Where to get chicks?

[Italianmango]

Hello, we are looking to add to our flock and am looking for suggestions on where to purchase specific heritage chicken breeds. Also, when ordering female chicks, are their accuracy good that I will get females? Thank you!

 

[DemeterAD9]

Honestly I find it is best to get chicks from the closest hatchery but do keep in mind their customer reviews. You will hear bad reviews from pretty much any hatchery though. A lot of hatcheries have a minimum of 3+ chicks per breed which I’m not a fan of. There are also order minimums that have to be met before they can ship out. Often times chick minimums in the warmer months are as low as 3 but IMO getting more would be best to help keep them warm, plus there is usually an extra fee for small orders. Sexing can be a toss up, good hatcheries will be pretty accurate but there can be mistakes. Be sure to read over DOA rules as well so you know what to expect.

I have ordered from Meyer hatchery which is based in Ohio and I like them pretty well. You only have to have one chick of each breed but there is a minimum of 8 total before they will ship them out. I usually get 15+ to get more affordable shipping rates. Price is decent and quality has also been decent. Most of my flock is from their stock and I haven’t had any health issues with them. All pullets that I ordered ended up being pullets and their straight run options were a good mix of male/female.

Of course you can always get chicks from the local feed stores when chick season comes around. Just know they don’t always have the breeds you want and the chicks can be mislabeled.

 

[thecatumbrella]

Check local farm/feed stores. Mine puts out a preorder in February for pickup in Mar-May. You're at least guaranteed live, healthy (at the time) birds. Most common heritage breeds will be available, like Buff Orpingtons, Black Australorps, Wyandottes, etc. I much prefer this to hatchery shipping, but to each their own.

I've purchased 15 sexed female birds over the years, and have yet to receive a male.

 

[Italianmango]

For stores like Farm and Fleet or Rural King…what are my odds of getting females if I order specific breeds and order females? I see their chick days coming up where you can order specific breeds online.

 

[FunClucks]

For stores like Farm and Fleet or Rural King…what are my odds of getting females if I order specific breeds and order females? I see their chick days coming up where you can order specific breeds online.

You'd have to figure out what the hatchery is they're ordering from, and then check the hatchery's statement on how accurate their sexing is. Generally, female sexed chicks are 90% accurate from say, Hoover's. Now, if you buy sex-linked chicks, those are almost always accurate (such as red sex-link, ISA Brown, cream crested legbar (although those can be hard to tell if not bred well), etc.). Between sexed chicks, and sex-linked chicks, sex-links are more likely to be accurate, although mistakes can still be made, if the difference between male and female chicks is not super obvious (red vs. white chick down is obvious, but a small white dot on a head (for black sex-links or CCL) may not be).

 

[Debbie292d]

For stores like Farm and Fleet or Rural King…what are my odds of getting females if I order specific breeds and order females? I see their chick days coming up where you can order specific breeds online.

When hens or us hatch chicks, it's usually 50/50. For those farm stores with chicks that do not specify or say "straight run," they are about the same.

 

[FunClucks]

If you buy straight run though, you're taking your chances. They could be up to 100% roosters. So I don't often do that unless i actually want roos and have a plan for the extra ones.

 

[nuthatched]

McMurray
Cackle
Mt Healthy
Meyers
Are all good hatcheries, all have about 85-90% accuracy for sexing.