Baby Chicks: 7 Places to Get Them

Even though it’s still cold in different areas of the country, now is the time for planning and buying baby chicks for eggs and meat.

If you’re at the stage of building your flock, it means you already know what chickens you want to raise. Whether you want laying hens or meat chickens, you will not have a successful backyard chicken farm if you don’t know where to get high-quality chickens.

Those new to raising chickens may need help knowing where to buy a flock. The problem is that there’s very little condensed information about hatcheries and breeders.

In this article, we list our favorite hatcheries with a synopsis of each one and what they offer. We also include the difference between breeders and hatcheries and which is best for your needs.

Buying Baby Chicks: Hatcheries vs. Breeders

Choosing a breeder or a hatchery depends on what you plan for your chickens. If you’re looking for egg layers or meat chickens, a hatchery is your best choice for buying baby chicks. But if you plan to raise show chickens, like the Brahma and the Cochin, a breeder is the best way to go.

One misconception is that breeder chickens don’t lay as many eggs as those from a hatchery. On the opposite end of the spectrum, others say chickens from a breeder lay better: total BS on both accounts.

A chicken has X number of eggs during their lifetime, with their most prolific laying period from one to four years. Once they lay the predetermined number of eggs, they quit laying.

The number of eggs you get depends on the chicken breed and not who hatched the egg. Rhode Island Red and Leghorn hens lay 250-300 eggs yearly, while Delaware and Easter Eggers only lay 150-200 eggs yearly.

Hatcheries

You can find hatcheries in different states, with most willing to ship their baby chicks to you. Most offer a variety of breeds, including layers, meat chickens, Bantams, and exotic birds. It’s not always possible, depending on what we’re looking for; we prefer using a hatchery close to us.

Commercial hatcheries have a continuous assembly line of hatching eggs, with thousands of chicks born each week. Once you place your order, day-old chicks are shipped to the post office closest to you and delivered within 72 hours.

Our favorite hatcheries: