Where to buy CX chicks?

[Hamster0425]

Want to get ahead of the panic buying of chicks this year and get some babies on order. We are doing 25 cornish this spring.

Does it matter where you order from, or are they all going to be the same? I know people like Murray McMurray for example but it would be almost $30 more for the same thing from Welp.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

They're all usually the same. Just shop around for wherever is cheapeat. Just heads up. Some places sell females the cheapest of the three options because they're not as large as males at the end

 

[cmom]

I don't think it really matters. Compare the prices. Maybe look for a hatchery that isn't too far from you so the chicks won't have that far to travel. Good luck and have fun...

 

[Ridgerunner]

Different hatcheries sell different strains of chicks, whether meat, dual purpose, laying, or decorative. So yes there will be some differences. Will that affect you, are you really going to see those differences? In my opinion, highly unlikely, at least $30 worth. But some of that may depend on how you raise them or how you use them. If you feed them differently you are going to get different results.

You've probably seen the thread a bit lower down on Welp, maybe ask on that thread if those guys don't answer on this one.

My general answer on this type of question is to try both in conditions as similar as possible and see for yourself. Maybe find somebody nearby to split an order if you don't want that many yourself, though getting them delivered at the same time so conditions are similar might be a challenge. We are all different with different goals and management techniques. What doesn't matter to me may be important for you. To me this is one of those personal preference/quality type questions and we all have our own standards.

 

[cmom]

I agree strains may differ from hatchery to hatchery. Hopefully someone has some information.

 

[Xouie]

I have CX from Welp. Never ordered from anywhere else so can’t compare quality, but here’s some info from my experience:

• Shipped 2000+ miles, all 25 survived to butchering age (we did lose the free extra chick).
• Straight run price was $1.15 (watch their Facebook page for sales, they go as low as $1)
• They grow very well. Our biggest cockerels were over 9 pounds at 7 weeks. Pullets averaging over 7 pounds.
• I asked for and got a LOT of excellent guidance from BYC members, which I think made a big difference.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Agree w/ @Ridgerunner - there are variations between breeders, but its unlikely you will see $30+ in value difference between hatcheries on this particular breed, given their expected short life spans. Choosing a nearby breeder to reduce shipping stress and losses is probably more important, particularly this time of year as @cmom said.

That said, @Xouie's experience is some very nice weights at those ages, far better than any of my CX did (TSC birds, which in this area means Hoovers), but I raised mine in ways most don't (restricted feed + free ranging), so its not a straightforward comparison. Hugely helpful info in the above post for comparison purposes - and I *think* one of my local farm store chains gets their birds from that hatchery. May be worth driving north instead of south, if I do CX again.

 

[Hamster0425]

Thanks for the input so far.

We do have a local hatchery (Jenks) with good prices. Interestingly though a friend found them to be slower than ones she bought from Wilco (like TSC).

 

[Ridgerunner]

Were they raised under the same conditions? Same time of year, same feed regimen?

It's good information, it would bear weight with me. Can you talk to Wilco and see which hatchery they came from? That could be good info.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

There is a thread from 2017 here on BYC claiming that Wilco gets its chicks from Privett Hatchery in NM. Wilco's website doesn't say, but they do advertise "California White Leghorn" chicks, and very few hatcheries claim a breed described in that fashion.

Privett and Estes (CA) are the only two large hatcheries I see in the area doing so, but it looks to me that Wilco is using the Privett pictures (without the Privett logo) on their website.