Hatchery's out of stock

[grizleyguy]

I looked on a couple popular hatchery's and u can't get straight run or pullets for at least a month. Still can get roosters lol. I hope this plays out because I hope to sell baby chicks and ducklings in 3 to 4 months. Shouldn't be hard to sell chicks if people can't get em through hatchery. Does anyone know if it's a high demand issue or a disease issue at the hatcheries

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I looked on a couple popular hatchery's and u can't get straight run or pullets for at least a month. Still can get roosters lol. I hope this plays out because I hope to sell baby chicks and ducklings in 3 to 4 months. Shouldn't be hard to sell chicks if people can't get em through hatchery. Does anyone know if it's a high demand issue or a disease issue at the hatcheries

High demand

 

[LVB]

Mega-high demand - this morn I placed an order to be delivered the end of June. If you know what you want, then there's no other option but to wait.

 

[springvalley123]

High demand

that makes sense. I'm in a new neighborhood, I have five hens, and my neighbors are asking for eggs---I don't have enough. looks like all the common layer breeds. I'm glad I got a small order in thru Hoovers/TSC.

 

[springvalley123]

Also, even though they show as sold out thru march or so, you can call them and put an order in for beyond that (probably)--I did that once before.

 

[Alagirl]

that makes sense. I'm in a new neighborhood, I have five hens, and my neighbors are asking for eggs---I don't have enough. looks like all the common layer breeds. I'm glad I got a small order in thru Hoovers/TSC.

did they drop the 10 chick minimum through Hoover?

 

[springvalley123]

did they drop the 10 chick minimum through Hoover?

It's 10 thru TSC/hoover's. Hoover's directly has always been 15 and is now (except it was more I think during the earlier years of covid).

also, they may ship 12 instead of 10, for survivability---my niece got 10 in october in Phoenix, but years ago I got 12 in december.

 

[NatJ]

Does anyone know if it's a high demand issue or a disease issue at the hatcheries

I think it's pretty normal.
Demand is always highest in the spring.

Between Covid and Avian Influenze, it's been a bit worse the past few years, but for as long as I can remember the prime chick-raising times have sold out fairly fast.

Some of the hatcheries will add more chicks as the hatch dates get closer. They plan to get a certain number of eggs, and have a certain number of those eggs actually hatch. But if they get extra eggs (maybe the breeding hens are laying extra well), they can pre-sell a few more chicks. And then they candle the eggs during incubation, so they may be able to sell more chicks a few days before they hatch, if a better-than-expected number are developing well.

The hatcheries want to have every chick sold before the hatch day arrives, so they can ship them immediately. But of course that sometimes means they run short, or customers have to wait for another week.

 

[grizleyguy]

Thanks to all that replied. Gives us all more perspective of the market

 

[BlueBaby]

It also might have an effect because a 2 story chicken egg layer barn just burned up over in New Jersey. They will maybe need to replace their hen's too by buying big order's of laying hen chick's from the hatcheries?

I have a shipment of Bielefelder hatching egg's that just shipped out today from Omega Hills Hatchery over in Mississippi. They sell chick's there too, but I prefer to hatch them myself.