# Mail order chickens **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 25, 2011, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mail-order-chickens/575970 "2011-03-25T14:48:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mail-order-chickens/575970/1 "2011-03-25T14:48:31Z")
My chicks arrived this morning! I just had to share. I got: 3 Easter eggers 2 Barred Rock 1 Black Sex Link 1 Rhode Island Red 1 Black Australorp 1 Partridge Plymouth Rock From Ideal hatchery in Texas. I was worried about the long distance from there to Maine, but they arrived in under two days, and are doing great. They’re all girls, layers. [![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_DWwpklihns0/TYyd7pWcYVI/AAAAAAAAJOg/eJJhSegYWAI/s720/IMG_3959.JPG) ](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_DWwpklihns0/TYyd7pWcYVI/AAAAAAAAJOg/eJJhSegYWAI/s720/IMG_3959.JPG) [![](https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_DWwpklihns0/TYyd5t_zRFI/AAAAAAAAJOY/t1vsV2dPUW0/s720/IMG_3982.JPG) ](https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_DWwpklihns0/TYyd5t_zRFI/AAAAAAAAJOY/t1vsV2dPUW0/s720/IMG_3982.JPG) [![](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_DWwpklihns0/TYyd6154rUI/AAAAAAAAJOc/MCFMdBeDCCU/s512/IMG_3988.JPG) ](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_DWwpklihns0/TYyd6154rUI/AAAAAAAAJOc/MCFMdBeDCCU/s512/IMG_3988.JPG) [![](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_DWwpklihns0/TYyd9dVqCCI/AAAAAAAAJOo/IqhOmKxIwIo/s720/IMG_3977.JPG) ](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_DWwpklihns0/TYyd9dVqCCI/AAAAAAAAJOo/IqhOmKxIwIo/s720/IMG_3977.JPG) [![](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_DWwpklihns0/TYyd8oHNEyI/AAAAAAAAJOk/xrQy-8cjt50/s720/IMG_3964.JPG) ](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_DWwpklihns0/TYyd8oHNEyI/AAAAAAAAJOk/xrQy-8cjt50/s720/IMG_3964.JPG) So fun! They’ve been eating mash for about 1.5 hours, and are just now showing signs of wanting to sleep. I’ve named three so far: Beatrice, Lucille, and Henrietta. These are my first chicks, although I do have a few adult hens. Currently they live in a rubermaid container in the living room, but they’ll outgrow that quickly, and have to be moved to a bigger box. Yay, chickens! ---
**Author:** ![dawson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@dawson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dawson)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mail-order-chickens/575970/2 "2011-03-25T15:10:56Z")
Cool. Can you get any kind of mail order livestock or is it restricted to poultry? ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mail-order-chickens/575970/3 "2011-03-25T15:14:16Z")
As far as I know, it’s a poultry-only thing. Chicks can live off their egg sac for a few days after they’re born, so the don’t require food and water during transport. ---
**Author:** ![dawson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@dawson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dawson)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mail-order-chickens/575970/4 "2011-03-25T15:20:46Z")
Darn. I had visions of ordering a goat and having it shipped to brother -in- laws address. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mail-order-chickens/575970/5 "2011-03-25T15:29:06Z")
I wish someone would ship me a goat. ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mail-order-chickens/575970/6 "2011-03-25T15:34:04Z")
Aw, so jealous!! I want chickens SO BAD but they aren’t allowed where I live (in Mississippi!! But, they are allowed across the border in Memphis! I was surprised by that). Anyway, have fun with them. I saw some baby chicks at the tractor supply the other day and they were adorable! ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mail-order-chickens/575970/7 "2011-03-25T15:38:24Z")
Me = jealous. Easter Eggers are in my future, eventually. Mr. Horseshoe knows I wanna have chickens!! ---
**Author:** ![dawson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@dawson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dawson)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mail-order-chickens/575970/8 "2011-03-25T15:48:05Z")
> [@Renee](#): > > I wish someone would ship me a goat. Don’t we all honey. Don’t we all. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mail-order-chickens/575970/9 "2011-03-25T17:01:26Z")
More names for egg-laying hens: Ginger, Babs, Bunty, Mac And if you ever get roosters: Fowler, Rocky ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mail-order-chickens/575970/10 "2011-03-25T17:01:38Z")
They’re so cute!!! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mail-order-chickens/575970/11 "2011-03-25T17:06:17Z")
