing prior to this page and for the foreseeable future will not be increasing.
1 Dozen: $3.00
1 1/2 Dozen: $4.00
2 Dozen: $5.00

FERTILE HATCHING EGGS: These are collected as ordered for the best possible fertility percentage so please give 2-3 days depending on ordered size. Please note that after 7 days the hatch rate probability drops and I can not guarantee that all eggs will be fertile or will hatch. I usually have about 5- 10 of my eggs in my incubator that are not fertile. If for some reason you have 0% hatch rate I will replace the eggs at no cost or refund your money. Must provide proof that eggs were not fertile to receive a refund/replacement. Prices will vary depending on quantity and desired breed. This product is currently not available but is something we will start later this year. Available breeds along with pricing will be posted here once we start that program.

CHICKS: Please note that after chicks are 4 weeks of age the price goes up. The reason for this is to recuperate feed and maintenance cost from that bird. ( Chick feed is currently $15.00 a bag) Once chicks have hatched and have been posted here they are available. All chicks besides black s*x links are sold as straight run.
Barnyard mix chicks are $2.00 each. Our current barnyard mix is a Rhode Island Red rooster crossed with any of the possible hens: Sapphire Blue Rocks, Black Australop.
Rhode Island Red chicks are $3.00 each.
Barred Rock chicks are $3.00 each. * Currently unavailable expect availability April*
Lavender Oppringtons are $10.00 each. These are considered extremely rare birds and are a beautiful true lavender color. Large bird like standard oppringtons, cold weather hardy, dual purpose(egg production or meat). * Currently unavailable expect availability April*.
Black S*x Links are $3.00 each. Pullets and Cockerels as available. This breed comes from crossing a Rhode Island Red Rooster with a Barred Rock Hen. We currently are planning to have some of these this summer.

ADULT BIRDS: Posted as available and will range from $15.00 and up.

Please bring your own cages or boxes to transport your new birds to their new homes. I have a 24 hour policy when it comes to live birds as I understand sometimes things happen. If you buy a bird from me and it unexpectedly died within 24 hours of you receiving it then take a picture of it and send it to me and I’ll replace it at no cost. We do not mail live birds as this is a expensive and timely process so pickup or delivery only. Extra fees will be added for delivery depending on delivery location as the cost of gas has went from $1.60 to $2.50 since November.

02/23/2021

We now have all three incubators loaded. All were filled a week apart. We should have hatches every week now starting February 28.

EXPECTED HATCH DATES:
FEBRUARY 28th
MARCH 7th
MARCH 14th

MORE DATES POSTED AS INCUBATORS ARE RELOADED.

02/23/2021

Good Afternoon everybody. I would like to take this week to make post about how we do things to ensure happy and healthy birds. A major part of that and why we have had success in keeping disease free birds and high egg production year round is the feed we use. All of our feed is Tucker Milling Products and we mix different feed to make our own blend. Our mix includes Super Lay 22, 5-Way Scratch, and Calf Manna. This mix optimizes our egg production and the nutritional quality our birds receive. This mix is only for our adult birds. Our freshly hatched birds receive medicated chick starter while waiting on their new homes. The medicated feed eliminates the need for vaccines and builds up the chicks immune system. If our prices ever go up more than likely the reason behind it will be because feed cost have went up. Just as an example last month price of feed went up by $3.00 a bag because corn prices went up. I do my best to keep prices low to all of you and I will be making another post soon with guidelines to pricing.

02/21/2021

Good evening folks! Haven’t posted in a few days so just wanted to give everybody a quick update about us getting our NPIP certification through the state of Alabama. For those that don’t know what that is NPIP stands for National Poultry Improvement Plan and is a completely voluntary program. The purpose of this program is to test for diseases and overall health of our flock. This service is free expect for the 10 dollar hatchery permit which will allow me to sell you folks chicks, adult birds, hatching eggs, and eating eggs. Us having this certification will give everybody that buys from us the peace of mind knowing your buying healthy and disease free birds and eggs while also allowing us to ship these products to you by mail if you would like. I finally got all the information back from the state and a phone number of my regions coordinator. I will be giving her a call come Monday so hopefully by next Friday we can officially say we are NPIP certified. I’ll be making more post soon about how I do certain things from feed, health care, and cost. If you have a specific question shoot us a message and I’ll get back with you. If nothing else I want everybody that chooses to buy chickens from me that they are getting a quality and fair priced product and so everything I do is completely transparent and open to everybody. Thanks y’all and have a good night!

Address

21 Cagle Road
Hartselle, AL
35640

Telephone

+12567582209

Website

facebook.com

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