I live in an urban area and recently started a new flock of backyard chickens. While researching hatcheries to buy baby chicks from I noticed that most hatcheries have a minimum chick order of 15.
If you’re like me and looking to start a small flock or just add a chicken or two to your current flock and don’t need 15 or more chickens, keep reading.
Where To Buy Baby Chickens Locally
If you want to have a hen only flock, then I would recommend that you purchase from your local tractor supply store or local feed store.
They usually have the chickens sexed already so the likelihood of winding up with an unwanted rooster is lower.
This also has the added convince of them having all the supplies that you will need for your flock in the future. If you don’t have that option or are looking for a specific breed then an online hatchery is a great option.
Ordering Baby Chicks From a Hatchery
If your ordering baby chicks from a hatchery there are a few things that you need to know.
There is usually a minimum number of chicks that you must order, and not all breeds are available to be sexed, meaning you could end up with quite a few roosters.
My most recent order was 17 total baby chicks, of which 9 were roosters and only 8 hens. One hen was carried off by a hawk, and I had to give one hen away with the 8 roosters to the wonderful lady that took the roosters off my hands.
My flock is now 1 rooster and 6 hens out of 17. And I’m lucky that we found someone to take the roosters, many people are willing to buy or take hens off your hands but hardly anyone wants the roosters. (At least in the city)
If you do purchase already sexed hens, know that they will cost more than the unsexed birds, but I generally feel that the price is worth it. These hatcheries will allow for small orders, just note that they are also more expensive than a large order of chickens.
Extra care and packaging are required for shipping smaller flocks and some hatcheries will add in baby roosters to help keep the rest warm.
Since there are fewer chicks they need more insulation and sometimes a heating pad to keep them at the correct temperature.
Read how to raise baby chickens for more information on proper temps for chicks.
How Much Do Baby Chickens Cost?
This depends greatly on the breed of chicken and whether or not you want males. I compared the prices for Buff Orpingtons from the 5 hatcheries below.
These prices were advertised on 10/25/2020 and may no longer be valid. Please check the websites for current availability and prices.
Backyard chickens have become very popular since the pandemic started so prices may be on the rise as quantities become limited.
Where to buy baby chicks online
Through my research I found that the hatcheries below are some of the best places to buy chickens online.
Cackle Hatchery
The Cackle Hatchery has been around since 1937 and offer chicken and rare breed hatchery services.
Cackle has a few great options for a small flock. If you are looking for standard size chickens they have a 3 hen special for $50.25. If bantams are better for you (we like bantams) they have 5 hens for around $60 or 10 for $91.
Looking for a sustainable flock, the prepper option has 8 females and 1 rooster for $64. These prices include shipping.
Cackle Hatchery ships standard chickens from Feb – Sept, and bantams ship from Feb- Aug. Minimum 3 birds to ship
| Cackle Hatchery | 1-4 chicks | 5-9 chicks | 10-14 chicks | 15-24 chicks | 25-49 chicks | 50-95 chicks | 100+ |
| Not Sexed | $2.85 | $2.75 | $2.60 | $2.45 | $2.30 | $2.15 | $1.95 |
| Female | $3.70 | $3.55 | $3.40 | $3.25 | $3.10 | $2.95 | $2.75 |
| Male | $2.25 | $2.15 | $2.00 | $1.85 | $1.70 | $1.55 | $1.35 |
Murray McMurray Hatchery
Murray McMurray has been in the chicken business since 1917.
At Murray McMurray introduced mix and match from eligible breeds in 2020. You can order as few as 6 chicks Listed on their website are the eligible breeds for a 6 chick order. There is a small order charge of $35 is applied to all orders of less than 15 baby chicks.
It should be noted that to purchase Bantam chickens you must purchase 15 or more chicks. The 6 only applies for standard size chickens.
| McMurray | 1-5 chicks | 6-15 chicks | 16-24 chicks | 25-50 chicks | 51-99 chicks | 100+ |
| Male | $2.50 | $2.38 | $2.25 | $2.13 | $2.00 | $1.88 |
| Female | $4.25 | $3.90 | $3.69 | $3.49 | $3.28 | $3.08 |
| Unsexed | $3.33 | $3.09 | $2.92 | $2.76 | $2.59 | $2.43 |
Meyer Hatchery
Meyer hatchery was founded in 1985 in Polk, Ohio. They offer a 48 hour live well guarentee for their baby chicks.
Meyer Hatchery can ship as few as 3 bantams during the months of Apr thru Nov and 15 Dec thru Mar or standard sizes can ship as few as 3 chicks during the months of Apr thru Nov and 8 Dec thru Mar.
Shipping rates for less than 15 chickens are $35.
