How to Get Started With Backyard Chickens
Getting your chicks!
Editor's note: To buy chicks during "Stay Home, Stay Healthy," you'll want to contact a farm-supply store or nursery to ensure the shop is open and to inquire about curbside pick-up or other ways to buy.
Where to buy
Chicks are cheap (“cheep, cheep!”). Most farm-supply stores and many urban nurseries sell chicks. In addition, you can find chicks through an online search for reputable breeders in your area (when you pick them up, be on the lookout for a clean environment and knowledgeable staff). Spring to early summer is the usual season for getting chicks.
Should you order online?
It’s also possible to buy day-old chicks online from commercial hatcheries and have them shipped to you. While hatcheries carry all types of breeds, they typically have a minimum shipping order of about two dozen — not a practical number for a small backyard operation.
Ladies only
Newly hatched chicks are sexed at the hatchery and sold at feed stores as males, females or “straight run,” which means chicks that haven’t been sexed are about a 50/50 mix. Do yourself a favor: Only buy females. Taking a gamble by buying a straight-run chick means you stand an excellent chance of finding out four months later that your dear pet is a rooster, not a hen, and you’ll have to face the task of finding him a new home. Buy any other supplies you need from the feed store.
