Which is the best hatcheries to buy chicks from in the US

[chkncrazy]

First off I'd like to say hi to everybody and introduce myself my name is Aldo and I've had chickens for over 25 years...... in the past I've ordered from Murray McMurray and had a good experience but this was about 10 years ago before the chicken craze when chicks World dollar change, and I would only buy the same breed all female. Throughout the years I've been getting started pullets which is kind of boring because around here are there only red sex links or leghorns and if you don't want Craigslist you end up paying $30 for a Pullet which I think is ridiculous.... now saying that I've checked out a few hatcheries and some of them are downright odd to me the sites are hard to navigate and most of them the breeze I want aren't offered sexed.... and I'm looking to buy standard breeds my problem is I want about 15 but I'm looking to mix that up with about six or seven different breeds I would love an array of chickens when I look out in my yard.. but I also don't want to have to pay $11 a chick lol.... the best luck I had one year was in March or April when Agway a local feed store and Tractor Supply all had chicks at the same time so I ended up grabbing several from age and Agway only orders pullets and so does this feed store
... and I picked out pullets from Tractor Supply... and out of 17 I only ended up with one rooster...... sorry for the long post I just know you guys are experts at this and I would like the best possible answers I can get. And thank you so so so so so so so much for any answers you can give me.

Ps. Some of the Braves I'm looking for are at least four or five Easter Eggers which isn't hard to find and I would like some lakenvelders a Brown and a white Leghorn and a couple of those puffball polish chickens and besides that you Easter Eggers all these other ones come on sex and most cases!!!!... the rest I kind of go as I go along any help would be appreciated
Aldo

 

[chkncrazy]

Well I was just on Murray McMurray website I ordered 25 so I didn't have to wait until April and pay the small order fee and after shipping and handling my order came to two hundred and something dollars my eyes almost fell out of my head and in that charge was a $35 small order fee which I don't understand why is there so anybody out here can direct me to a cheaper site I'd be elated

 

[nuthatched]

Well I was just on Murray McMurray website I ordered 25 so I didn't have to wait until April and pay the small order fee and after shipping and handling my order came to two hundred and something dollars my eyes almost fell out of my head and in that charge was a $35 small order fee which I don't understand why is there so anybody out here can direct me to a cheaper site I'd be elated

Murray McMurray had free shipping last time I checked. could you have possibly accidentally clicked a faster shipping method? that really drives the price up. I'd call them about the small order fee, I ordered 15 chicks last week and it was $67.
Depends on the chicks as well, some of them are pricey.

 

[chkncrazy]

realllllllly..... no I didn't order anything crazy I ordered Americuas orbwgat everbtheyre called which arev3 change ...none of mine were over 4 dollars....I'll call tom.... I was just on the Hoover Hatchery website which also has great prices and I got to the checkout screen and there was no continue button hahaha it just brought me back in a Loop.... and I'm pretty computer-savvy if I do say so myself you know how it is when we want chicks we want them now.... I mean I guess I could wait until March to hit up all the different feed stores but still like want what I want...

 

[nuthatched]

I recommend Murray McMurray and Cackle Hatchery. Meyers, Hoovers and Ideal hatcheries, may be cheaper but the quality and health of the chicks aren't nearly as good.

 

[chkncrazy]

I recommend Murray McMurray and Cackle Hatchery. Meyers, Hoovers and Ideal hatcheries, may be cheaper but the quality and health of the chicks aren't nearly as good.

I figured out how to get rid of those fees I had to go to the bottom and click standard shipping zero I don't know why it does that lol
.. although if I want my checks this month or next month I have to order 25 if I wait until April I can get 15 oh the decisions...... you've been very helpful do you have any recommendations on any chicks I should try out I usually stick to barred rocks leghorns production Reds every once in awhile I throw in an Easter Egger although now I really want more Easter Eggers but this time I want to try a bunch of different breeds like one or two of each

 

[Willowspirit]

My only help is that Lakenvelders are very flighty birds. Very flighty. I raised three chicks with 3 Orpingtons and it was a couple of weeks after I rehomed them that the Orpingtons became tame!

 

[nuthatched]

I figured out how to get rid of those fees I had to go to the bottom and click standard shipping zero I don't know why it does that lol
.. although if I want my checks this month or next month I have to order 25 if I wait until April I can get 15 oh the decisions...... you've been very helpful do you have any recommendations on any chicks I should try out I usually stick to barred rocks leghorns production Reds every once in awhile I throw in an Easter Egger although now I really want more Easter Eggers but this time I want to try a bunch of different breeds like one or two of each

That's what we usually get, barred rocks and production Reds. this time, I ordered Columbian Wyandottes, Barred Rocks, Australorps and Speckled Sussex.
I really wanted some Silver penciled Rocks, Beliefelders, and lavender Orpingtons, but they were booked solid until August or $14 a henchick.

I'd love Easter Eggers if they didn't have beards, I don't know why, but I just am not in love with the look of them.

 

[Missa4848]

If anyone lives around Berks county pa oley valley feed is an excellent place to get chicks I'm not sure where they get their chicks from they're better than tsc they have chick order forms on their site

 

[chkncrazy]

I'm from Connecticut they have chick days at Benedict's in Monroe I'm not sure if their sex though and they have all female chicks at Agway with they only got four kinds all females and then Tractor Supply they have of been a female's or two and the rest are straight runs..
As for the lackenvelders I heard the same thing about leghorns and all mine have turned out to be very nice and I've had all different batches over the past 20 years I guess it's one of those buy it and try it things.... I am definitely leaning towards getting at least five Easter Eggers and a mix of the other 10 some of the name of that I can't even pronounce I definitely want one or two brown leghorns for a change I can't believe the prices on some of these chicks some of them are 11 to $18 each and that's for straight runs.... I definitely will not be getting those but I've had speckled Sussex in the past and they are beautiful birds although their eggs are on the smaller side I've had golden laced Wyandotte and Silver Laced wyandottes and they actually laid almost daily and their eggs size are actually pretty good and they are on the lighter brown color but I want less common breeds a nice rainbow of chickens as long as they lay eggs I'm not too concerned about how many