Where to Buy Chicks and Hens: A Beginner's Guide
Hatcheries, feed stores, or local breeders? Learn where to buy healthy chicks and hens, how to choose between chicks, pullets, and grown birds, and how to spot a healthy bird.
Once you have decided to keep chickens and sorted out your coop and supplies, the exciting part arrives: where do you actually get your birds? You have several good options, each with its own advantages, and the right choice depends on the breeds you want, how soon you want eggs, and whether you would rather see the birds first. This guide walks through the main sources, helps you choose between chicks, pullets, and grown hens, and shows you how to spot a healthy bird so you start your flock off right.
Gear for Bringing Chicks Home
Anscuto Chick Feeder and Waterer Starter Kit
Shallow chick-safe feeders and waterers ready for the day your chicks arrive.
RentACoop Brooder Heat Plate with Anti-Roost Cone
A safer-than-a-heat-lamp warmth source for newly hatched chicks.
The Three Main Places to Buy
Most backyard keepers get their birds from one of three sources. Understanding the trade-offs helps you pick the one that fits your goals.
Mail-Order Hatcheries
Hatcheries are the powerhouse option, offering the widest breed selection by far, often dozens of breeds you will never find locally. They typically sell sexed chicks, run health and vaccination programs, and ship nationwide. The catch is that they usually require a minimum order, since chicks travel in groups to stay warm, and you order sight unseen. For anyone after a specific or unusual breed, or a particular mix, a reputable hatchery is hard to beat.
Local Feed and Farm Stores
In spring, many feed stores stock bins of chicks, which is wonderfully convenient. You can see the birds before buying, take home just a few, and get them the same day with no shipping. The trade-off is a smaller breed selection that changes week to week, and chick sexing accuracy that can vary. Feed stores are an excellent, low-pressure starting point for beginners who want a handful of common, beginner-friendly breeds.
Local Breeders and Farms
Small local breeders can offer healthy, well-socialized birds that are already adapted to your climate, and you can often buy started pullets or even grown hens rather than day-old chicks. You also get to ask questions and see the conditions the birds were raised in. Quality varies more than with established hatcheries, so visit, inspect the birds, and ask about their health and history before buying.
Backyard Chicken Keepers Planner
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Chicks, Pullets, or Grown Hens?
Beyond where to buy, you are choosing what stage of bird to bring home. Each has clear trade-offs.
- Day-old chicks: The cheapest and most rewarding to raise, and the best way to bond with your flock. But they need a heated brooder for several weeks and will not lay for months.
- Started pullets: Young females close to laying age. They cost more but skip the brooder stage entirely and start producing eggs much sooner.
- Adult hens: Give you eggs immediately, but you know less about their history, they have fewer productive laying years ahead, and they need careful quarantine before joining any existing flock.
Beginners who want the full hands-on experience usually love starting with chicks. Those who would rather skip the heat lamp and the wait often choose started pullets as a practical middle ground.
Straight Run vs. Sexed Chicks
When buying chicks, you will see two terms. Sexed chicks have been sorted by gender, so a "pullet" is a female with high accuracy, which is what most backyard keepers want. Straight run means unsexed, an as-hatched mix that statistically includes roughly half males. Straight run is cheaper, but it is a gamble: you will likely end up with cockerels, and if your town bans roosters or you only want layers, you may have to rehome them. Unless you specifically want a chance at roosters, pay the small premium for sexed pullets.
How to Spot a Healthy Bird
Whether you are peering into a feed-store bin or evaluating a breeder's flock, healthy birds share clear signs. In chicks, look for activity, alertness, and bright eyes, steady standing and movement, and clean bottoms free of pasty butt. Avoid any that seem lethargic, droopy, or constantly huddled and chilled, or that have crusted eyes or labored breathing. In grown hens, look for bright combs, clean feathers, clear eyes and nostrils, and active behavior, and part the feathers near the vent to check for mites or lice. Always buy from a clean, warm, well-managed setup, because the condition of the source tells you a great deal about the birds.
Timing and First Steps
Spring is the classic time to buy, when selection peaks and the weather makes both brooding and the eventual move outdoors easiest. Chicks bought in spring mature over summer and often start laying by fall. Whatever the season, have your brooder or coop fully set up before the birds come home. If you are bringing in adult birds from a source other than your own chicks, quarantine them away from any existing flock for a few weeks to avoid importing disease or parasites. Start with healthy birds from a good source, and you give your whole chicken-keeping journey the best possible beginning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the best place to buy baby chicks?
The most common sources are reputable mail-order hatcheries, local feed stores in spring, and small local breeders. Hatcheries offer the widest breed selection and health programs like vaccination, feed stores are convenient and let you see the chicks, and local breeders can offer healthy birds suited to your climate. Each works well; choose based on selection, convenience, and how much you value seeing the birds first.
Is it safe to order chicks by mail?
Yes, mail-order chicks are a long-standing and generally reliable practice. Newly hatched chicks can survive a day or two on the nutrients from the yolk, which makes shipping possible. Reputable hatcheries pack chicks carefully and ship early in the week, and most arrive healthy. Order in warm months, choose a minimum quantity for warmth, and be ready to receive them promptly.
Should I buy chicks, pullets, or grown hens?
Chicks are cheapest and most fun but need a brooder and months before they lay. Started pullets are young females near laying age, costing more but skipping the brooder. Adult hens give eggs right away but have fewer laying years and less-known histories. Beginners who want the full experience often choose chicks; those who want eggs sooner choose pullets.
How do I know if chicks are healthy?
Healthy chicks are active, alert, and bright-eyed, with clean vents free of pasty butt. They should stand and move steadily, not appear lethargic, droopy, or constantly chilled. Avoid chicks with crusted eyes, labored breathing, or pasted-up rear ends. When buying in person, pick from a clean, warm, well-managed brooder, which says a lot about the source.
What is straight run versus sexed chicks?
Sexed chicks are sorted by gender, so pullets are female with high accuracy, which most backyard keepers want to avoid roosters. Straight run is unsexed, an as-hatched mix of males and females, usually cheaper but a gamble that often yields some cockerels. If your town bans roosters or you only want layers, pay for sexed pullets.
When is the best time to buy chicks?
Spring is the classic season, when hatcheries and feed stores have the widest selection and the weather makes brooding and the eventual move outdoors easiest. Chicks bought in spring mature over summer and often begin laying by fall. You can raise chicks in other seasons with proper heat, but spring keeps things simplest for beginners.
Can I buy chickens from a neighbor or online listing?
You can, and local birds can be healthy and well-adapted, but buy carefully. Inspect for signs of mites, lice, respiratory illness, and overall vigor, ask about age and laying history, and be cautious about introducing unknown birds to an existing flock. Quarantine any new adult birds for a few weeks before mixing them with your current chickens.
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