We ordered our chicks from Welp Hatchery in Iowa.
The Cal-Ranch Store in Cedar City UT gets their poultry from there and had catalogs available for those of us who wanted a greater variety of birds.
Several things tipped me in their direction.
1. I was able to order as few as 5 birds of each sex in each breed with no additional charge.
2. They had the breeds I wanted... Black Austrolorp, Buff Orpington, Plymouth Barred Rock, White Rock, Silver Lace Wyandotte, and Golden Lace Wyandotte.
3. I was able to figure out how to get the "best buy" for my needs. That is, I could order just females or males or straight run, whichever gave me the better deal.
4. There were no shipping charges.
When we placed our order on a Monday, we received a very nice e-mail stating our chicks would be sent on the following Monday. That gave me peace of mind that I wouldn't be facing a week-end delivery.
Our chicks arrived on Wednesday, April 27. About 8:20 AM we got a call from the Post Office (20 mile drive). When we got there, the gals volunteered that they had never seen healthier, heartier chicks... and they see A LOT of chicks!
We taught them to drink and sent them to the makeshift brooder in their coop, directly onto pine shavings. We used Gro-gel Plus to help them find their first day of feed. After that... the party was on!
To date, everyone who sees them marvel at their vitality.
At 16 days of age, they now have the run of the entire 8x8 coop (35 birds total), and are just short of reaching their regular roosts. They get fresh sunshine everyday both through their windows and the door (when I'm there with them).
I've chosen to keep the heat to a minimum as I want my birds thoroughly adapted to our weather here in the high desert.
You can see a lot of pics in my "Shari's Gone Country" blog.
The Cal-Ranch Store in Cedar City UT gets their poultry from there and had catalogs available for those of us who wanted a greater variety of birds.
Several things tipped me in their direction.
1. I was able to order as few as 5 birds of each sex in each breed with no additional charge.
2. They had the breeds I wanted... Black Austrolorp, Buff Orpington, Plymouth Barred Rock, White Rock, Silver Lace Wyandotte, and Golden Lace Wyandotte.
3. I was able to figure out how to get the "best buy" for my needs. That is, I could order just females or males or straight run, whichever gave me the better deal.
4. There were no shipping charges.
When we placed our order on a Monday, we received a very nice e-mail stating our chicks would be sent on the following Monday. That gave me peace of mind that I wouldn't be facing a week-end delivery.
Our chicks arrived on Wednesday, April 27. About 8:20 AM we got a call from the Post Office (20 mile drive). When we got there, the gals volunteered that they had never seen healthier, heartier chicks... and they see A LOT of chicks!
We taught them to drink and sent them to the makeshift brooder in their coop, directly onto pine shavings. We used Gro-gel Plus to help them find their first day of feed. After that... the party was on!
To date, everyone who sees them marvel at their vitality.
At 16 days of age, they now have the run of the entire 8x8 coop (35 birds total), and are just short of reaching their regular roosts. They get fresh sunshine everyday both through their windows and the door (when I'm there with them).
I've chosen to keep the heat to a minimum as I want my birds thoroughly adapted to our weather here in the high desert.
You can see a lot of pics in my "Shari's Gone Country" blog.
