mail order or feed store???

[nikki1]

So...which side of the fence are you on, and why? Getting my first chicks this spring, and I'd appreciate your input!

--Nikki

 

[Kevin565]

I personally often order through the feed stores. I get the perks of getting my custom order without the shipping cost of ordering by myself.

 

[citychickx6]

Kevin has what I think is an awesome answer. My local feed store welcomes adding special requests to their order. You never know until you ask.
Kind of a bummer when you are ordering 20 dollars worth of chicks and have 50 dollars in shipping.

Sadly this year the ones I am wanting to get the hatchery they order from only sells as straight run. No roosters allowed where I live so I am not going to chance it.
I am ordering through the mail for the first time. They are due in the middle of May. I sure hope this May is warmer than last May.

 

[donrae]

I'm with Kevin. My Grange has specific breeds they order and prefer to have them all spoken for upon arrival. They have a nice variety of breeds, I don't have to pay shipping and I can wait a few days after they arrive ( customers have five days to pick up pre ordered chicks) and let any weak or bummer chicks die off so mine have already made it past the 72 hour mark. I get the breeds I want and don't have to pay shipping or worry about when they come in.

I have ordered in the past and not had any problems really, but I don't usually want 25 chicks at a time and am way too cheap to pay all that shipping.

 

[MadabtChickens]

I personally will never order until the chicks can be shipped overnight Fedex because I just think 2 days being thrown around in a box with USPS is just cruel. Even then I will only order if I can't find the breed I want within 2 hours from where I live. Also, when you buy from the feed store you are supporting your local economy.

 

[Eznet2u]

or Bye Local...

 

[perchie.girl]

So...which side of the fence are you on, and why? Getting my first chicks this spring, and I'd appreciate your input!

--Nikki

I did a custom order through the feed store. They order their chicks from a hatchery that doesn't sell to the public. My next chicks are going to be local purchases simply because there is a breeder here in town that has Bev Davis blood lines. Then the next option for me is Eggs shipped from New York. As soon as his hens start laying I will be getting a dozen eggs and hatching them myself.

I have also ordered 40 Keets from a breeder here in Calfornia and They came to me all perky and stuffed with watermellon.... LOL she had zip tied watermellon slices inside the shipping container.

I think the success for getting shipped chicks is to deal with a reputable responsible hatchery one with a track record. Then being proactive and requesting tracking for the package. I was assured that the Keets coming from Northern CA Are kept in temperature controlled vehicles. And verified personally with the post office if they had ever received live cargo. Yep.... She rattled off a list from Parrots to Chickens and even geckos and snakes. Even with all that Stuff still happens....

Also Time of year is a factor you have to consider. If its cold where you are then order your chicks but order them to be shipped in a warmer month.

deb

 

[SuttonHeritageFarm]

I vote feed store since I supply 2 in our area currently and hope to add 1-2 more this year! We also sell our chicks sexed to the just like the hatcheries, but without the stress to the chicks

 

[wvtim]

Look on craigslist for your area - if your willing to drive 30 - 50 miles to pick up chicks, you can usually find what you want. I have found all the chickens I have through craigs list. Shipping day old chicks is a crap shoot.

 

[debid]

I found a local supplier via Craigslist and highly recommend going local if you can. Shipping is stressful for chicks. Yes, chicks survive it every day but I chose to avoid it because I could.

There is a board on BYC called Where am I/Where are You and if you ask there, people in your area can advise you on where they get their chicks and the good/bad of the local options.