Frustrated about the availability of chicks

[TwoShepherds]

Farm girl left the farm. Wanted chickens her whole life. Turned 50 and finally got some last year. Everyone said she was crazy. But hubby built a great coop and extra large run.

7 babies all grew into beautiful healthy birds. 5-6 eggs per day. She quickly becomes everyone’s favorite neighbor. Chicken math…. Expanded coop = 5 more this year, to make an even dozen. (Seemed appropriate. lol. Plus the run is big enough for 20 + free range when weather appropriate.) She knows what she’s doing now and is having SO much fun spoiling her hens in return for delicious eggs.

Then bam, 2025 and suddenly she’s not crazy anymore, but now she can’t find any chickens! TSC can’t tell you what breed to expect or when to expect them— then sell out in 45 minutes! The local co-op orders keep getting canceled.

She is ME and I am SO disappointed. Where can I get my 5 new babies? I am very picky now that I know what I’m doing, but at this point I’ll settle for almost any large egg layers who will be nice to my sweet orpingtons. Also considering a rooster (to “fertilize” Orpington and/or Jersey giant eggs.) as an alternative. And I’ll drive anywhere in Tennessee to get them!

Did you find chicks?

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Well, they're really not wrong. They can, and most people will know better, but you only need a couple desperate ones. Worst part is that this is still only March.



Same people that paid 3x a reasonable price for rural real estate in 2021 probably won't bat an eye over the price of those pullets. It'll be kind of funny when they discover chickens don't lay a dozen eggs each every day. It'll be a little funnier if those pullets start to crow instead of lay eggs!

I wonder how many of those who are running out to buy chicks "to get eggs" know what "straight run" means?

You know, I bet in all this insanity, someone, somewhere, has purchased baby ducklings thinking they were chicks.

Either they went into a feed store just looking for cute fuzzy yellow baby birds, or some unethical person deceptively sold them ducklings and passed them off as chicks.

I'm not trying to make fun of anyone, I think these things happen because of panic buying and a lack of education and planning.

 

[Iluveggers]

It'll be kind of funny when they discover chickens don't lay a dozen eggs each every day.

One of my very misinformed coworkers said to me that her uncle used to have chickens and is thinking of getting some again. She said he used to get about 3 dozen eggs a day. I made a comment like, wow, he must have had 40 or 50 chickens! She said, no, he had about 12, and he would go out there 3 times a day and find more eggs. . I did not try to explain that a chicken does not lay 3 eggs a day. Lol

 

[OphyliaOrpington]

Did you find chicks?

Yes. I ordered from mypetchickens.com. Shipping on 4/14. 5 hens. 3 austra white and 2 bountiful blue egg layers (supposed to lay large blue eggs). Not exactly what I wanted, but close. I am thrilled and grateful.

 

[TwoShepherds]

Yes. I ordered from mypetchickens.com. Shipping on 4/14. 5 hens. 3 austra white and 2 bountiful blue egg layers (supposed to lay large blue eggs). Not exactly what I wanted, but close. I am thrilled and grateful.

Hooray! Glad you found some chicks, even if it wasn’t exactly what you were looking for. Those sound like wonderful breeds. I love a colorful egg basket. I mostly hatch my own eggs to replenish my flock, but unexpectedly found myself needing some hatching eggs this year due to some losses from hawks. I was surprised when most places seemed to already be sold out….though usually I preorder earlier in the year, so I can’t say for sure that’s abnormal.

At any rate, I’m in Tennessee also. I’m not a professional breeder, but if you were close to me, I would have offered to hatch out some chicks for you as a last resort. I have olive eggers and black copper marans. Usually I have splash Ameraucanas, but that’s my small flock that was decimated by the hawks.

I think chickens are the most rewarding hobby. I’m glad new people are getting involved. My worry is that people seeking primarily cheap eggs will provide inadequate care due to the expense or ignorance. I spend more on my chickens each month than I’d ever spend on grocery store eggs, even with the current outrageous prices. Of course, I have more chickens than a family of 4 would need strictly for eating eggs.

 

[SourRoses]

One of my best layers is a mixie; the result of an Ameracauna rooster over a Rhode Island Red hen. She's dark gray fading to a nearly mahogany head and she lays beautiful mossy eggs.

Nothing wrong with mixes, almost my whole flock is (purposeful mixes).

But the folks that sell on craigslist / FB with "barnyard mix", often share photos of what that barnyard flock looks like. I studied one and picked out almost every "breed" in a hatchery catalog, including hybrids.
What do you get when you cross a cinnamon queen with an olive egger? Who knows! Is that even the daddy? There are 4 roos! And which chick hatched from the cinnamon queen egg? They dunno
Isn't that fun?!!!
* It can be, if you're the one making the mixes. Second hand, second pickings of a mess is just a recipe for disappointment. And you know they are all straight run but they've already picked out the obvious pullets (not so straight)...

 

[whatchick]

We're "not ready" still. (We haven't cleaned out and predator-proofed the toolshed.) I've been looking online for the last month, watching as the shipping dates keep getting pushed out further and further. I'm hoping we can find some in our local stores when we're ready. At this point, I've tossed out my breed wish list and just hoping to find some chicks that are sweet and quiet!

 

[DemeterAD9]

I personally haven't seen the chick selections wiped clean but I've only been out to TSC and Family Farm twice this spring. Both times they had some chicks in stock, just the other day I saw an okay selection of birds including meat turkeys and chickens, ducklings, guineas, SLW, assorted bantams, various EEs, and a few other breeds I can't remember.

TSC had a bunch of sticky notes on their chick bins saying "hold X amount of (insert breed) for so-and-so" which I found interesting. At Family Farm an employee was on the phone with a disgruntled customer who was upset about not having his "special order" of certain breeds/colors. I can only imagine all the crap the poor workers have to go through as they explain over and over how they do not control what breeds they get in at any given time.

I'm so glad I started keeping chickens last year so I can hatch my own eggs. I just hatched 25 bouncing babies a couple days ago. Also put in an order way back in December from Meyer for a few special breeds I wanted and some cornish X. Hopefully they arrive alive and well come Tuesday/Wed morning. My family should be set for eggs and meat!

 

[Lil Country]

So is anyone else having issues with every chick being bought up within a small amount of time after arrival at stores?

In my area they are being bought up so fast?

Yes, yes, yes!! This has been a big frustration for me. It took weeks before I could get any chicks. They sell out everywhere I’ve gone within minutes. I’ve had better luck buying from local breeders, of course straight run and risk of having unwanted roosters. But I’m happy with quality and health of the chicks from breeders.

 

[SourRoses]

We're "not ready" still. (We haven't cleaned out and predator-proofed the toolshed.) I've been looking online for the last month, watching as the shipping dates keep getting pushed out further and further. I'm hoping we can find some in our local stores when we're ready. At this point, I've tossed out my breed wish list and just hoping to find some chicks that are sweet and quiet!

In the south, they stop shipping chicks when it gets hot, so May is the last month I've seen chicks in the stores. Sometimes April... it depends. Then they get chicks in again in October, and that's it.
But we have a lot of members in Texas... check out your state thread, there may be someone nearby who has nice breeds available when you are ready!