The original plan was three. Three or, possibly, four chickens. When we decided to finally pull the trigger on starting a backyard chicken flock, we only planned for a few. As I learned more and more about different chicken breeds, the number grew to five or six, MAX. I had six chickens in my shopping cart at this online hatchery, totaling around $40. Not bad, right? Then I went to check out, and BAM! I was a little sticker shocked by the added cost for shipping, and yet another added cost for ordering a small number of chickens. It almost tripled the price. So my search began again.
Buying Chicks from Tractor Supply
As I was searching for local places to buy chicks, I came across the Tractor Supply website. Tractor Supply sells chicks in batches of ten. Although you do not have as much control mixing and matching various breeds, you save a ton buy buying in bulk. I settled on an order of 10 Easter Egger chicks. (I liked that there is variation within the breed, so that I would still be able to tell the chickens apart.) The new plan became to eat a few of the chickens when they got older, and keep the others as layers. (We were way over-confident.) As it turns out, Tractor Supply threw in two extra chicks to our order, all lived, and we ended up with 12 full-grown, healthy pullets. Great.
Why We Thinned Our Flock
I made the mistake of naming each chick within about two days of their arrival. As a result, by the time they were grown, eating them was out of the question. Easter Eggers aren’t really meat birds, anyway, so it was a dumb idea from the get-go. I was prepared to keep all twelve chickens, except for one little detail. A couple of the chickens were wild as march hares. I raised each one of these chicks by hand, and 10/12 ended up being extremely docile and friendly. This breed is known for being flighty and wild, and the fact that this many are friendly is kind of a miracle in the first place. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to tame the two wildest birds to my liking.
While they’re not ideal for my pet-chicken situation, these kinds of birds do better on open properties where predators are more of a concern. They are smart, aware of their surroundings, and ready to flee from most predators at a moments’ notice. They might be better off with a bigger flock and more room to roam. I found a woman who bought them for $15 each. Since I bought the chicks for $2.91 each, even after factoring in food & bedding, it was still a pretty decent little profit!
The (Secret) Other Motivating Factor
So, there’s this trend on Instagram where chicken owners show off their egg collection baskets. There are tons of different colors & textures, depending on the kinds of chickens you own. I found that I am incredibly drawn to the darker, olive-toned egg baskets. Unfortunately, Easter Eggers only lay light green, pink, and blue eggs. To start darkening my egg basket, I’ve had my eye on French Black Copper Marans. They lay a beautiful dark chocolate egg. They’re a little on the pricier side, and they take a little longer to start laying eggs than many other chickens. Therefore, I’m thinking sooner might be better than later, in terms of chick purchase. Chicks are pretty much impossible to get until spring, so I’ll keep you posted when that time of year rolls around!
Disclaimer: We’re not professionals or experts on this topic, so all we can do is share our own personal experience in hopes that it helps you in your journey! We always recommend consulting with the pros directly.