Ready to start your flock, but not sure where to start. Find out where to buy baby chickens & it's not online.
Ready to start your flock, but not sure where to start. Find out where to buy baby chickens & it's not online. | @AFewShortcuts #homestead #chickens #tips #hacks
You are looking for baby chickens, and you aren't sure where to start. There are so many resources online and locally to get you started, but you want to make you start your flock out healthy. Some hatcheries even offer online ordering. Find out where to buy baby chickens, and why it's not online.
Why Buy Baby Chickens
Some of you may be wondering, "Why would someone want to buy baby chickens?" There are so many reasons. For us, it was to have a small flock of free-range chickens on our property for eggs, fertilizer, and to teach our children responsibility.
Others enjoy them as pets, and some people raise them for meat. Regardless of why you want to buy baby chickens, these tips will help you find your flock.
Avoiding Online Chicken Ordering
This is a long story. I am going to cut as short as possible. Many hatcheries allow you to purchase baby chicks online. You can pick the variety, sex, etc. and they guarantee quality.
There are so many problems with this system. I don't know where to begin. I know because I ordered, and I cried, and I had to explain to my kids why all of the chickens died.
Baby chicks need a stress free environment to be their healthiest. When these hatcheries shove them in a box and hand them over to the USPS, they are shuffled around, put in planes, and the boxes even get lost (happened to us). So while you get your money back from the hatchery because of "non-viable" chickens, it isn't worth the heartache of picking up a box of dead chickens from the post office. Often, even if they are alive, they die shortly after due to stress.
I regret my initial choice to order chicks online, and I will never order any living things online again. Also, I am trying to spread the word because what happened to me is not a rare incident.
Where to Buy Baby Chickens
Now that you know why I am against buying baby chickens online, you may be left wondering where to get them. Some areas of the country will be easier than others, but here are a few places to check.
- Tractor Supply
- Local Feed Store
- Rural King
- Craigslist
- Ask someone that has Chickens already
After our mail order debacle, we were pleased to learn that our local Rural King received chicks every Friday. All of the chickens we bought from them are thriving. Craigslist is another excellent place to check (in the Farm & Garden section). Typically people will offer chicks or even pullets for sale. If you can't find any directly in your area, search in the closest rural area.
Also, keep in mind, depending on the area of the country you are in, chicks may be seasonal. We don't have this problem in Florida, but up north, you may only find them in the spring and summer.
Caring for Your Chickens
Once you have your baby chicks, you want to make sure you are caring for them properly by setting up an appropriate chicken brooder or coop (depending on their age). Please research how to care for chickens before you bring them into your life. While they are easy to care for, they still need care. Making sure you have the right food, water, and environment is essential to their well being.
Good luck with your new little flock. I will be sharing more about our brooder, chicken coop, and you can follow along with how are chicks are growing on Instagram.
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Questions? Comments?