Frequently Asked Questions
All the Answers to Your Questions
Welcome to the Wrather Farms Q&A page. Below you will find a collection of some of the most frequently asked questions about our farm. However, if you still have additional questions after consulting our list of FAQs, then please get in touch directly and we will happy to answer any additional questions.
Do you have laying hens for sale?
We rarely - I mean RARELY - offer started pullets or laying hens.
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Any of our standard-bred breeds that do not sell by 3-4 weeks old, we keep. A great show bird or great breeder could be in any hatch. By the time they're ready to graduate from the brooder to the barn floor, I may as well keep them until they show me some flaw that would exclude them as a show or breeder bird. It would be a shame to let one go when they are only halfway to revealing their potential. In many cases, we can't fairly evaluate a growout until they are at least 6 months old. So for a group that hatched in March, it may be September before we're ready to make any big cuts.
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We do not take reservations for our growouts. I cannot give an exact date on the timing of their availability, nor how many we will let go. I don't want to make promises I can't keep, and I don't want to be pressured to make decisions until I am ready. You're welcome to ask about availability, but this is the answer you will get. Any pullets that come available will be posted here to our Facebook page and will be first come, first served. They will be offered in groups of at least 3.
Are your chickens organic/free range/non-GMO?
We feed a custom milled non-GMO ration designed by Jeff Mattocks from Fertrell, and distributed by Carey Blackmon.
As a backup, our feed choices are Nutrena Naturewise All Flock, and Kalmbach Flock Maker.
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Our flock also occasionally receive mealworms, organic garden scraps, and scrambled eggs. Corn/wheat scratch is offered on occasion as well, but not as a matter of routine. Our breeder birds and growing birds are kept in spacious but secure enclosures for their safety. There may be a free-range rooster strolling about from time to time though.
Do you vaccinate your chickens?
We do not vaccinate our chicks, and our flocks are comprised of non-vaccinated birds.
What is NPIP and what does it mean?
NPIP stands for National Poultry Improvement Program. Under Tennessee's participation in this program, our flock is tested every 6 months for Avian Influenza and annually for Pullorm/Typhoid (two forms of salmonella). Neither of these really mean much of anything. If we had Avian Influenza, we would surely know there is a problem (everything would be dying). Pullorm Disease and Fowl Typhoid have been largely eradicated in the United States. We are required to test for these diseases in order to be able to compete at show, and transport eggs and chicks across state lines.
I only want pullets. Do you offer sexed chicks?
We offer three breeds that are capable of being sexed by color/pattern at hatch - Zombies, Fibromelanistic Easter Eggers, and Cinnamon Queens. All are sex-link chickens. They are cross-bred chickens, and the sexability at hatch only works the first generation.
Do you ship chicks and eggs?
We do ship hatching eggs via USPS, but we will not use the US Postal Service to ship live birds. We understand that this limits our sales, but the safety and health of our stock is more important to us than the number of chicks sold. We are happy to work with a private transporter of your choosing to arrange pickup and delivery of your live birds.