I need advice or suggestions for purchasing chickens...

[chicken tender lady]

Hi, I need some advice or suggestions on what to ask and/or look for when purchasing new chickens. I basically know what I want as far as breed, age, eggs, temperment, etc. go. I also have a basic idea what to look for if a chicken is not well or is sick.

I'm posting this because I'm in an avid search to find good healthy hens that are laying or at point of lay. I also don't want to spend a lot of money. So I went on Facebook to search for chickens. I joined a few groups that buy, sell, & trade chickens. Also for chickens owners to get together and talk. Kinda like this group.

I'm trying to stay local so I can hand select my chickens. I think that's important so I can ask questions and look at the condition of the chickens before I buy. I've been messaging some potential sellers but I find out their in a different country/state.
I know some people do mail order chickens but I have some concerns with that. I know there's people on here with a ton of chicken experience so I would appreciate somebody's help!

So my question is: Has anyone here ever bought mail order chickens? If so, have you had success with it? Or is it better to buy local? Any helpful advice would be greatly appreciated! TIA! ❤

 

[Ocho 8 Farm]

Hi, I need some advice or suggestions on what to ask and/or look for when purchasing new chickens. I basically know what I want as far as breed, age, eggs, temperment, etc. go. I also have a basic idea what to look for if a chicken is not well or is sick.

I'm posting this because I'm in an avid search to find good healthy hens that are laying or at point of lay. I also don't want to spend a lot of money. So I went on Facebook to search for chickens. I joined a few groups that buy, sell, & trade chickens. Also for chickens owners to get together and talk. Kinda like this group.

I'm trying to stay local so I can hand select my chickens. I think that's important so I can ask questions and look at the condition of the chickens before I buy. I've been messaging some potential sellers but I find out their in a different country/state.
I know some people do mail order chickens but I have some concerns with that. I know there's people on here with a ton of chicken experience so I would appreciate somebody's help!

So my question is: Has anyone here ever bought mail order chickens? If so, have you had success with it? Or is it better to buy local? Any helpful advice would be greatly appreciated! TIA! ❤

Hello! Congratulations on your decision to be a chicken owner, or a chicken “tender”! It’s so much fun!
If you are wanting chickens that are close to laying then I don’t think you will find anyone to ship them. For the most part only baby chicks or very young “started” birds will ship through the mail. You are already do the right things as far as joining groups on social media. But try looking for poultry swaps or poultry farms. You may end up driving a few hours but if it’s important to you to have that specific age then it may be worth it. You could also go on ebay and look for people selling hatching eggs for the breeds you’re interested in and look at their profile. Sometimes you can find out what state they are in or they have a website address and you can look them up and see if it’s close to you.
My real advice to you is start out small but plan big chicken math is real! Good luck!!

 

[FrostRanger]

Meyer hatchery ships started pullets. My only caution is if you get birds from multiple places is different birds have different germs and immunities. I'm not saying the birds are sick mind you, rather birds can be carriers for different things that another bird nay not be immune to and you yourself may have stuff in your soil that they're not used to. I don't really have a good solution to deal with that and likely nothing will come of it, but it's something just to be aware of

 

[Percheron chick]

Shipping pol pullets is frightfully expensive. Buy them locally. Where are you? Many people who had to buy winter shipping minimums have 3-4 month olds for sale.

 

[Mrs. K]

Go to the local feed store, or contact the county extension office for poultry clubs, and 4-H groups. I too, would recommend getting them all from one place. Safer for disease and parasites. And I would just get chickens, I would not worry too much about breed at this point.

I would not recommend filling your coop this year. It works best to add a few chickens, and remove a few each year. This keeps your flock young, healthy and productive. Also, until you have chickens, one is not quite sure how your coop is going to work out.

Next year, you will have more experience, and you will know what you want, but you will not be so desperate for eggs. You will have time to raise up some chicks of your choice of breed.

Also, do not take anything you feel sorry for, and I would beware of swaps. Those birds are exposed to God only knows what.

Mrs K

 

[NatJ]

So my question is: Has anyone here ever bought mail order chickens? If so, have you had success with it? Or is it better to buy local? Any helpful advice would be greatly appreciated! TIA! ❤

I live in the USA. I have bought just-hatched chicks, shipped by mail, a number of times. I bought them from various hatcheries (McMurray, Ideal, Cackle, Dunlap, Welp). My experiences were generally good. There are many threads talking about ordering chicks and raising chicks, if you decide to go that route. It is a popular way to get chickens in this country. If you are in another country, things might be very different.

I have never bought adult chickens or ready-to-lay chickens by mail, so if that is what you want, I don't have any helpful advice.

 

[Eggs_Over_EZ]

You can see if you have a chicken show near you you can sometimes find chickens to purchase. 4-H is a good resource too. I agree be cautious of purchasing from multiple places.

 

[FrostRanger]

Shipping pol pullets is frightfully expensive. Buy them locally. Where are you? Many people who had to buy winter shipping minimums have 3-4 month olds for sale.

Yeah, just glancing at Meyer's website shipping is $75 per bird and each bird for most breeds they have available as POL pullets is between 20-30 bucks so you're looking at $100+ per bird. None of the ones I saw are especially rare either, I think they generally just offer the more popular breeds as started pullets. It's definitely one of the more expensive ways to get into chickens if you go that route

 

[McChooky]

Raising baby chicks from a hatchery is cheaper and will give you healthy disease free layers in 6 months.There is a high risk of introducing disease and parasites to your property and coop should you buy chicks and hens locally from private sellers. As already stated there's no telling what they have or carry.

 

[BDutch]

Good to start small. Experience keeping chickens healthy and to enjoy them. There are many ways to start and to expand a flock. Even if you don’t like to buy chicks/chickens by mail.

If you want to buy locally, a WhatsApp or facebook group from your neighbourhood, is a good entrance. Do you have such a group where you live? Ask people if they know someone who lives in your state. This way you avoid the commercial sellers.

I found breeders nearby through a kind of Craigslist. Bought 6 week old chicks the first time and hatchery eggs after I had an established flock (avoiding diseases).

Buying eggs, an incubator, etc, to start with is a good option too. Especially if you like to buy a certain breed. But do read a lot before you buy. And know that the outcome of shipped eggs is often very poor.

I would not recommend filling your coop this year. It works best to add a few chickens, and remove a few each year. This keeps your flock young, healthy and productive. Also, until you have chickens, one is not quite sure how your coop is going to work out.

You gave some good advices but killing older hens for optimal production only suits chicken keepers who have chickens mainly for eggs and meat.

I have a bantam chicken that becomes 10 yo in 2 weeks, she stil lays a few eggs in spring and is a joy to have around.