Meyer Hatchery ships live poultry on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Wednesdays USPS Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express depending on the poultry type and quantity ordered; express is an optional upgrade for most day old chick orders. Orders most commonly arrive in 2 days or less, but can take up to 3.
Your order should arrive no later than Saturday. Chicks are typically held at the post office and they will call you to pick them up.
Please contact your local post office to determine how they handle packages of live animals or if alternative arrangements need to be made for delivery.
Poultry must be picked up promptly.
| Meyer Hatchery | 1-5 chicks | 6-15 chicks | 16-25 chicks | 26-49 chicks | 50-99 chicks | 100+ |
| Male | $2.40 | $2.28 | $2.10 | $1.93 | $1.75 | $1.58 |
| Female | $3.78 | $3.66 | $3.48 | $3.31 | $3.13 | $2.96 |
| Unsexed | $3.04 | $2.92 | $2.75 | $2.57 | $2.40 | $2.22 |
My Pet Chicken
My Pet Chicken started in 2005 from a couple that started raising backyard chickens.
More people than ever want to raise chickens! My pet chicken’s selection of Day Old Baby Chicks for sale is slimmer than ever, with hatch dates selling out far in advance, so reserve your order soon!
They can ship as few as three baby chicks! These minimums are based on your zip code, and how long the USPS says it will take for your order to arrive at your post office. The longer they tell us it will take, the higher your minimum.
Any order of 15+ chicks ships via USPS Priority Mail service, and 3-14 chicks ship via USPS Express Mail.
| My Pet Chicken | Price Per Chick |
| Male | $2.00 |
| Female | $3.80 |
| Unsexed | $3.05 |
Ideal Poultry
Ideal Poultry has been around since 1939 and they ship over 5 million chicks yearly.
The minimum dollar value for an order is $30 in poultry, excluding male only chick orders. Depending on the breed that could be anywhere from 8 to 10 chickens.
There is no minimum number of chicks you can order as long as your total order of poultry is $30, not including shipping and handling.
If your order consists of a very small number of items (less than the equivalent of a quarter of a box), there may be male chicks placed in the box for warmth or comfort during shipping.
The breed of chicks included varies from order to order and unfortunately, we are unable to identify the breed. You may purchase heat packs or extra straw if you do not want to have the males included with your order.
For orders of less than one full box of 100, add a $7.00 handling charge and for orders between one and two full boxes, add $2.00 handling charges.
During the months of February through May, IDEAL will be shipping poultry Monday through Wednesday. IDEAL hatches 52 weeks each year and most shipments will be made on Tuesday and Wednesday during the remaining months.
These are the main online hatcheries that I could find that allow for an order under 15 chicks. There may be other options that are local to you that will allow a small order of baby chickens.
| Ideal Poultry | 1-24 chicks | 25-49 chicks | 50-99 chicks | 100+ |
| Male | $2.24 | $2.00 | $1.94 | $1.90 |
| Female | $3.52 | $3.18 | $3.10 | $3.02 |
| Unsexed | $2.90 | $2.50 | $2.43 | $2.36 |
Is it Safe to Order Chickens Online?
Yes, these hatcheries are very good at shipping and caring for your baby chickens.
The most important thing that you can do is contact your post office before the shipment comes in and let them know that you have an order of live baby chickens coming and give them your phone number so they can contact you when they come in.
Please don’t rely on the post office to call you, call or go in and check on the arrival date, especially if you live in the city. Your post office may not be used to handing live animals if you aren’t in a more rural area.
Should I Vaccinate My Baby Chickens?
According to IDEAL Poultry as the Marek’s Disease Vaccine is a live virus vaccine, then you should only vaccinate your chickens if: you are mixing young poultry with mature poultry, have ever been diagnosed with Marek’s disease, or have ever had chickens that have been vaccinated for Marek’s disease on your property.
What does straight run mean?
This means that the chickens have not had their sex checked, they could be either males or females. The smaller the number of chicks that you order the less chance you have of a 50-50 male-female ratio.
What is a Pullet?
A pullet is a female chicken or a hen less than a year old
Do I Need a Permit For My Chickens?
If you live in an urban area you very well may need a permit for your chickens. Local laws vary so check with your local ordinances.
Whether or not you live within the city limits may make a difference and many cities will not allow you to have a rooster.
They may also have a limit on how many chickens you can have per ¼ acre like in my town.
Conclusion
You can buy baby chickens online and a variety of other places. Just make sure you have the space for whatever amount of chicks you want to buy.
Be careful if you are considering having a rooster to protect the flock. Especially if you live in an urban area. Their crowing can get quite loud and possibly annoying to your neighbors.