If you are a homesteader or even rear chicks into blue-ribbon-winning show chickens, then the question is, where are some of the best possible places to buy chickens and chicks from are. Let’s help you decide which place is right for you and your situation.
The two best places to buy chickens and chicks from are hatcheries and breeders. Between these two sellers, you will more than likely find the chickens or chicks you need. Other great ways are through swap meets, chicken farm supply stores, neighbors, social media, and the classifieds.
This article will outline and detail the best places that you can go to in order to buy chicken and chicks of various sizes, breeds, and more. Some available options might surprise you, while I’m sure others you never even knew existed. If you want to buy some live poultry, read on for the best options of where you can do so.
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Best Places To Buy Chicken And Chicks
The best place to buy chickens and chicks is, without a doubt, through a hatchery (farm store) or from a breeder with the exception of high-quality farm supply stores, swap meets, and one or two other places. Luckily enough, you can find many online without any hassle because a simple search will get the job done. Here is a list of the best possible places that sell chicken and chicks;
- Hatcheries
- Breeders
- Swap meets
- Chicken farm supply stores
- Your neighbors (potentially)
- Social media
- The classifieds
Before we dive into the best places where to buy chicken and chicks, what they offer, how to contact them, and more, let’s take a look at some pros and cons of why you would want to buy your chickens for chicks from specifically breeders and hatcheries because these are the most common and typically the best, catering to a wide variety while also able to deal with specific needs.
Pros And Cons Of Hatcheries And Breeders
There are a couple of factors to consider when wanting to purchase poultry from these sellers, and depending on these elements, one may be better suited for you than the other. Consider these factors when you peruse the list of best hatcheries and breeders below.
Pros And Cons Of Hatcheries
Hatcheries Offer A Wider Selection Of Breeds
Hatcheries will typically offer a wider selection of breeds due to the fact that they partner with many breeders and often may be supplied with poultry from several different breeders at once.
Hatcheries Offer Hybrid Sourcing
Hatcheries will be the best source in trying to find hybrid chickens or chicks. This is because they will typically stock supply for the commercial industry.
Hatcheries Offer Many Shipping Options
Due to most hatcheries being (in general) larger in terms of a business model compared to breeders, you will usually be able to find their presence online, and because of this, they will typically offer universal shipping options, or at least more than a breeder
Hatcheries Offer Small Minimum Orders
Because hatcheries are so large, they don’t mind selling small quantities of poultry, and you can place orders for as little as 3 or 4 at a time.
Hatcheries Are Cheaper
Hatcheries are generally cheaper than breeders because of the sheer amount of quantity that they have. Additionally, ordering in bulk will usually offer more of a saving from hatcheries.
Hatcheries Offer Sexing Options
Sometimes hatcheries will offer the option to purchase sexed chicks such as pullets, cockerels, or even straight-run chicks because they are able to do this through vent sexting.
Hatcheries Don’t Have The Best Quality Chickens Or Chicks
One of the cons of purchasing from a hatchery is that sometimes the breed is not accurately represented. There is nothing wrong with the poultry themselves, but you will typically not find show-winning poultry at a hatchery.
Hatchery Chickens And Chicks Are Disease Prone
While not scientifically proven, many individuals claim that poultry that comes from hatcheries is more prone to disease, defects, and abnormalities. This could be due to the fact that many of the chickens and chicks are mixed breeds.
Pros And Cons Of Breeders
Breeders Have Limited Breed Options Available
One particular con of breeders is that they may only specialize in one breed. However, purchasing from multiple breeders is still there, but doing this will take research and time.
Breeders Don’t Offer Many Options For Shipping Or Sexing
Many breeders don’t like to ship their poultry because it causes them stress, and particular boxes are required. This means that rather than shipping, they will prefer to meet somewhere for the exchange.
Additionally, many breeders are not experienced in vent sexting, so they often choose not to sex their poultry. This means you typically don’t have a choice between pullets or cockerels.
Breeders Raise Their Chickens Naturally
A great factor to consider is that professional breeders often raise their chickens and chicks in natural and sustainable environments. This often bodes well for various factors that can influence the poultry, like the size of the eggs they lay, their overall health, and more.
Breeders Offer Better Quality Chickens And Chicks
The quality of a breeder’s chickens and chicks is higher than that of what you would find from a hatchery due to the fact that most breeders raise their poultry in natural and sustainable environments, and they typically breed purebreds. As such, they tend to be healthier overall.
The Places To Buy Chicken And Chicks From
Below you will find a detailed description of the best places where you can find chicken and chicks for purchase. Take note that depending on various factors like price, availability, shipping, breed, etc., you will need to determine which option is best suited for your needs.
Hatcheries
We touched on the pros and cons of why you would want to buy your poultry from a Hatchery, but they offer additional benefits that you may also want to consider.
Firstly, many hatcheries have been around for decades, and these establishments are made up of professionals because hatcheries are a business, and their reputation is the cornerstone of their practice.
This means that they have a wide variety of choices, their service is impeccable, they often implement biosecurity practices, and they will ship to almost anywhere as well as offer pickup options for their poultry.
Breeders
If you are looking for a particular breed of chicken, then a breeder will be your best bet. If you don’t know why people opt to look for specific breeds, it is because they will, in many instances, use them as show chickens in competitions.
Poultry from breeders are typically purebred chickens (as we discussed), and as such, you will be expected to pay top dollar for them.
By considering the pros and cons that we discussed for breeders, you will be able to tell if your situation calls for you to purchase your poultry from them.
Chicken Farm Supply Stores
In some cases, you will be able to find chicken and chicks from your local farm supply store, such as TractorSupplyCo. This is a great option if you plan to head on down to the store for other reasons anyway.
However, it would help if you considered that these types of stores that will order like poultry would have them available in early spring time and they source them from surrounding hatcheries, so watch the price because it may be cheaper to source them from there.
Swap Meets
Depending on where you live, you may be able to attend local swap meets that are held every so often where chickens and chicks are sold. You may have to pay an entrance fee to attend, but additional benefits include networking (getting to know who you are buying from or selling to) and the option to barter, meaning you can perhaps pay less for what you are looking for.
The only con of a swap meet is that there is usually the intermingling of many animals. This means it is not uncommon for animals to get ill and pick up diseases that could be transferred to the livestock at your homestead.
Neighbors
You can use this option if you are lucky enough to have neighbors that breed or have an excess of chicks they are willing to part with.
Take note that most poultry owners will incubate and breed their chickens in the spring when the weather starts to warm up, so this is the time you should pop by to see if they have any available.
Social Media
Social media sites such as Facebook, Reddit, and the likes often have groups you can join, specific to location, chicken breed, how to breed, chicken rearing, and more. Although it is against the policy of many of these platforms to sell any of these animals on the platform, it does give you the opportunity to network and perhaps connect, meet up and come to some sort of arrangement.
The Classifieds
If you feel that the options above are just not for you, then the last place to look is in the classifieds. Classified ads are an easy way to find local sellers that typically need to sell their chickens or chicks quickly, and you can get them at a bargain.
Although you may be able to find sellers in your local paper, your best bet is to go online to Craigslist, where in the springtime, there is an abundance of chickens for sale.
Conclusion
We discovered that there are indeed many places that offer chickens and chicks for sale. While some places may be more reputable than others, it will depend on what you are looking for, the availability, and the price that will probably determine which sellers you opt to go to.
Whatever the case, there is no reason that you won’t be able to find precisely what you are looking for from any of these sellers. The only thing you will need to do is determine what you are looking for and research which seller offers what you need.
