Why Buying a Chook is More than a Transaction

INGRID Dimock comes close to being a mother hen to “her girls” and firmly believes buying a chook should be an experience, not a transaction.

Ingrid stocks a large range of hybrid chickens, day-old chicks, exotic pure breeds and bantams as well as ducklings, guinea fowl, quail and turkey poults.

Customers will also find anything they need for a home setup: feed, straw, grit, feeders, drinkers, containers; and novelty products, chicken caps, native bees, honey and more.

It all started when Ingrid took a break from teaching to raise her children, and read an article about the company Rentachook.

“I thought I could do that. I wanted to create a nice experience of chicken buying,” she recalls. She now also has a City Chicks outlet in Sydney and her own hatchery on the Sunshine Coast with 4000 birds.

She specialises in heritage breeds and says that as a result of television and magazine exposure, they are in demand.

“People want different birds. They will drive for two and a half hours to come to us,” Ingrid says.

She says they 're not laying as frequently as hybrid birds but they're laying for four to five years, compared to about 18 months.

“People want to support heritage birds and birds that don’t have as much reproductive pressure on them,” she says.

Ingrid can provide expert advice, and can set up a flock to take people home.
“I’m very much an animal person. They (chickens) have such unique personalities,” she says.

It is not just about the chooks, though. City Chicks offers playdates and resting areas for ducklings so children can enjoy and learn about the animals.
During the school holidays they also run events at their Samford shop.

The business is at The Lifestyle Centre, which is a collection of homewares, garden, lifestyle and leisure businesses. It has a farm walk visitors can enjoy, with chickens, ducks, goats, sheep and a donkey.

Address: The Lifestyle Centre, 225 Mount Glorious Rd, Samford Valley

Phone: 3289 3007