Ok, now that I have my coop all set up, and I've been reading many great things on BYCs, I'm most anxious to purchase my first chicks. I'm in Texas, and seems breeders are more to the north for the German line New Hampshires .... soooooooo, when do most breeders start shipping chicks to buyers? I'm assuming the weather has to be just right (warm spring possibly)? Today, here in Texas it's another sunny, warm day, so while chicks would do great (of course with the heat lamp I've installed) here, it's the shipping them to me that makes me think I will be waiting a long time before I get my first batch of chicks. What are all the various ways of shipping chicks? USPS, UPS, chick-delivery people (I know ... sounds odd, but I have horses, so I think in terms of shipping using equine transport) ... don't guess there's a chicken-transport company out there is there??!!! : ) BTW, I love this website and its forum ... so much great info, that I've started a small notebook with all the great ideas for my chicks (really liked the apple cider vinegar in the water idea .... as we put acv in our horse troughs, and I never have a sick horse!) Oh, and before I forget ... Merry Christmas everyone!
USPS is the only carrier that will take live chicks, last I heard. I'd suggest you find the source you want to use and ask them. It's even possible you could get them now, or within a few weeks, if their hens happen to be laying. It's likely to vary from source to source, in any case.
It depends on the weather and the breeder. Also how many are you going to get? If you are getting a little amount they may not ship until warmer weather.
I can't speak for all hatcheries but a couple of the big ones offer baby chicks - at least some breeds - from February through November. Unsure if that is because they don't want to send chicks through the mail during the coldest months...but that would make sense. But Feb. is just around the corner - good luck to you!!!!!
German NH are still pretty rare. Do you have your breeder lined up? Are you on their list? As to when they can be shipped, you'd want to know the breeders plans. Dead of January is pretty risky, if they are to be shipped from much north of you. Your answers really can only come from your breeder, as flockwatcher stated.
The German NH are kind of rare, and even when you do find a breeder, it is not likely they will be able to ship them to you in the winter months, even in the spring he may already have customers lined up. i would just order from an online hatchery like Meyer or Murray Mcmurray. There are dozens of hatcheries out there, and they are always hatching, so they should be able to ship you chicks in the next month or so unless they already have customers lined up, but usually they have good availability.
Thanks everyone for your great responses. No, i don't have a breeder lined up yet that i will be buying from, but have several in mind I've seen on here that have what I'm looking for. I will reach out to each of them right after Christmas. I'm looking to start with approx 15., or maybe 10 each from 2 different breeders to see if i end up with a preference.
