Poultry
The Good, the Bad, the Fluffy
Available Poultry
Please click on the selection you're interested in for detailed information. Please read full description prior to placing your order, thank you! **Please note, due to the rapid spread of Avian Flu across the country, no poultry sales are planned for the 2022 season.**
Frequently Asked Questions
+ Other Tidbits
What is a "pullet"?
A pullet is a young female chicken, and can be any age from hatching as a chick up to a year old. A female chicken a year old or older is referred to as a 'Hen'. Mullenax Ranch refers to 'pullets' to indicate gender as female. Most chicks here are sold at less than a week old, unless otherwise noted on their listing description.
What age are the chicks I'm picking up?
Most chicks this year are sold at 1-2 weeks of age, unless otherwise noted on their listing description. If there's no age listed other than 'chick' they are most likely 1-2 weeks old to give them a great start.
Do I get to hand select my chicks at pick-up?
Unfortunately we are not set-up yet to have the public on our farm and to prevent biosecurity risks entering or leaving our farm. Chicks are randomly selected and brought to the farm gate for pick-up.
What do I need to bring for pick-up?
Bring your email confirmation with you which contains our address and DIRECTIONS on how to find us. GPS is wrong, PLEASE make sure to follow ONLY the directions in the e-mail or you'll be trespassing through some of the neighbors or end up at the wrong gate..or a different mountain. We provide a bag to take them home in, along with substrate (sphagnum moss) in the bag to go home.
What kind of bedding does Mullenax Ranch use for chicks? Is it dirt?
We made the switch to using Sphagnum Moss over pine shavings to aid in chick development. Newly hatched chicks are still figuring our what's edible and peck everything. Sphagnum Moss tastes terrible and this helps them figure out food much sooner, plus it doesn't get kicked into feed and water as quickly. When older, we switch to pine shavings. NEVER use cedar or any wood shavings other than pine as this can prove toxic for them.
What is "Biosecurity"?
Biosecurity referes to the processes and procedures a poultry owner or establishment has in place to prevent the spread of infectious pathogens or other contamination. Contaminants can be found on footwear, clothing, vehicles and even on your hair. Any used poultry equipment, carriers or coops should be sterilized prior to use. For more on Biosecurity, view our resources further down this page.
Do I need to separate my new birds from my existing birds?
Yes! You should always keep new birds separate from your existing birds as part of your established Quarantine procedures. With any new birds we suggest at least 30 days quarantine from your existing flock as a standard precaution.
Can I give Marek's vaccine to an adult bird?
Yes, however it will not be as effective as when administered as a chick.
How does Marek's vaccine work?
Like many vaccines both animal or human, Marek's vaccine does not cover ALL strains, but the 'most common' strains. A bird who received Marek's vaccine as a chick may be susceptible to picking up a strain of Marek's from another bird that was not covered by the vaccine they received. There are also many other natural causes and viruses than can mimic Marek's. If you have a bird pass and don't believe it to be natural causes; i.e., lack of food, water, environmental or predation, you can always necropsy it with a lab or your local veterinarian to determine cause of death to aid in treatment or prevention for your remaining flock. Often, a necropsy is significantly cheaper on any animal than many of the tests available while alive. Many avian issues do not have clear testing and can display false negatives or positives, including Marek's. Extra caution should be taken when obtaining poultry from animal shelters or auctions.
If Mullenax Ranch were to have a bird die here on the farm from unknown cause, what is the farm's procedure?
Our policy and procedure for any avian death resulting from unknown cause, i.e., obviously not water, feed, environmental or predation/attack, is to send in for necropsy with the state lab. As part of being a responsible small farm for licensed egg and chick sales, safety for animals and consumers is a high priority. Our birds' health is of the upmost importance to us, and happy healthy animals are producing animals. We take a proactive approach with our flock management instead of reactive. Early detection and early action is important with any backyard flock, and particularly important on a working, producing farm.