"Small order fee"

[rosemarythyme]

MyPetChicken offers very low chick minimums, as does Meyer. There's no additional small order fee, but shipping is probably more expensive than it would be.I wouldn't get their beaks clipped, if I were you. $10 buff orps is also VERY expensive, usually they're more like $3 each.

One thing with MPC you need to check minimums by zip code, like they won't deliver fewer than 7 to my address.

 

[cmom]

If you want females only, your best bet is a hatchery or feed store. There is still a chance you will get a male but not likely. Some offer straight run if you don't care and then I'm sure you will get males and females. It's a crap shoot. Maybe you can locate a breeder for any breed you want. My Brown Leghorns were chicks shipped from a breeder and they arrived in great condition. Good luck...

 

[cmom]

I just did the My Pet Chicken.
My minimum order is:
Large Fowl Chicks: 4
Bantam Chicks: 6
Mixed Order: 5

† For the safety of the chicks shipped between Dec 7, 2020 and Mar 29, 2021, orders must have a minimum of 8 standard, or 12 total chicks, if bantams are included in the order.

 

[NatJ]

If you want females only, your best bet is a hatchery or feed store.

Not so sure about the feed stores.
This spring and summer, we saw lots of threads where people bought several "pullets" from a feed store and got all cockerels. Or bought one breed and it grew into something obviously different.
It appears that the signs and/or the chicks get mixed up pretty easily.

I agree that ordering directly from the hatchery is a good choice if you want to be sure you get the right breeds & genders. Yes, mistakes still happen, but the fewer times the chicks are moved around and re-labeled, the fewer mixups occur.

 

[Rktekt]

I think my order at meyer hatchery totaled $68 shipped for six chicks. This included the two vaccinations.

 

[black_cat]

If you want females only, your best bet is a hatchery or feed store. There is still a chance you will get a male but not likely. Some offer straight run if you don't care and then I'm sure you will get males and females. It's a crap shoot. Maybe you can locate a breeder for any breed you want. My Brown Leghorns were chicks shipped from a breeder and they arrived in great condition. Good luck...

Agreeing with the hatchery, not agreeing with the feed store....
because a lot of times feed store employees aren't trained properly to do the chicks, and a lot of chicks look the same, chicks get mixed up, both with breed (white leghorn and cornish x mixups are common, for example) as well as gender (straight run chicks are mixed with sexed chicks).

 

[cmom]

It's been awhile since I have bought any hatchery or feed store chicks. Of the times I have only once did I get a male. All of the rest have been pullets. I think probably with a feed store the probability may be a bit higher. I did buy what I thought were Brown Leghorns at a Rural King and they turned out to be Partridge Rocks. As chicks they do look similar but they were all females.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I had a local feed store add my chosen breeds in my chosen small quantity to their existing order....zero shipping fee to me that way.

This particular feed store has a "we take cockerels back if you bought pullets" policy in place. Obviously it is NOT TSC.

They are out there if you look.

Another option is finding fellow BYCers in your states thread that will split an order with you.

 

[Alex S]

Xouie's advice is pretty good. I prefer paying the small upcharge from a well staffed feed store so they can deal with shipping problems, deaths in transit, etc. - it also allows me to look at the birds and say "Not that one, can you grab another?"

Please reconsider beak trimming. The other name for it is debeaking, they cut through the beak to prevent chickens from being able to picking on each other. If it's done poorly the chickens can struggle to eat and groom. Well cared for healthy birds with a decent set up should not be picking at each other. It's used for commercial set ups where birds are shoved in cages or pens and packed like sardines.

I guess I'll skip the beak trimming. Do you know if the feed stores pre-vaccinate the chicks?

 

[rosemarythyme]

I guess I'll skip the beak trimming. Do you know if the feed stores pre-vaccinate the chicks?

You will need to ask each feed store what their policy is. The two I've used both ordered them vaccinated for Mareks.