Another post in the ‘How to Raise Chickens’ series.
Once you’re committed to getting chickens you need to decide how your going to source the baby chicks. It’s important to know there are a few ways to go about this, each with their own ups and downs.
Sourcing chicks
In our last article about chickens, choosing a breed, I shared some things to consider when choosing which type of bird you want. The outcome of those choices may dictate where you can buy your birds.
For example, if you have a very specific breed of chicken that you’d like to raise, like those sweet little Golden Polish, you might only have one or two hatcheries to choose from. But if you’re totally flexible in the breed of bird, you can get some chicks pretty much anywhere.
Here are 5 places to look when it comes time to buy baby chicks.
But First!
When to buy baby chicks
Most people get baby chicks in the spring. It’s fine, it’s worked for years.
I suggest you consider getting your baby chicks in the fall.
Yeah. Crazy New Hampshire Man again. But here’s why.
Most of us are getting into birds for the eggs. If you get your birds in the spring they’ll grow out during the summer and start laying in the fall.
The frequency that a chicken lays an eggs is dependent on the hours of daylight in a day, so your chicks will be coming into production at the same time of year that their body is telling them to slow down.
Totally natural, totally cool, just a bit of a bummer to go through the work of brooding and raising birds to have them finally produce eggs, and then slow down.
ON THE CONTRARY – If you buy your chicks in the fall, early enough for them to feather out before winter (no later than October where I am, zone 5), then they’ll grow out through the winter and come into laying in the spring and go gang busters laying eggs for you all summer.
I have a few other reasons, too, but that’s the meat of it.
So.
Onto sourcing baby chicks…
Mail Order Hatchery
If you’ve never done this it will sound weird. But yes, you can get live baby chicks in the mail.
Many major hatcheries will ship chicks the same day they hatch. They plan it very strategically so they hatch on Monday, to get in the mail on Monday so they can be delivered anywhere in the country within three days.
New chicks can live for three days with no food or water.
I’ve done this. It’s fun. Going to the post office to pick up a box of squeaky little chicks.
But I might never do it again.
That said, hatcheries like Murray McMurray offer really awesome catalogs with great descriptions to help you understand what breeds you’re interested in. Even if you don’t buy from them, I recommend getting a catalog for the educational content.
Final note on mail order hatcheries is that they will usually have a minimum order of 15 to 25 birds. This is so the chicks can keep each other warm during shipping. There are exceptions, but just keep that in mind.
Craigslist / Facebook Marketplace
If you are patient and persistent you can probably generate a pretty decent flock from freebies offered on Craigslist and other classified sites.
I’ve done this too, and it works out, but it’s not something I would dedicate much time and energy to. You have no control over the breed, nor how old the chickens are.
That said, it does let you get into chickens with the possibility of skipping the brooding phase, which can be a pain in the ass (more on that later). It also means you can also get chickens when they’re already laying, which, compared to the rest of us, is a pretty quick return on investment.
Hardware store
Most country hardware stores bring in some chicks in the spring to sell. These can be good and bad.
Most likely, these chicks come from a mail order hatchery. The best part is that the hardware store absorbs any fatalities during transit, though most mail order hatcheries will toss in an extra chick or two to account for this too.
The biggest downside of getting chicks from the hardware store is that you are limited in breed options. If they offer the breed you want it doesn’t matter, but if they don’t, you’re out of luck.
That said, if you talk to the store manager early in the season, you might be able to get them to order a special variety for you.
Friends
If you put the word out that you want chicks, you might just find a friend who could hatch some out for you. Another great reason to be purposeful in growing your community and network.
RELATED: Be a Super Connector in your Community
I’m totally into this, the price is probably going to be good, and birds good, but the only hangup is that most people aren’t going to be qualified to sex the birds, meaning you won’t know if you’re getting a male (cockerel / rooster) or a female (pullet / hen).
You’ll notice in the catalogs that the price is dependent on gender, and you can usually also order a straight run, meaning the batch could be either.
Local Hatchery
This one is pretty much my favorite, but it might take a little searching.
I’ve noticed that local hatcheries are popping up and it’s a super cool opportunity to keep your money local, but more importantly, it gives you access to someone local who is very experienced in raising chickens. That alone is worth the extra dollar or two for the chick.
Furthermore, local hatcheries will likely be hatching birds that are best suited for your climate, which can take a little guess work out of the equation for a newbie.
You’ll be buying more chicks
There are lots of great places to get baby chicks. If you’re just getting started I recommend going with whatever is easiest in your journey. As you get the hang of it you can try different options to grow or sustain your flock.
Generally, chickens will lay for 3 years or so, and some can live much longer. Some get sick, some get eaten by predators. You’ll be buying more chicks in the future so, for now, just do what works.
The next thing to be thinking about is brooding and then housing.
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