Best time to pick up chicks from the feed store?

[Alex S]

Hello everybody!

I'm getting very excited about chickens because this will be my first flock in the spring!

I wanted to know when the best time to get chicks from a feed store? March? April? May???

This is so I can plan ahead to when the coop should be done, when to get the brooder supplies, etc.

Also, after 4 weeks of age is it safe to put them in the coop? If I put them in the coop should I let them into the run to explore? Or just in the designated brooder spot?

Thanks,

Your now chicken insane friend.

 

[ChloeSilkie08]

Hello everybody!

I'm getting very excited about chickens because this will be my first flock in the spring!

I wanted to know when the best time to get chicks from a feed store? March? April? May???

This is so I can plan ahead to when the coop should be done, when to get the brooder supplies, etc.

Also, after 4 weeks of age is it safe to put them in the coop? If I put them in the coop should I let them into the run to explore? Or just in the designated brooder spot?

Thanks,

Your now chicken insane friend.

I would just get them whenever you are ready! As long as they aren't heat dependent and have all their feathers they could go out in the coop at 4 weeks. I would just be sure and keep them in there for 2 weeks before letting them out.
Welcome!

 

[Alex S]

I would just get them whenever you are ready! As long as they aren't heat dependent and have all their feathers they could go out in the coop at 4 weeks. I would just be sure and keep them in there for 2 weeks before letting them out.
Welcome!

At feed stores, do they separate the older chickens from the 1day chicks? (Also, how do you add the thing that said silkie obsessed under your reply??)

 

[ChloeSilkie08]

At feed stores, do they separate the older chickens from the 1day chicks? (Also, how do you add the thing that said silkie obsessed under your reply??)

Go to your account details and then go to signature.
I don't believe they separate them but you could always tell the person who picks your chick which age you want.

 

[RoosterML]

#1 yesterday is a good time to get chicks.
welcome to the crazy chicken world! I say the sooner the better

 

[NinaJoy]

May depend where you live too. I'm in the PNW and plan on getting babies in the Summer months so they can go outside sooner. BUT, that also means they're around ready to lay in the winter so it kicks them back a little. Meh.

 

[sdm111]

As far as health and size try to get them as early as possible. The later in the breeding season or post breeding season (summer) you will see a decrease in the general quality of chicks. I wouldn't buy anything hatched after April

 

[Alex S]

As far as health and size try to get them as early as possible. The later in the breeding season or post breeding season (summer) you will see a decrease in the general quality of chicks.

So April? or even earlier?

 

[Percheron chick]

Most feed stores post a list of which breeds they will receive over the chick season. Typically, they get them in in lots of 25 (first price break from hatchery). A moderate sized store might only get in 100 chicks/ week. That # might get bumped up to 200 for "chick days". The best time to get chicks is the week when the breeds you want are available. In March, not alot of people are prepared or thinking about chicks yet so availability is better. Early chicks also get you in eggs mid summer. You will have more competition for April and May chicks and the more desirable ones might be sold out the day they are received. I never pick up chicks on the day they come in. I prefer to let them settle in and recover from the trauma of shipping (i.e. die at the feed store not on my watch).
Most feed stores separate chick breeds in separate bins. If they are mixed, they put 2 breeds where the chicks look nothing alike so anyone can tell the difference. Once you select the breeds you want, get familiar with what the chicks look like so you get infront of any potential problems of taking a chick home you don't want. If they have leftovers from last week and have day olds of the same breed, normally they are mixed together. It will all depend upon how many bins they have available and how many chicks they need to house.

 

[Alex S]

Most feed stores post a list of which breeds they will receive over the chick season. Typically, they get them in in lots of 25 (first price break from hatchery). A moderate sized store might only get in 100 chicks/ week. That # might get bumped up to 200 for "chick days". The best time to get chicks is the week when the breeds you want are available. In March, not alot of people are prepared or thinking about chicks yet so availability is better. Early chicks also get you in eggs mid summer. You will have more competition for April and May chicks and the more desirable ones might be sold out the day they are received. I never pick up chicks on the day they come in. I prefer to let them settle in and recover from the trauma of shipping (i.e. die at the feed store not on my watch).
Most feed stores separate chick breeds in separate bins. If they are mixed, they put 2 breeds where the chicks look nothing alike so anyone can tell the difference. Once you select the breeds you want, get familiar with what the chicks look like so you get infront of any potential problems of taking a chick home you don't want.

Gotcha! So the best time is mid-march early April. I may have to pick them up in April because I haven't even started on the coop