Best place to buy chicks???

[Fraunie]

So, we got our first chicks last week from our local feed store. They get chicks from a hatchery, don't know which one, and have a good assortment every week from March through August. This was our first adventure into chick picking, so we went with 8dayers thinking they would be a little heartier and so far they all seem just fine.

My concern/question is, after reading BYC for about 2 hrs a day this past week, I've realized that I might not get true to type birds. I think my Salmon Faves are going to be dark, my brahma doesn't have feathers on its legs (my bad, I thought they might just grow in) etc. If I am interested in good looking/true to type birds, where is the best place for me to get them??

Locally I have found a lot of people selling chicks, I know you can order from hatcheries/breeders directly and I know you can go to feed stores. Which is more reliable? I am a newbie, so I am nervous about mail order chicks and me handling the certain death o some of them. I am nervous about hatching eggs. I am nervous about someone passing off their mixed breeds or something else they don't want since I don't have enough experience. how do I find a reliable source?

Thanks!

 

[groundpecker]

You can subscribe to your states thread here on byc. There you can probably find what you are looking for.
There are also others on byc that sell chicks locally and some will ship.

If you are just looking for laying hens and yard birds, the chicks you have now will be fine. If you are looking to show your birds, you might want to order some hatching eggs, chicks, or pick up some live birds from reputable people here on byc.

 

[Jubilee1111]

If you go with a private breeder who is NPIP certified, you have a good chance of getting birds from an ethical source.

What I did is researched extensively all the characteristics of the breeds/colors I wanted. Then I went on BYC and searched for those in my area with those birds. I was extremely fortunate to find a wonderful breeder just a half hour away.

If you start your initial communications with a breeder with questions such as, Do your birds breed true to type? How close to the adhere to the Standard of Perfection? Do you ever see (insert common flaws/health issues/problems) in the chicks you are producing? and so on. The seller will immediately know that you are serious about obtaining quality birds and have done your research which lessens the chance of them trying to pull a fast one on you.

I am a huge advocate of going to see the parents and picking chicks for myself. There are a lot of little things you can look for even if you're relatively new to this. Leg color, beak color, comb type, feathering, etc...

If you are looking for AWESOME Brahmas of the more interesting and rare colorations, just let me know. I can put you in contact with a very ethical, very professional source. I am hard to impress and this lady had me seriously WOW'd

.

 

[goonat123]

If you find a local breeder than thats the best thing to do.

 

[ArcticFowl]

I ordered online as well as bought from the local Feed Store and the local Feed store said pullets for all but thats not the case at the moment I still need to get pics up so I can get them sexed..

The online company shipped 1 day overnight airmail and so far after 4 days the 25 EE's are doing very well and no issues havent lost one at all..

also got 6 ducks from there and no issues with them either. I guess it all depends on the operation that you buy from.

 

[Fraunie]

Thank you all!

I am just looking for backyard layers, so really, looks don't matter!! But I chose some based on their more unusual appearance, not on egg laying ability, and now realizing that they might not have the best quality of those traits. No biggie, but being new to chickens I also want to be a responsible owner....kind of like owning dogs...We are rescue dog owners, but it took me buying a poor quality pup from a backyard breeder to realize there was a responsible and irresponsible way to dog ownership!

I did find out that there is actually a large BYC group locally that has meetups on the regular. I'm going to contact them and keep in touch with too for egg/chick sourcing as well.

Thanks for your response!!

Fraun

 

[cassie0628]

How do I subscribe to my states thread? Looking to buy hardy backyard layers.

 

[521collective]

I am in Texas too and am willing to drive. Can you share the name of the breeder you are referring to, please?

 

[521collective]

If you go with a private breeder who is NPIP certified, you have a good chance of getting birds from an ethical source.

What I did is researched extensively all the characteristics of the breeds/colors I wanted. Then I went on BYC and searched for those in my area with those birds. I was extremely fortunate to find a wonderful breeder just a half hour away.

If you start your initial communications with a breeder with questions such as, Do your birds breed true to type? How close to the adhere to the Standard of Perfection? Do you ever see (insert common flaws/health issues/problems) in the chicks you are producing? and so on. The seller will immediately know that you are serious about obtaining quality birds and have done your research which lessens the chance of them trying to pull a fast one on you.

I am a huge advocate of going to see the parents and picking chicks for myself. There are a lot of little things you can look for even if you're relatively new to this. Leg color, beak color, comb type, feathering, etc...

If you are looking for AWESOME Brahmas of the more interesting and rare colorations, just let me know. I can put you in contact with a very ethical, very professional source. I am hard to impress and this lady had me seriously WOW'd

.

Apologies, I thought I qupted you above...can you share the breeder info with me? I would be willing to drive to the Austin area.

 

[patriciahwong]

Hi! Can you share the breeder information with me? I have been searching for exactly thsi!!! Thank you in advance for all your help.