Any hatcheries sell keets in smaller batches?

[featherz]

We are looking to get 10 or fewer and most hatcheries I can find are selling 15+, some requiring 30! Are there any small batch sellers? I'm in upstate NY, if that helps.

We're thinking of ordering a few more chicks at the same time (July 12th) but was told by at least one hatchery that they can't be shipped together because guineas eat chicken toes. Really?

 

[Akane]

They can't ship fewer because they will freeze to death. You'll get a box of dead keets. The place that ship only a few chickens either include heat packs or throw in a bunch of roos known as packing peanuts to keep the others warm. Keets don't have packing peanuts since they can't be sexed and few places do the heat packs. Mypetchicken.com is the only one I can think of that does. Some places do ship keets and chicks together but I don't remember which ones. You're better off looking locally. I found guinea keets for sale right up the road using craigslist. Feedstores usually have a board to post flyers for these things. Try looking around your area first. You'll get healthier keets that don't go through the stress of shipping.

 

[zazouse]

Guineas don't eat chicken toes, i keep mine together from hatch day on, "what a crock"

Besides it is dark in shipping boxes, they could not see to peck a toe if they wanted too and the boxes can have dividers.

Did you look at idea hatchery, i got 10 nice guinea keets from them along with some chicks.

 

[TurkeyMountainChickens]

I know SandHill Preservation Center will ship keets and chicks together.

 

[featherz]

It was cackle that mentioned the chicken toes.

I have chicks right now and thought about getting five more thrown in with the keets, but the toe thing kinda threw me off.

I'll check locally and get the chicks from MPC again, I guess.

The eight I have now are doing great!

My husband is the one insisting we get guineas also, as the ticks out here are horrible!

 

[gardenknitter]

We got ours last fall from Orschlen Farm store. You could buy as many or as few as you wanted. I think they are about done with spring chick days, but they will have them again come fall. I think I paid $4.50 each for them.