Where can I get Day Old Chicks Without Minimums?

[Baby Chick Farm]

Most feed stores order from the big hatcheries, the same hatcheries you will find online... There are some instances when they will order from local breeders but that is rare unless you have a local breeder that has chicks ready every week... And believe it or no most feed stores are up front about the hatcheries they order from so ask... Beware though that most states and some localities still have minimum purchases to avoid impulse 'Easter chick' sales to people who tend to never plan ahead created unwanted animals... A feed store unlike a local farm is likely going to obey those minimum sales amounts in most cases so you still need to purchase several... And several is not a bad thing as chickens are social animals and do better in flocks...

Yes, I am planning on buying 4 or 5. I will not buy single ones because I understand this. Thanks for mentioning this, though!

 

[Baby Chick Farm]

   For a variety like that, a hatchery or feed store would probably be your best choice.  My Pet Chicken has low minimums, in some cases as low as 3, in others one or two more depending on how far you are from them.  My minimum from them is four.
     You can also get together with someone and combine your orders but in that case you need to make sure you can tell the different breeds apart when they arrive.
     I've done that, but in those cases we were all ordering the same breed so that made it easy.

Thanks for mentioning that, too! I just checked it out a few minutes ago and I really like the website. I just would like to physically see the chicks first, and carry them home instead of them miserable In a shipping box. But it would be the perfect back up just in case the store I am planning to go to (Close Feed & Supply) has a problem!

 

[marieff]

@Baby Chick Farm, I just received my 3 babies from chickensforbackyards.com. I highly recommend them! I think they're affiliated with Cackle Hatchery. I live in your area too and shipping was very quick (2 days). Although, when I opened my box, they had tucked in an extra chick!

I ordered a Barred Rock, a Rhode Island Red and a Golden Laced Wyandotte. Hope this helps!

 

[MonicainAZ]

I addition to the options mentioned above, Meyer Hatchery and California Hatchery also have small minimum order quantities. I got 4 black Australorps from Meyer recently and it worked out really well! But the shipping charges were pretty high. Still, it was worth it to ke to be sure I knew what I was getting and the specific breed when I wanted it.

Feed stores in general tend to vary a lot, many are good but sometimes there are mixups or uninformed staff. (Of course hatcheries sometimes make mistakes too.) If you go that route, be sure you know what the chicks of the breeds you want are supposed to look like. And make sure that you know the difference between "pullets" and "straight run."

 

[Baby Chick Farm]

@MonicainAZ

Just to make sure I got this right - pullets are young female chicks, straight runs are not sexed, or as a mix of females and males - right? Okay! I'm glad that you gave me many choices and I am thankful that you have a great review for Meyer Hatchery! Thanks for your reply! I'll go check that out, too!

 

[MonicainAZ]

Yep, you got it right! You can't usually count on the store employees to be well-versed in these things, sometimes they are and sometimes they are completely clueless. So it's a good idea to make sure you have a good idea so you don't end up with something you don't want!

 

[Baby Chick Farm]

Thank you, @MonicainAZ ! I'll be careful and follow your warnings!

 

[Powerpuff Chick]

Check out Dare 2 Dream Farms website, located in Lompoc. About three hours away from you. They deliver year round! Their minimum is 2+ chicks. If you are ever in the area, give them a call ahead of time and just pick up the chicks, that's what I did. Then you can pick and choose which ones you want. An appointment is required, but they are very friendly and easy to work with. Living in CA, we can pretty much raise chicks anytime of the year. Check them out! They only deliver to certain parts of CA but I'm pretty sure they deliver to your area. Below is a pic of two of the chicks I got from Dare 2 Dream Farms

 

[Baby Chick Farm]

@Powerpuff Chick , Awwwww! Your chicks are adorable! I just checked Dare2Dream farm's website and I think it is a great option, too! Thanks so much for your suggestion!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Hi BYC,

I am thinking of getting some day old chicks from online hatcheries, because I don't have any nearby hatcheries. I live in Cupertino and would like chicks somewhere near spring. The problem is, I don't want 15 chicks or 25 chicks (usual minimum of online shipping) and shipping for small quantity chick offers are ridiculously high.....

There is a trade off between ordering a large number of early season day old chicks and shipping a small number of day old chicks. This trade off is the number of chicks that will invariable perish from cold when shipped in small orders.

So if your planning on ordering early chicks through the US Mail, and it seems from your post that you do plan on ordering early chicks, save yourself the headaches and heart aches and have the hatchery ship your early chicks prepacked in a bottle of formaldehyde. At least your chicks will last longer and arrive in better condition when packed that way. Sorry for the blunt language but the chicks won't mind.