In finding a reputable source for chicks, I share the best hatcheries to order baby chicks online from.
Today’s post is very exciting for me to write because it implies, we are getting chickens for our backyard! Living on under a third of an acre, I didn’t think something like this would be possible, but there really is so much you can still do on a small amount of land.
When I choose this house my family is currently in, I didn’t really envision this homestead life that I’m now striving for. This “decent-sized” yard that looked enticing was mainly for those days where we could have room to play catch or add a playground.
But isn’t that the wonderful thing about homesteading? Your backyard can still be a playground for them. My daughter and her neighborhood friends are often found in my garden bed (when it’s winter) digging, and playing, and building things.
Now that we’re anticipating baby chicks, our friends are asking to come over to see them and hold them. When we visit any petting zoo, my daughter will always gravitate to the baby chicks, and it warms my heart to be able to have this in our backyard.
Our Purpose for Chickens
- Our main objective is to be able to have eggs available to us
- Food security
- Great life lesson of teaching responsibility to my daughter
- We’re not currently planning on this, but would love sometime down the line to raise some chickens for meat.
Before You Plan to Order Baby Chicks Online
If you want to plan for chickens in your backyard, I say go for it! But you definitely want to check the county you live in and see what some of the guidelines are for your area.
For instance, we were allowed to have chickens, but the structure for the chickens had to be twenty feet away from the property line. Luckily our yard is big enough, but most other yards in the neighborhood would not. Another requirement was you could only own a rooster if you owned two acres or more. They didn’t really bother me because I wasn’t planning on a rooster in the first place, but these are some things to look into.
You’ll also want to consider what your purpose is for chickens? Is it for a pet? To lay eggs? To raise meat? This will help you determine what kind of chickens you’ll want to raise.
Factor in the price of the coop! Let me tell you that this coop was a VERY pretty penny even though we built it ourselves. Lumber prices are still outrageous and often I wondered if we’d could really pull it off financially. I would definitely get a rough estimate of the cost of the coop and budget in advance. Whatever your rough estimate is, tack on some more for wiggle room. I can’t tell you how many times we’d think of something else we needed to add along the way.
The Best Hatcheries to Order Baby Chicks Online
- Stromberg’s
- J&M Hatchery
- Murray McMurray Hatchery *This is where we chose to purchase our chicks
- Cackle Hatchery
- Meyer Hatchery
- Freedom Ranger Hatchery
- Hoover’s Hatchery
- My Pet Chicken
- Privett Hatchery
- Ideal Poultry
- Purely Poultry
- Townline Hatchery
- Sunnyside Hatchery
- MtHealthy Hatchery
- Ridgeway Hatchery
- Chickens for Backyards
- Welp Hatcher
How The Shipping Process Went
I was very pleased with how fast everything was shipped out by Murray McMurray Hatchery. We had put in our order for the chicks sometime in November and they gave us the ship date of the week of April 18th. They kept us updated frequently and by Wednesday of that week, they were shipped.
When we received the box, the types of chicks we bought were included as well as the day they were born. They literally shipped the day they were born. I couldn’t believe the logistics that they go through and was impressed.
Once they arrived at my local post office, the post office should call you to let you know the chicks are in. But to be EXTRA safe, keep to date with your tracking information. Once you see they are at your local facility, give them a call yourself. The tracking information on the USPS website stated they were out for delivery, which was very confusing. Just because it says out for delivery, DOES NOT mean they’ll be delivered. You’ll have to pick them up yourself
The Breeds We Choose for Our Backyard
We have three breeds that we ended up getting. Our goal was initially to have 10-12 chicks which seemed like a big amount for us to begin with. When we decided to go with Murray McMurray Hatchery, we needed to order fifteen chicks to take advantage of free shipping and so we went for it.
The first breed we decided on was Red Stars. Our ultimate goal with chickens was to have eggs available to us. This breed will start laying eggs at 22 weeks and should continue to produce even in the cooler months. So, they’re great laying chickens. Second thing, we looked for varieties that were known to have a more docile demeanor. The reason being is that this was not only our first experience with chickens, but we also had our daughter to consider.
The second & third breeds were Whiting True Blue and Whiting True Green. This was purely out of fun and aesthetic. We thought the blue and green eggs would look cool.
But before you decide on what you want, be sure to consider your lifestyle and what you want out of your chickens.
We Are Getting Chickens Video
More Homestead Posts:
- The Best Companies to Buy Heirloom Seeds
- How To Start Seeds Indoors On The Cheap
- You’re Ready to Start Seeds, Now What?
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