Are Day Old Chicks Your Best Option for Starting a Flock?

Every wannabe homesteader is familiar with the sight of that little cardboard box of chicks

arriving in the wee hours of the morning at the local post office. It's practically a rite of passage into the homestead lifestyle. But did you know that the crack of dawn phone call from the post office isn't your only option for starting a flock, and in fact, it might not even be the best option available to you?

Chickens have long been considered the "gateway" livestock for people hoping to start a homestead, or for those looking to produce more of their own food at home. Between February and October, many large hatcheries ship day old chicks across the country every week to eager chicken tenders across the nation. Chickens are a great option for the beginner homesteader because they are relatively cheap (compared to other livestock), are safe and easy for even small children to handle, and don't require much time or effort to care for on a daily basis. Laying hens can be worth their weight by providing almost daily eggs and some breeds of broiler chicks can be ready for the dinner table in as little as 8 weeks.

Check out our video version of this post:

The video above details some of the issues with ordering chicks from a hatchery, one of the biggest being that you aren't guaranteed to get what you order all the time. As more and more people from all walks of life are starting to keep chickens in their backyards, more towns and neighborhoods are placing restrictions on roosters, citing noise pollution as the main reason.

Big hatcheries do offer vent sexing of freshly hatched chicks. This is the method by which a professional, using a magnifier, will attempt to gauge the sex of the chick by trying to accurately identify the genitalia. It's not an exact science and even longtime professionals can get it wrong once in a while. As a result, chicks ordered from most hatcheries are sexed to a 90% accuracy rating. This is also why a lot of people on social media who buy chicks from Tractor Supply end up having to rehome young roosters; T-Supply buys such a high quantity of chicks from the hatcheries, that they are guaranteed to get a bunch of roosters they didn't order due to the 10% rule.

Ordering chicks from a big hatchery online is a great option for most people who want a specific breed or who want to raise a flock up from the very beginning. It's extremely convenient to browse the catalogue online and add chicks to your shopping cart. In many cases, you can even see when various hatches are expected and choose the date that is most convenient for you.

pullet on the left, roo on the right

But what if you live in a neighborhood that has a Rooster restriction? In the photo to the left, I'm showing off two chicks that I ordered from a hatchery. Both are supposed to be female, but at almost three weeks of age, I can already tell that the chick on the right is a future rooster. Not a big deal for me because I live on a farm and already have a bunch of roosters. But if I lived in a neighborhood that didn't allow roosters, I'd have to get on social media and try to find this guy a home, likely losing the cost of what I paid for him since most people refuse to pay for roosters.

If you are an aspiring homesteader who is beginning their journey in a neighborhood that restricts ownership of roosters, or you are one of the revolutionaries who is improving their community with an Urban homestead, roosters will be nothing but a hassle for you. You need a different option to source your flock rather than day old chicks, or hatching out your own chicks from an incubator.

Two of our Lavender Opington hens

Ready to lay, or started pullets may be a great option for you if you require only hens. These are usually female chickens who are just about to lay their first egg, or have just started laying. Depending on breed, they could be 5-7 months old. Purchasing a started pullet will be more expensive than buying a day old chick, but you must keep in mind that the person you buy the pullet from will have either hatched it out themselves, or spent the money to buy it from a hatchery, then raised it up and fed it for roughly half a year. The price of the pullet will reflect the expense that went into growing them almost to adulthood.

One of the biggest benefits of buying a started pullet is that you have a 100% guarantee that the chicken you are getting is a female. Another huge benefit is that you don't have to go through the hassle of raising a fragile chick; dealing with temperature control, keeping an eye out for a pasty butt, or dealing with sudden chick death syndrome. Get a started pullet and you can put the chicken right out into your coop and wait for your first egg which should come within a few weeks. Keep in mind though, that if you are adding a started pullet (or multiples) to an already established flock, it's best to quarantine the new chickens for at least two weeks and introduce them to the flock slowly. The only con that I have identified with started pullets is the risk of bringing disease to your existing flock. That's why you want to make sure that if you purchase a started pullet, you get it from a reputable farm or hatchery with a healthy flock.

Raising a batch of chicks is truly a magical experience and one that I think everyone should experience at least once in their life. But it's not the best option for everyone and that's perfectly ok. We all deserve the right to gain more control over our food sources and I encourage everyone to take the plunge however you can. If you can keep a few hens in your backyard for eggs, set up a coop and get yourself some started pullets for instant eggs! Just make sure that you do your due diligence and check out the farm where you plan to purchase your hens. Scams abound out there, but if you're careful, you'll be just fine.

If you are local to South Jersey or Philadelphia, Dragon Way Farm is local to you! Check out our store if you'd like to add some chicks or started pullets to your flock.