Difference in buying chicks closer to you or farther away?

[Willow's Meadow]

So I want to order some chicks from Cackle Hatchery. We do live pretty far away from Cackle. Should we order from a hatchery that is closer to us or would it be okay for them to be shipped from a longer distance? Does it really make a difference? How many people order from Cackle or a different hatchery and live far from that hatchery, have you, has it worked out all right? (Don't want to say where I live

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[smith2]

I know I must be weird, but everytime I have ordered from a hatchery things were fine. I have ordered from MM, Ideal, and Estes. All were fine. The birds are hatchery quality, not breeder quality, but most breeds I have are just ordinary egg laying, backyard chickens. I don't have any foo-foo breeds. I am starting to get more of my birds from breeders, but sometimes that is hard to do. If you could find birds locally, instead of having them shipped, they are usually healthier because shipping really takes a toll on them. I don't think distance is an issue as much as how your post office operates. The folks at my post office are awesome, but some aren't.