Can You Really Order Chickens Online?

Can you really order chickens online?

It could just be a question on so many peoples lips…

And to the uninitiated, it sounds Ludacris that you can buy chickens online.

But if you are laughing right now, the egg could be on your face…

Really… Can You Order Chickens Online

Believe it or not…

You can actually order chickens online.

Let get that straight from the start, as so many people think when they see chickens, that it means chickens and not chicks.

Well, you can buy both online apparently…

Depending on what age you are looking for.

There is a reason for this and the answer you will find, as you read on.

Is that safe for the chicks being so young, to be sent by mail of all things?

Amazingly, yes it really is.

In fact, you might be surprised to know that chicken hatcheries have been sending chicks through the mail for decades now.

I know…

Surprising isn’t it!

And…

Get this!

The postal service is actually very adept at handling orders such as this.

Yes, the order chickens online thing…

Where Can I Buy Live Chickens Online?

Here is a list of some of the best places to buy chicks and chickens online:

• My Pet Chicken
• Cackle Hatchery
• Meyer Hatchery
• J&M Hatchery
• Freedom Ranger Hatchery
• Hoover’s Hatchery
• Murray McMurray Hatchery
• Stromberg’s Chicks and Game Birds Unlimited. Probably of the most well known online hatcherie

Can You Order Baby Chicks Online

I know that the thought of chickens being sent by mail through an online source is a bit bewildering.

And I think it is, but when you think about it…

Well, let’s think of it this way.

Say you want to buy a breed of chicken that you can not find near you but you really want them.

Then if you order chickens online and get them by mail.

It makes the whole process so much easier…

Now I am not saying that you can order from another country unless it is next to you and I am not sure about quarantine rules here either.

But as you are buying a living thing.

It can not be in the box for a long period of time.

You see, for the first two to three days of a chick’s life, they are still digesting the yolk sacks from the eggs.

You can see that when they hatch, they have quite large bellies.

This is because the hen will not just get off the nest as a few chickens hatch.

She has invested a lot of time sitting on quite a lot of eggs. And they do not hatch all at once.

No…

It usually takes the best part of two days at least.

If there are a few eggs that do not hatch by the third day, then she might just leave the nest.

As these eggs would be considered infertile to her.

And she can not afford to have her now hatched chicks waiting any longer to get them up and looking for food by this time.

And of course, water.

So…

As very young chicks, after hatching, with their bellies full of egg yolk from the egg itself.

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They can in fact survive the shipment by mail as long as they are kept warm and arrive within three days at the most.

This is normally the time that they will last, after that, they will be getting hungry.

The chicks are packaged in bulk, in a safe, well-marked container.

Letting the carriers know that they are handling livestock.

If, for some unfortunate reason that the chicks do not arrive safely, well-reputed hatcheries will be quick to refund your money back to you.

Can You Order Full Grown Chickens

Yes, you can…

If you are ready to start with chickens and not chicks you can do this.

As with baby chicks, you will need to give them a lot more care as they are so young when they arrive.

So grown chickens might be the better choice for you.

While it is possible to purchase adult chickens from hatcheries.
It can get a bit expensive this way.

So you need to ask yourself, is this going to be the way you want to go with buying chickens.

If it is a breed of chickens that you just can not get in your area.

Then you might just have to shell out that extra cash for the privilege of owning a breed of chickens you are looking for.

And go with the order chickens online idea…

The age of your prospective chickens should be considered price-wise.

How Long Can Chickens Survive In The Mail?

As we know chicks, can survive at least three days without any water or food.

When it comes to fully grown chickens I am not exactly sure about this.

But I would say that they are well fed and watered before their trip.

I have heard, however, that the hatcheries put pears in with the chickens, as pears have a lot of moisture in them.

So the chickens are getting moisture as well as a food source when they eat in transit.

Water would not be able to be put in the cardboard box, as it will make the box fall to pieces if the water got spilt.

So this is why fruit is used instead.

How To Order Chickens Online

You can not just go ordering just one or two chicks, there is usually a minimum order here.

The main reason here is the safety and overall health of the chicks.

Because they are so young they need constant heat to keep them warm, as they are too small to generate this sort of heat by themselves.

This is where the hen comes in or a chick incubator.

Having a big number of chicks creates much-needed heat, as they can huddle together for warmth.

And also having more chickens in a packing container helps them to feel secure as all sorts of strange noises and things are going on in their lives right now being shipped wherever.

However, you can order a smaller number, but you will need a smaller and different sort of packaging and this will cost you more.

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Chicks, in fact…

Are actually very easy to ship through the mail.

As they do not need food or water for the window of hatching for those three days.

Three Options Of Ordering Chicks By Mail

As you are getting chicks, it is going to be a mixed lot of male and female birds.

So you have three options when ordering…

And these are:

• Female & Male
• Not Sexed
• Sometimes you’ll see ‘Straight Run’ instead of not sexed.

What this really means is that you get them as they hatch, and that could be anything.

A mixed bag…

You might just get a 50/50 split of the sexes, but does it always work out this way?

No…

So you might be lucky enough to get more hens. But you could also get more roosters.

Like I say…

A Mixed Bag.

How Do They Send Chicks In The Mail?

Through the Mail:

When you have ordered your chicken of chickens.

They are in fact shipped out the morning they hatch.

And are of course…

Sent Priority Mail.

Or it could also be express/overnight in some cases.

So you could say that they will arrive at your home within those 36 hours of hatching.

And you will have to go and pick them up at a destinated mail delivery.

It all depends who you order through and where…

Your newly ordered chicken or chickens will not be delivered to your house, but instead held at a local post office for you to pick up.

The reason is obvious really…

It would not be responsible for livestock that goes through a postal delivery service to be left at a home that might be unattended.

Once they get straight to the postal office, they can look after them.

Give them what they need and keep them safe until you get there.

Although the postal service will probably not have any food to give them, they can water them if needed.

But they are not experts here, so the sooner you get them back to your home the better.

I do not know the working of the inner post office for these things.

The post office may not be your local one, so if you live in a rural area, you may want to confirm which location holds live animals for pick up.

When your local post office receives them, they will give you a call and let you know that they received them at the office to be collected.

So be close to the phone at these times.

Go and pick them up as soon as you can.

When they come into your care…

One of the critical keys for the survival of your chicks if they are not the brightest is to give them some warm water with electrolytes.

So do have some on hand when your chicks arrive and are a little under the weather.
So…

If you decide to order chickens online or even contemplate it.

You now know that it is possible and has been going on for a while now.
Nothing new here.