Ordering chicks dilemma

[nh10ring]

Thank you to those who responed to my earlier thread about Buff Orpingtons. Feeling more comfortable that they can co-exist with Barred Rocks okay, I am eager to order half a dozen or so of the BO's.

The bad news: I can't order any BO's from my local feed stores, and most online hatcheries want a minimum order of 25 chicks.

The good news: I see that Cackle Hatchery sells BO's an has a minimum chick order of 15. This is more than I need, but tempting nontheless.

I am thinking of ordering through Cackle, assuming that I may lose some and can maybe give some away. But does anyone have advice for me about this? Should most of the 15 chicks survive the trip form MO to New Hampshire? Is Cackle a good company to deal with?

 

[JennsPeeps]

You could order the big order & offer the extras for sale on craigslist.

 

[cybercat]

Try mypetchicken.com or meyers hatchery. Both sell less amount costs a bit more but too many it is worth it.

 

[vermontgal]

MPC or Meyers sounds like a good idea - Cackle was in another thread about possibly having problems with MG (disease) - it's in a thread about Cackle not being able to ship to Virginia. I don't know enough to know if the concern was legit.

 

[hoppy]

I bought from cackle yrs ago and had no problem. I think I lost one but it was an extra.

 

[jamieF]

Last summer I got my six girls as day-old chicks from My Pet Chicken, three Buff Orps and three Silver-laced Wyandottes. They arrived healthy and in great shape in a box lined with tons of bedding, some food/water goo, and a little disposable heating pad. They've been wonderful and healthy since the day I got them, and the couple of times I've had questions the MPC people have answered promptly and been very friendly, and they obviously they care about their babies! I've been extremely happy with MPC. And I love my girls (and though I don't tell them, I have a bit of a preference for my buff orpingtons!). As soon as I get my larger coop close to ready I'm going to order another small order of chicks from them, tho I haven't yet decided what breed!

 

[Southernbelle]

Quote:
It's just that Cackle does not test for MG (and has refused to test for MG) and Virginia will not allow birds to be shipped into this state unless they're certified free of this disease. So, the disease has not been confirmed in their hatchery, but they may have it, you just don't know for sure.

VA allows shipments from Ideal, Meyer, Privitt, McMurray, MPC, etc.

Ideal will ship with a minimum order of $25 - and the order doesn't have to be all chicks. You could order 1/2 doz chicks and some books or something to make the min. You may want to wait until it's warmer, because a small amount may not stay warm enough in your area this time of year.