What is happening with chick deliveries?

[highmountainchick]

A funny thing is going on in our town, our feed supply stores, and I mean all of them, can't get any chicks delivered from the hatcheries. And I'm talking about hatcheries that we all know and most love. I am also hearing from friends that they are not getting their chicks shipped out from the hatcheries. Has anyone heard about a hatching crash? I called supply stores in a 200 mile radius and I'm getting the same story. What's up?

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

I know that Ideal is old out until May/June, or even next year because of the amount of chicks being ordered. I don't think its a crash, its just more demand than there are chicks being hatched.

 

[ODS-n-ENS FARM]

This makes me nervous. Alot of the feed stores around me where not even putting in orders to the hatcheries until this past week.....

 

[FlewTheCoop]

Yes, our local feed store orders from Ideal, and we were going to order through the feed store. They told us to call the first week of March. Well, the owner happened to call Ideal March 2 to ask a question, and they told her she better order right then, because they were selling out of all the most popular chicks. So we missed out on the first order...and ended up going in with a neighbor and ordering directly from Ideal ourselves. We're getting a small shipment of 10 Wyandottes shipped out on April 15th.

Apparently there is a run on chickens this year...hatcheries are selling out early. I don't think it's so much a crash as a boom that no one was prepared for.

 

[Pumpkinpup]

My local feed and seed has chicks they got from cackle.

 

[lisahaschickens]

I agree... I have read that there is high demand for chicks this year - unprecedented. Self-sustainability is a popular topic right now and with the economy in the toilet, I think more people are headed that way. I personally think it's a good thing that more people are looking to provide themselves with their own food

But, it's no fun if the hatcheries are running out of chicks!

The good news is... if you're on this forum, there are always chicks to be had. Remember, chickens are laying eggs all the time and lots of people have roosters to fertilize them. In about 3 weeks you can have chicks! I bet you could find someone on here near you to breed some chicks or at least hatching eggs for you... or at least get some hatching eggs sent to you through the mail from someone on here if nothing else.

 

[partimer]

Yep; people and the economy are figuring it out, chicken and eggs without going to the store.

 

[hooksetz]

I got mine from Ideal already, but I do have some ties at the local egg farm, and they lost a house of 60,000 biddies last month here . And they said that another couple of farms had lost similar amounts through unexpected disease,(All the egg farms were bought out by one company) I don't know if that has anything to do with anything or not. But it does sound kinda right for some hatcheries to pull together and focus on the big commercial egg businesses, I mean they take over 60,000 at a time, and their normal breeders stocks are quarintined at the moment. Heck, 2/3 of the egg farm here is under a strict quaritine until they get a hold of whatever it is.

 

[Desert Plum]

Holy smokes that is a lot of chickens there. I noticed that two weeks before my chickens were to arrive, McMurrarys seem to have a limited quanities of just about everything.

Even I decided to keep a couple more chickens instead of the original number. I figure the coop can handle it as it has more than enough space for chickens should they need to stay in the coop all day. That is not the plan but its there if it should happen that way. I also want to hang on until they are pullets before selling them since I'll be able to tell who from who and so will others.

Self sustaining is the goal but still have a lot of work to go if you happen to be in an rural urban setting like myself. The garden is next after the coop is 75% completed.

 

[clarkai]

Quote:
I'd like to read more; could you provide links?