Clearance Tractor Supply Chicks

Once a month I have to buy 250 pounds of chicken feed at the Tractor Supply to feed my 70 chickens. Since I have three "strong" kiddos around the house, we can load up the chicken feed quite easily inside my car and unload it inside the coop at 50 pounds a bag. Today I went inside the Tractor Supply solo, to stock up on the feed for the month.

Feeling quite sorry for myself having to do this heavy job by myself, I slowly made my way through the store distracted at the clearance summer shirts and discounted summer yard ornaments, trying to put off the job of lifting the heavy feed bags. I even stopped to look at the baby chicks in the middle of the store to see what breeds they had in stock...what a terrible idea!

Like every farmer, I have my favorite breeds of chickens. My absolute favorite type of chicken is called an Ameraucauna. They are a type of Easter Egger chicken, which means they lay beautiful light blue eggs, just like the eggs the Easter Bunny leaves behind in April. Sharkbite is my oldest Ameraucauna, and she is my favorite sidekick when I'm weeding in the garden or walking around the yard. She walks across my boots as I weed and chases the weeds I throw out into the yard. She follows me as I do my farm chores, talking to me in a special voice. Sharkbite is more like a dog than a chicken. Even though she is five years old now and doesn't lay eggs, Sharkbite will always be one of my favorite chickens. Chickens aren't pets, but she definitely has a special place in my heart.

My second favorite type of chicken is called an Olive Egger. Like their close sister, the Easter Egger, Olive Eggers lay the prettiest green colored eggs and they also have a great personality. When I looked at the chicks at Tractor Supply today, I found six Olive Egger Chicks trying desperately to fly out of their chick pen because they were much bigger than the other chicks and were already growing their "grown-up" feathers.

I asked the sales lady when they put their chicks on clearance. Her answer...when the chicks get big and try to fly out of the pens, that's when they go on sale. And that's how I ended up with six new chicks today, they were sold a dollar a piece and now they are in my baby pen. I'm getting dangerously close to having 80 chickens!!!

Five of the six chicks are standing together checking out their new coop.

August and September are a great time to buy chicks at Tractor Supply or Rural King, because most people purchase their chicks during the spring. Towards the end of the summer, chick sales slow down, and sometimes, they go on clearance. I wanted to spread this news onto my readers who are considering starting their own flock soon, because clearance chicks might help you to decide to go ahead and "wing" it! Or, news to current chicken tenders like me, this might be a great time to add to your hoard...because really, you can't have too many chickens. Any chicks you buy now will start laying around Christmas, and mine will even be laying green eggs to celebrate Jesus' Birthday!

Thanks for reading my Country Squawk,

Kelly

P.S. News to come very soon....My second published children's book will be coming out in September called "Pastor Jay"!!!!