Help! In California and afraid to order from hatcheries 1400 miles away.

[ChickenLeg]

Oh that’s true! I kinda wanted to experience the whole baby chick thing tho.

Sexed pullets come as day old chicks, if you call around to feed stores in spring you will definitely find some sexed pullet chicks for sale, usually no more than $4 each That would be the route Id take personally

 

[CoconutCoffee]

You can probably find a breeder that's closer not a big hatchery. Ordering chicks through the mail was stressful without Covid messing things up, I couldn't handle it now

 

[Kiki]

Have you ordered from them and had a good experience?

Yes, it's the only place I order chicks from.

 

[Kiki]

You can probably find a breeder that's closer not a big hatchery. Ordering chicks through the mail was stressful without Covid messing things up, I couldn't handle it now

People sell sick birds... regularly.

 

[Kiki]

Sexed pullets come as day old chicks, if you call around to feed stores in spring you will definitely find some sexed pullet chicks for sale, usually no more than $4 each That would be the route Id take personally

My local feed store sells pullets...pullets they pull from hatchery boxes labeled straight run.

 

[ChickenLeg]

My local feed store sells pullets...pullets they pull from hatchery boxes labeled straight run.

Ohh noo haha luckily our local feed store is run by my moms cousin and his daughter so we know they have some integrity lol, prices arent the cheapest as far as feed and medicines but at least its a trustworthy establishment, as long as ideal sends them the correct birds

 

[CoconutCoffee]

People sell sick birds... regularly.

Yeah but if she's planning for spring then there's time to research those selling. I'm not saying to find some random person off Craigslist or the side of the road

 

[Kiki]

Yeah but if she's planning for spring then there's time to research those selling. I'm not saying to find some random person off Craigslist or the side of the road

A lot of new to chicken people have no clue about chicken diseases... Nor do they understand how crappy people are when it comes to selling chicks to people who aren't in the know.

 

[ncomp]

I am brand new to “chickening” and planning to order my first chicks for the spring. But I am in Southern California, and all of the raved about hatcheries are about 1,400 miles away from me. Ideal is probably the closest in TX but they have a $30 limit and I only have a small coop that holds 6 hens max. I was hoping to start with 4 or 5. With the USPS being so slow right now, I’m really worried my babies would not survive the trip from Cackle or Meyer or McMurray. I’m also not sure of the best hatch/ship date from them. I am a California girl and weather here…unless it’s August and 112 degrees…is not usually a factor.
Can someone walk me off the ledge and just tell me who to order from?? Lol

What about a smaller breeder - Alchemist Farm is in Sonoma County and their ladies lay gorgeous eggs. I'm not sure if they're sending any chicks anymore this year, but they'll start doing so again in the spring.

 

[NatJ]

I am brand new to “chickening” and planning to order my first chicks for the spring. But I am in Southern California, and all of the raved about hatcheries are about 1,400 miles away from me.

As long as the hatchery is in the USA, it probably doesn't make much difference.

The chicks usually travel by airplane, so even all the way across the country is just a few hours.

The chicks usually spend about 2 days being shipped, but most of that is because of the time it takes to sort mail, put it on and off of planes and trucks, and drive them the last bit of distance to your local Post Office.

So living close to a major airport makes a big difference, but living close to the hatchery does not make much difference, unless you live close enough to drive there and pick up your chicks in person.

Ideal is probably the closest in TX but they have a $30 limit and I only have a small coop that holds 6 hens max. I was hoping to start with 4 or 5.

Look at the prices for the chicks you want, before you worry too much about that. Sexed pullets (female chicks) cost more than males or unsexed ones, and some breeds cost a lot more than others.

You might also be able to split an order with someone, or get a few meat birds to raise with your females but butcher the meaties at 2 months old. Or get twice as many pullets, but butcher the less-favorite half when they are a few months old, but that tends to be emotionally more difficult because they might all be favorites

With the USPS being so slow right now, I’m really worried my babies would not survive the trip from Cackle or Meyer or McMurray.

I would expect all of those to be fine.

Some people have had trouble with chicks arriving late in bad shape, but most chicks have still been arriving within a safe length of time.

If you order, do not panic when the "arrival date" is 5 or more days after shipping date. The Post Office computer system has been estimating longer shipment times, even though the actual chicks are mostly arriving within the usual 3 days.

I’m also not sure of the best hatch/ship date from them. I am a California girl and weather here…unless it’s August and 112 degrees…is not usually a factor.

I strongly recommend building your coop before placing the chick order, so you can brood the chicks right in the coop.

Other than that, for McMurray or Cackle or Meyer, I would go with the earliest date they will ship the small-order size you want. For Ideal, almost any time, but winter/spring are probably better than the middle of summer. February or March might be good, because the people in cold areas of the country do not want chicks that early, so availability is better.

Can someone walk me off the ledge and just tell me who to order from?? Lol

OK, I will help you: order from McMurray, either the week of April 4th or the week of April 18th. Flip a coin to decide which date.

Reasons:
April 4th is the first week they will ship an order of 6 chicks. April 18th is after Easter (and chicks sell out really fast around Easter time).

Personally, I like Ideal, but I think you will be happier with one of the other hatcheries you named. Ideal tends to put extra chicks in the package (male chicks are cheaper than heat packs, and work better too.) I don't mind the extra males because I like to eat them, but I'm guessing you don't want them.

For choosing among McMurray, Cackle, and Meyer: I simply have a bit more experience with McMurray, so if you need to be told which hatchery, that's the one I'm telling you to use.

(Seriously, any of the hatcheries you named should be fine, and many other dates will also be fine.)