Where and When to Buy Chicks

The Griff

In the Brooder
May 15, 2015
5
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I've decided to give it a go for the first time this year. I will try to raise 5 or so Black Australorps for egg production here in our backyard in North Texas.

When is the best time of year to purchase? I read that it takes about 6 months before they reach full productions so I was hoping to buy in the winter so they'd be laying by summer.

Can someone tell me the best place to buy the chicks? I've noticed that some places ship (pretty surprised to read that). I assume buying locally is safer for the chicks. Recommendations anyone?
 
Most major hatcheries ship, but they are unlikely to ship 5 chicks. The ones that do ask you to also buy heat packs for shipping, or, like Ideal, ship a bunch of extra boys to keep them warm.

Do you have a local TSC? They let you buy a min. of six, and many have chick days in both autumn and spring. It might be a little late now, though. They have less variety than a shipping hatchery. They're also infamous for mislabelling chicks.

During chick days, my TSC will order 10 sexed chicks for you, that way you don't have to worry about the common order min. of fifteen. And you should get exactly what you order if you go that route.
 
What @sylviethecochin said above. Most of your local feed stores may sell chicks, but that won't be until this spring. Ordering is a possibility, and Meyers and My Pet Chicken at least lower the minimum order requirements in the warmer months. I don't know where in 'North Texas' you are, but my in-laws are from Amarillo, and I know the temps there in winter can fluctuate from the 40s (and lower) to the 70s.
So, I guess what we're saying is, at this point, you can put in an order at the hatcheries, but be prepared to get more than the 5 you want.
 
My local farm supply stores start carrying baby chicks at the very end of feb.

Join your state thread!
Maybe there's someone near you that would share/sell some from a new hatch. Lots of people on here incubating at home.

Best wishes on your soon to be flock!
 
Thanks for the replies. Sounds like I just need to wait until late winter/early spring to revisit this idea.
 
People usually get their chicks in the spring since that is when the hatcherys are in season, that is usually when TSC is in season too. I ordered all of my chicks off of chickens for backyards last year. They also guarantee live shipment. Mine were all alive and healthy when I ordered them last year and they still are. Not to mention one of them is a australorp. She is one of my favorite birds and lays very well. They only have a minimum of 3 but they always give an extra.
 
Welcome. In the mean time, get ready! A lot to do between now and then. Build your coop, if you haven't already. The ideal coop will be rigged with a safe source of electricity so you can brood your chicks in the coop with a Mama Heating Pad Cave brooder. No need to use a fire hazard heat lamp, and absolutely NO NEED to brood chicks in your house. Chicks are extremely messy creatures, shedding dander from the moment they hatch. Dander is a fine silty oily dust which covers every surface, including vertical ones. Add to that the smell, and the noise... and it makes a lot of sense to brood your chicks outdoors!

Before you can build that coop, you will need to design it: plan on a minimum of 4 s.f. in coop and 10 s.f. in run per bird. Make it predator proof, and put in lots of ventilation. And natural lighting. Make that coop tall enough, preferably a walk in style. I strongly advise against purchasing any of the pre-fab coops which are poorly designed and will not meet needs of either chicken or owner.

Research: Look at Henderson's chicken breeds chart. Yep. You want Australorpes. They are awesome birds. But, after doing a bit of reading, you may decide you want a mixed flock instead of a flock of birds that look like clones of each other.

Other topics: fermented feed. There is a FAQ article in my signature. Deep litter in coop and run. Consider a bare soil floor in your coop if you are doing DL in the coop. You'll never need to clean your coop! Super easy coop build: Cattle panel hoop coop.
 
I've decided to give it a go for the first time this year. I will try to raise 5 or so Black Australorps for egg production here in our backyard in North Texas.

When is the best time of year to purchase? I read that it takes about 6 months before they reach full productions so I was hoping to buy in the winter so they'd be laying by summer.

Can someone tell me the best place to buy the chicks? I've noticed that some places ship (pretty surprised to read that). I assume buying locally is safer for the chicks. Recommendations anyone?
I love starting chicks in December so they are laying May/June. You might be lucky and have a local feed store that sells chicks year round (I do) as most only sell from Feb to May. There are a few hatcheries that ship limited breeds in the winter. Ideal in TX and Privett in NM are 2 off the top of my head. They will have minimums (usually 25) to ship. If you have the room, go with a nice selection of 25 pullets. In February, sell the extras on CL for $12-15 and pay for your girls.
When you buy chicks from the feed store, you typically incur less loss because the weaker chicks have already died. All chicks have traveled through the postal service whether you order them or the feed store does. The feed store orders 100's at a time so they stay warmer in transit so it's safer for them.
 
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