DH and I went to Pratt's after Myron's class yesterday and spent about an hour browsing the animals for sale. All of the chickens they have, other than the chicks, were pecked on, heat stressed, missing feathers, etc. I am now wondering if this is a good place to buy from or not. Any experiences you would like to share -- good, bad, or indifferent?I thought it would be a good idea to buy from an AZ place because the birds would already be acclimated to the heat, but now I am not so sure...McMurray hatchery still is looking good, even if I have to take a sick day to be home to get the chicks.
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I feel comfortable buying baby chicks from local shops, I've noticed the same thing about their started birds, I personally wouldn't buy those. The baby chicks you see there have just been shipped from the hatchery (Pratt's uses one in NM) and haven't been here for more than a few days. The best reason to buy from a local feed store is that you can buy as few birds as you want. Most hatcheries have a minimum order of 25 chicks, and you have to pay shipping of about $20 on top of that. Mypetchicken.com will send you as few as three chicks, but shipping on three chicks (they have to include lots of things to keep the birds warm) will run around $45. If you are in the market for a large number of birds or want to split an order with one or two people (there are three of us on here that are receiving a split order in about a month), then you may want to go with a hatchery, then you have a choice of so many more breeds. (mypetchicken, ideal poultry, murray mcmurray are all good ones).
Also, remember that chicks usually ship on a monday and arrive tuesday or wednesday, so you'll get more choices at the beginning of the week than the weekend. (Call the shops to double check when they get their chicks).
Thanks for your replies. I may go to the Stock Shop tomorrow on my way home from work. I bought a used coop from a woman who keeps chickens and need to build an enclosure that will also fit on my 4 x 8 beds. I am so anxious to get chickens! I should have gotten chicks earlier in the summer so I would have eggs by Christmas when my kids come home.
I have bought baby chicks from The Stock Shop over the years. Give them a try. Best to call first to see what they have in stock. By the way, if you want a rooster, one of the barred rock chicks I bought seems to be one. He only a few months old. The chicks are sexed but there is still a chance you can get a rooster!
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Also, remember that chicks usually ship on a monday and arrive tuesday or wednesday, so you'll get more choices at the beginning of the week than the weekend. (Call the shops to double check when they get their chicks).
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