> [@Renee](#): > > I wish someone would ship me a goat. I wish someone would ship me some goat meat. “Easter eggers” = Araucana? ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mail-order-chickens/575970/12 "2011-03-25T17:15:09Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > “Easter eggers” = Araucana? Basically mutt araucanas. They should lay blue or green eggs. The rest have been named: [![](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_DWwpklihns0/TYyd6154rUI/AAAAAAAAJQI/L6aQFne1AYY/s512/IMG_3988.JPG) ](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_DWwpklihns0/TYyd6154rUI/AAAAAAAAJQI/L6aQFne1AYY/s512/IMG_3988.JPG) ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mail-order-chickens/575970/13 "2011-03-25T17:20:53Z")
> [@Renee](#): > > Basically mutt araucanas. They should lay blue or green eggs. > > The rest have been named: > > [https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/\_DWwpklihns0/TYyd6154rUI/AAAAAAAAJQI/L6aQFne1AYY/s512/IMG\_3988.JPG](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_DWwpklihns0/TYyd6154rUI/AAAAAAAAJQI/L6aQFne1AYY/s512/IMG_3988.JPG) I think Beatrice is going to be the head chick. She looks bossy. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mail-order-chickens/575970/14 "2011-03-25T17:29:31Z")
Cool! We have 2 Araucanas and 2 Rhode Island Reds currently. They are all very sweet. My gf regularly sits among them and hand feeds treats. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mail-order-chickens/575970/15 "2011-03-25T17:39:24Z")
Well, if you freeze them up, be very clear on your defrosting instructions. You don’t want to start a whole thing. 🙂 We had chickens when I was a kid; I recall hating them. Maybe you guys are having a different kind of chicken, ones that aren’t such assholes. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mail-order-chickens/575970/16 "2011-03-25T17:39:58Z")
> [@Renee](#): > > As far as I know, it’s a poultry-only thing. Chicks can live off their egg sac for a few days after they’re born, so the don’t require food and water during transport. What about air? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mail-order-chickens/575970/17 "2011-03-25T18:02:42Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > What about air? 😕 Shipping cartons are ventilated. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mail-order-chickens/575970/18 "2011-03-25T18:10:11Z")
> [@Renee](#): > > My chicks arrived this morning! I just had to share. k > > … > > From Ideal hatchery in Texas. I was worried about the long distance from there to Maine, but they arrived in under two days, and are doing great. They’re all girls, layers. > > [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/\_DWwpklihns0/TYyd7pWcYVI/AAAAAAAAJOg/eJJhSegYWAI/s720/IMG\_3959.JPG](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_DWwpklihns0/TYyd7pWcYVI/AAAAAAAAJOg/eJJhSegYWAI/s720/IMG_3959.JPG) Live chickens are shipped in a UPS-style box? :eek: Were they just running loose in there and pecking each other for the whole trip? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mail-order-chickens/575970/19 "2011-03-25T18:19:57Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > Live chickens are shipped in a UPS-style box? :eek: Were they just running loose in there and pecking each other for the whole trip? [Typical poultry shipping box.](http://www.hm-e.net/) ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mail-order-chickens/575970/20 "2011-03-25T18:31:27Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Well, if you freeze them up, be very clear on your defrosting instructions. You don’t want to start a whole thing. 🙂 > > We had chickens when I was a kid; I recall hating them. Maybe you guys are having a different kind of chicken, ones that aren’t such assholes. Oh, trust me, I’ve learned the importance of these things. There will be no chicken-defrosting mistakes in my home, no siree. Some breeds of chickens are friendlier than others, and if you handle them a lot when they’re young, they get used to you and become very friendly. The hens I currently have I got as adults, and they’re moderately friendly. They run up to me when they see me to beg for treats, but they aren’t lap chickens. I’d like these girls to be more comfortable being handled. Arnold, that first pic I posted shows the unopened box they came in. It was filled with hay–[here’s the inside](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_DWwpklihns0/TYzeDl4cB4I/AAAAAAAAJQc/T5DbqdK-9MA/s720/IMG_3961.JPG) (not a great picture, sorry). The main problem with shipping chicks is temperature; they need to stay warm. Usually, if you buy fewer than 25 chicks, they add extra males as “packing peanuts” for warmth, but you can opt to insure the order instead for $1.75, which is what I did because I didn’t want twenty roosters running around the yard. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mail-order-chickens/575970.md?page=2)