Best place to get new baby chicks?

[FamilyOfSeven]

Thanks!

 

[Mill Chick]

The only place I have bought chicks is at wilco and tractor supply so I voted tractor supply

 

[sourland]

This year it's wherever you can find the chicks that you want. Demand is exceeding supply in many areas.

 

[HoneyBeeHomestead]

I said hatchery because there's a much better selection of breeds, and you're more likely to get the correct breed. But unless you are able to drive to the hatchery to pick them up, it's common to lose a few in transit. At Tractor Supply/Rural King, the chicks still come from a hatchery, but they are a bit more robust by the time you get them, and you're less likely to lose some. There's also only a very limited selection. As someone who has done both many times, my first choice is buying them online directly from a hatchery, but I will also buy some from TSC if they have the breed I want. (Which isn't often these days as they sell out so quickly.)

 

[atomic]

Go to a farm swap! Support your local people!

 

[StinkyAcres]

I've only bought from local NPIP certified breeders or local farm/feed stores. The local farm stores buy from a hatchery which means I save on shipping costs, they care for the chicks properly, and there aren't tons of visitors around to contaminate the area. Heard too many bad things about how chain farm stores treat and sort chicks.

 

[Chicken_Obsesser]

The only place I have bought chicks is at wilco and tractor supply so I voted tractor supply

LOL same!

 

[FamilyOfSeven]

Thank you all for the advice!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I only buy from hatcheries. This year demand is so great I'm having to wait until July for my hatchlings. Too many tales of people getting chicks from feed stores and then being stuck trying to offload unwanted cockerels, or trying to figure out what breeds they have.

 

[Slothinc]

Local breeders are an awesome place to source chicks!