There is just so much I don’t know about your situation; why you want hens, is breed important, what are your general goals, how much experience you have integrating, what your facilities look like, how you manage them, and such it’s hard to get real specific. So I’ll try to be generic.
Get on this thread and chat with your neighbors. You might find someone local that has something acceptable to you.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/29002/alabama
The big advantages of started pullets is that you know they are pullets, not cockerels. You don’t have to go through the time and expense in raising them and setting up a brooder. You will get eggs sooner but they will cost you more per chicken.
You might want to consider quarantine any time you bring chickens in, some don’t but some do. If you get chicks from a reputable hatchery the risk of bringing in any parasites or disease is really small, I don’t worry about it. Feed stores are usually not too risky. But chicks or older chickens from any other source carry more risk. I consider chickens from auctions of swap meets really at risk.
You can get sexed chicks from hatcheries but unless you get sex linked chicks you still have a risk of getting some cockerels. If you get chicks from neighbors it’s highly unlikely they will be sexed so you will likely have cockerels to deal with unless you wait until they are a few weeks old.
I think that’s the highlights, at least as far as I’m concerned. Good luck!
