When to get baby chicks

[coltcogburn00]

Hi BACKYARD CHICKEN LOVERS !!!!!! I'm in Texas in mid winter and I want to get some chicks. What hatchery do you use? And another question I had was when do you put chicks out in coop.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

There are, as you probably suspected, a thousand answers to both questions.
Most hatcheries have good birds but any batch can have problems. There are lots of good breeders and perhaps neighbors with good birds as well.
As for when. Most of the year I put them out from day one but this year is an aberration and we can't get more than a couple days above zero. My chicks should be going out this week and they're 4 weeks but this is the longest they've been indoors. Some people keep them in till they're grown, which is extreme. They benefit most from a warm spot and lots of cool space. You will benefit from getting the dust out of the house.

 

[Coralietg]

Ideal Poultry is in Texas, so it's a hatchery that would have less traveling distance if you ordered chicks. I order from McMurray, which is far away. I'm waiting until a March delivery date though as I had 90% loss with my first shipment from them last year.

 

[chickencoop789]

I got mine from Meyer Hatchery in Ohio. A little far if you wanted to pick them up but they can also ship them to your local post office.

 

[acsteele]

I had great luck with Cackle Hatchery in MO. I'm adding to my flock in March from Murray McMurray, for a different bloodline, good luck, and enjoy!

 

[coltcogburn00]

What hatchery is the cheapest

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You'll have to go to the various websites and check on your preferred breeds. Some may be less on one and more on others. Places that offer to ship just a few are much more expensive per bird. The more you buy the cheaper. Per chick price goes down and shipping doesn't change much so total cost per bird is much lower.

For a first time, you're probably better off getting them from a Texas hatchery. Some may let you pick them up and thereby get fewer.
You can go to Cackle in Lebanon, MO and pick up your birds so I imagine others will let you do that also.

Though there are places to get fewer birds (at higher cost), traditionally there's a 25 minimum. If you don't want that many, you could split an order with someone. There are several backyard chicken meetups around Texas you could join.

ETA

Cheapest isn't always best either.
The first place to start is to select a list of breeds suitable for your climate. You probably don't want a big fluffy bird in Texas summers.
Then narrow the list down based on your other wants and personality.
http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/chickenbreedcomparison.pdf
http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

 

[av8torcrj]

I've used Ideal poultry in Texas almost exclusively the past few years and am happy with their birds.. I highly recommend using a hatchery as close to your location as possible. In my opinion ideal has great prices and their weekly specials are very tempting. I will second the opinion about McMurray in winter months. The birds come through Minneapois which is brutal this time of year. I think they are a good company but I have received a box of frozen dead birds from them in February. I wouldn't order from them till late spring.

 

[rkendrick]

Welp Hatchery in Iowa is great. But I would wait until spring for delivery just because winter weather is so fickle. It is soooo hard to wait though. You have to be strong and not give in!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You might want to review this list too.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/189569/helpful-list-of-hatcheries-breeders