Raising chickens for farm-fresh eggs is more than just a hobby; it’s like opening a door to a world of joy, self-sufficiency, and a cozy connection to where your food comes from. The secrets to your success lie in doing your research on breeds, gathering your supplies, and picking out the chirpiest, healthiest chicks. So, buckle up! This blog post is here to help you, the soon-to-be chicken farmer, find your sweet little chicks and kickstart a rewarding and downright delightful chicken-raising experience.
Understanding Your Needs
Before you jump into the world of raising chickens, let’s chat about what you need. Take a moment to think about your space and any zoning regulations or neighborhood rules that might come into play. Consider how many eggs you’re hoping to have – it’ll help guide some decisions on what breed(s) you want to raise. If you need some guidance on breeds, check out this blog post on 10 productive egg-laying breeds.
Before bringing chicks home, you will also need to have your supplies ready. This will include things like feeders and waterers, heat lamps or chick warmer plates, wood shavings, and a brooder.
Where to Buy Chicks
Local Feed Stores
Guess what? Many times, you might find chicks in your local feed store — especially around Easter time. Choosing your chicks from the store is exciting because you get to pick the ones that you want and you can bring them home immediately. While many people can and do buy from local feed stores, there are some cons to buying from a feed store.
Limited stock: Usually, you are limited to only a few breeds at a feed store. If they happen to have what you are looking for, that’s great! But they may not.
Sex issues: Unless they already have them sorted or you know how to sex chicks, you may end up coming home with more cockerels than you’d like in your flock.
Unhealthy chicks: Sometimes, the workers at feed stores may not know how to properly care for chicks, so some of the chicks may be unhealthy. Be sure to check each chick before bringing them home for pasty butt and make sure they are active and not sickly looking.
Local Hatcheries
Hatcheries often have a diversity of breeds to choose from. Choosing a reliable hatchery involves some detective work – reading reviews and checking to see if they understand chick health and proper care.
If you can find a good quality hatchery that is local to you, I highly recommend this method! Not only do you get to pick out your chicks from a wide variety of breeds, but usually hatcheries are professionals at sexing chicks and caring for them. If you travel to a hatchery, that means that you don’t have to ship the chicks, which often leads to losing some of the chicks.
Do a quick Google search and see if there are any hatcheries within driving distance for you, and do a little digging into their hatchery to see if it would be a good fit.
Online Hatcheries
Okay, let’s talk more hatcheries. Most big hatcheries have a shipping option. Ordering online is super convenient, but there are pros and cons.
Pros
- You can choose from a wide variety of breeds.
- There are plenty of good hatcheries.
- The farthest you have to travel is your post office (the post office will call you when they arrive).
- You usually get the right sexes of chicks (or at least close).
Cons
- Shipping can be hard on the chicks, especially in extreme weather.
- You don’t get to see where the chicks were hatched or raised in person.
- You don’t get to build that relationship with the breeders that you would if you were in person.
- Depending on when you are trying to buy, they can be sold out.
- They can be more expensive.
Overall, shipping chicks from a hatchery isn’t a terrible way to get chicks if you do your research on the hatchery. Many people get their chicks this way, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend doing it in the dead of winter or summer.
Here are four popular hatcheries that ship chicks:
Farmers Markets, Agricultural Fairs, and Local Breeders
Picture this: wandering through local markets, chatting with seasoned chicken pros and breeders, and handpicking your chicks for your flock. Aside from hatcheries (local or shipped), this would probably be my second pick — with a few conditions.
While it is wonderful to be able to meet other chicken farmers, pick out your chicks, and bring them home immediately, you will need to ask a lot of questions about how they breed and raise their chickens. If the chicks come from a homestead or farm that is prone to disease, you may be bringing home sick chicks without knowing it. Some breeders or farmers will not allow you to come onto their farm due to biosecurity reasons, which makes it difficult to truly understand the chicks’ living conditions.
A Few Last Notes
And there you have it, a friendly guide to finding your future flock. Local stores, online adventures, charming markets – each path has its own charm. As you take the plunge into this feathered adventure, remember it’s not just about raising chickens; it’s about embracing the quirks, connecting with fellow chicken enthusiasts, and savoring the pure joy that raising chickens for farm-fresh eggs brings to your life. Get ready for a good time!
If you need a way to keep track of your chicks, check out my Chicken Keeper’s Journal. Use it to track your flocks’ breeds, health, egg production, and much, much more!
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Photo by Afra Ramió on Unsplash
