Now that we have acreage, we can't wait to get our first chicks! Tractor Supply and Meyer Hatchery have been recommended to us. Is there any advantage in going with one over the other? I think we will get Buff Orpingtons, since my 6 year old will be helping to care for them, and they will also be pets. One day, I'd love some Barred Rock as well. We want to start small, with 6 chicks at the most since we are new to all this.
Most hatcheries will make you order 25 chickens. If you have some people to split the order with that can be great. Otherwise TSC is probably your best bet.
Ideal has a $25.00 fee, not 25 chicks. By the time you order a few chicks, pay for shipping, & vaccination for Mareks(if you so choose), you don't have anywhere near 25 chicks! I just received mine, & in spite of sitting in a little shipping box from Tuesday afternoon until Saturday morning, I only lost 6 out of 20. It was amazing any were alive. They have been very healthy & active. BTW, it was not Ideals fault the shipment was delayed.
Cackle Hatchery is one I like. They have small orders for backyards with free shipping. Also another new site I believe is also run by Cackle is called chickensforbackyards.com here you can order as few as three chicks. Both have Buff Orpingtons. I think Buff Orpingtons are a great choice for kids. I have 13 Buff Orp hens & one rooster (who is kind). Brahmas are another breed I would recommend for childen (I have 5). I'm not so sure about TSC chicks as I just purchased 6 chicks there that seem to be having some strange problems, but it may also just be the TSC in my area.
Meyer Hatchery is great to work with and has a wonderful variety to choose from and they do have a minimum order over the number you want...BUT their minimum number of chicks is three from April-October (standard size, not bantam) so they might be a good way to go. There's two other places you might find decent luck with the smaller orders, that have a decent reputation...My Pet Chicken and Valley Hatchery both have small minimum orders. Valley Hatchery has a small order egg layer special, pricing includes shipping. Won't be as cheap as TSC but you'll know what you're getting. Our local TSC simply has a large trough labeled with "red" or something like that...they do not have separate breeds identified. Pretty dumb in my opinion. Our local feedstore also carries chicks---always very healthy, a nice variety, and tempting! Maybe there's a feedstore near you that does the same---they order from a hatchery but you can buy smaller numbers. Good luck. And six is just the gateway--be prepared for chicken math to kick in
Thank you all so much! Our local TSC will let you order the breed you want with a 6 chick minimum. From your replies, I'm thinking that may be the easiest thing for us to do. I'll check with them tomorrow.
If TSC is the same all over, their policy is six breed minimum in a minimum order of 25. So it would behoove you to make certain you aren't obligated to order 25 chicks in order to get your six of the breed you want. For this reason, I pre-ordered from My Pet Chicken and was able to get six chicks, split between two different breeds. My chicks will come in May.
Thank you. You were right - TSC did actually have a 25 chick minimum. So, I went with Chickens for Backyards. They should be coming next month! I'm way too excited!