mail versus feed store chicks

[kimf]

to luvmybirds
I have read good things about "my pet chicken" as well. I think we may order from there. I like that you can select what you want and choose one of this and 2 of that. We have a minimum order of 6 where I live. I wanted 5 or 6 to start so that is good for me.

 

[debid]

The only downside to a local breeder is that they rarely offer sexed chicks so you would likely end up with some roosters that need to be re-homed or processed. I lucked out and found a local guy who does sex chicks and I received only 1 cockerel out of 14. It was very satisfying going to get the chicks and carrying the box home in my lap knowing that they weren't going to have to endure the USPS.

 

[gryeyes]

I like all three methods. My original flock members were feed store chicks, which of course came from some hatchery. I got 8 common breeds. I also got them about a week or so old, so the survivor factor was high. 1 of 8 "pullets" turned out to be a cockerel. I still have four of those original eight, two years later.

I bought two gorgeous "pullet" bantam Cochin chicks about five weeks old from a local breeder, but one of those two was a cockerel. The pullet died for some unknown reason at Point of Lay (POL),and I suspect she was egg bound.

I have ordered sexed pullet chicks from both Ideal and MPC, plus sexed ducklings from Metzer Farms, and been VERY happy with them. Lost a couple chicks, had two incorrectly sexed, but overall very, very satisfied with the service and the quality of the poultry.

I have also hatched shipped eggs from breeders, and while the successful hatch rate wasn't all that great, enjoyed that seven months period of time during which I was obsessively hatching specialty breeds not found in feed stores..... And this was before I trusted ordering chicks delivered through the mail. (Many complaints on BYC about lost shipments, dead chicks, "wrong" breeds sent, etc., scared me... But I am now a fan of online ordering for chicks!)

 

[kmitche3]

I’ve heard excellent things about My Pet Chicken. I’ve ordered from eFowl and had a good experience. I ordered 25 female chicks, they sent 26 and all lived and were sexed correctly. I can’t complain.
My first set of chicks I got from a local breeder. The only bad thing about that is they were not sexed and I ended up with dinner (aka roos).
As far as my pros and cons for my laying flock I’d say:
Local pros: they have already lived through shipping so the store took the loss. Cons: most of the time they are not sexed so it is a gamble.
Mail order cons: not all chicks make it through the stress of shipping. Pros: They sex their chicks.
Good luck and

 

[Garden Gypsy]

I've ordered from mail order hatcheries both times and have always been satisfied. They have arrived in perfect health and never lost any. I personally would never get any from a local feed store. Have you seen the way people allow themselves and their children to handle the chicks? Maybe I am too picky....

And to the person who ordered from Meyer and was worried...I assume you have got them by now. I also ordered some and got them this week from Meyer (yesterday actually) and all of them are healthy and happy!!!!

 

[top of the hill]

Thanks Garden Gypsy, I did and they are so cute!!!

I just wanted to post an update. I ordered my chicks from Meyers (3 Barred Rocks) hatched and vaccinated on Monday the 12th, shipped out monday late afternoon and arrived to my local post office at 7:30 am Wednesday the 14th. All of my girls were in mint condition and super cute!

 

[AZChicken_Kat]

For me, I choose mail order because I could;
1) pick the breeds I wanted, (I wanted a backyard flock with diversity)
2) pick the date I wanted them delivered, (Ordered in May and requested delivery in September)
3) order them sexed,
and
4) order as little as 4 to as many as I wanted.

The local feed stores around me usually only had one or two breeds, not sexed and they only had them in the spring. So for me, mail order from MPC was the best choice.

All 14 arrive in overnight mail and are doing great. We only had one that was a little weak at first but she had a bad case of pasty butt, which is now cleared up and she is looking as heathly as the other 13. This my first time with chickens so I don't have anything to compare it too but I've been very happy with my mail order flock.

Good luck on you decision, there is no wrong one, as long as it's right for you.

 

[Darklingstorm]

I recently ordered and received from My Pet Chicken and I only lost one of 7 in the mail, which I kind of expected since it got so darn hot here (at the time they shipped the high temps were around 110 degrees). But the remaining chicks are beautiful and very healthy. I also like it that they do smaller orders and I didn't have to order 25 chicks to get the breeds I wanted, like most hatcheries have a minimum of 25.

Some say that the quality of the hatchery chicks is very low and you it's hard to get good quality birds, but I haven't had that problem. But then again I'm not showing my birds either.

I also got 10 chicks from TSC earlier this year and 9 out of 10 are fine specimens, one ended up having a crooked tail. And they are all hens, even the straight run chick I took a chance on turned out to be girl.

I don't know of any local breeders that breed true bloods. That is one thing you must research and must know your breeder. Nothing like "buying" a pure blood and getting a mutt. And you have to know what to look for in health of chickens or chicks.

I've never ordered eggs so don't know anything about them.

This is my white crested blue polish pullet that I got from MPC. I absolutely love her and she is so pretty. She is 5 weeks old here.

 

[AZBootsie]

I worry about feed store chicks. They usually don't get vaccinations and who knows what they are exposed to in a public store. mareks?? Newcastle?? You could be bringing disease home with you. Healthiest chicks are the ones you hatch and vaccinate yourself!! Plus it is really really fun!!

 

[mitchell3006]

Kimf,
Go to your locally owned feed store and find out who they order from. See if you can attach your order to their next order. Obviously they need to make a profit to make it worth their while. Have them call you when your chicks arrive. Buy your supplies from them and get to know each other by name. That way when you need something you have a place to turn to.
I am not downing TSC. They are great on fencing and other farm needs. What I am saying is to support locally owned business. You will get better personal service in the long run. It can be tailored to your needs not the latest research polls.

Mark