Hatching eggs and/or chicks

I've been thinking lately that I kind of want to hatch out eggs or add some more chicks to my flock. Was thinking/hoping to possibly have eggs and an incubator or broody for the HAL

But anyways, for eggs I guess it would probably be better to start with cheap ones of like any breed but for chicks I want Speckled Sussex, Gold or Silver Laced Wyandotte, Partridge or Silver Laced Rock, and possibly a Brahma or EE rooster or maybe hens. I really want those breeds but more colors/varieties of Orpingtons or Australorps would be cool too or any color for the Wyandottes and Rocks, those are just the colors I want most.

ETA: Oh or Delaware, Dominiques, Cochins, or Buckeye.

Anyone know where to find those in or near Massachusetts? I'm in southeastern MA, near like Kingston, Plymouth, etc. but I'd be willing to travel a little bit. Or maybe there's a good breeder here on BYC that ships eggs or chicks?

Otherwise I might order from a hatchery or find a farm store that carries them but I don't really want to pay for shipping from a hatchery.

And btw, if I did go the feed store route, does anyone have any recommendations for a store that usually has good stock and/or variety of breeds?

Thanks in advance

Check and see if there's a chicken swap in your area

Look up the websites of poultry clubs near you. Oftentimes they will have them listed. Best, Karen

3riverschick said:

Check and see if there's a chicken swap in your area

Look up the websites of poultry clubs near you. Oftentimes they will have them listed. Best, Karen

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Thanks, those are good ideas! I'll try those, thanks

Oh and yes I know it's a lot of breeds but I am indecisive I won't add every single breed I want to the flock (at least not now ) but just wanted to give myself more options in terms of finding someone

Check Craigslist. There are usually some hatching eggs on there. Just be careful and don't go alone to get them. It might be hard to find all of those breeds from one place. If you do order eggs, shipped eggs don't always do as well and you should let them sit point down in an egg carton for a day (not in an incubator). If you were to order eggs I would suggest Meyer Hatchery. Their hatching eggs are pretty cheap for Hatchery eggs and they have good reviews. They also have a lot of the breeds you mentioned you wanted. Just be careful getting shipped eggs. If you were to get chicks I would suggest your local feed store or McMurray Hatchery. I have had great success with them for chicks. The ones I got are outstanding layers and were healthy.


Hope this helps!

et22 said:

Check Craigslist. There are usually some hatching eggs on there. Just be careful and don't go alone to get them. It might be hard to find all of those breeds from one place. If you do order eggs, shipped eggs don't always do as well and you should let them sit point down in an egg carton for a day (not in an incubator). If you were to order eggs I would suggest Meyer Hatchery. Their hatching eggs are pretty cheap for Hatchery eggs and they have good reviews. They also have a lot of the breeds you mentioned you wanted. Just be careful getting shipped eggs. If you were to get chicks I would suggest your local feed store or McMurray Hatchery. I have had great success with them for chicks. The ones I got are outstanding layers and were healthy.


Hope this helps!

Click to expand...

Thanks for advice! I've been looking at Craigslist some but I'll have to keep checking! And yeah, it's fine if they're not all from the same place or I can't get them all, was more just listing a bunch to increase my chances of finding something. and thanks, I never thought of looking at their eggs, I'll do that

Look on craigslist for hatching eggs under the category Farm and Garden. You can also find chicks that way. You can order baby chicks. I recommend Murray McMurray Hatchery or My Pet Chicken. If you get an incubator take it from my experience invest in the automatic turner. I thought that was for people too lazy to raise the lid and turn the eggs once a day. WRONG! The HUMIDITY inside an incubator is very very important, and every time you raise the lid it can mess up the humidity. Good luck you will enjoy it.

Thanks! I was nervous about CL but I'll reconsider and look again

And thanks, I'll definitely get a turner then

Oh and about ordering, my current chicks actually came from Meyer Hatchery and I love them and will order from them again or try one of the other hatcheries if I can't find any locally but I watch actually hoping to find some locally and/or a breeder on BYC and save on the shipping cost. Sorry if that wasn't clear. But thanks again for the help and suggestions