A Day at the Hatchery

There’s nothing in the world quite like baby chicks: cheeping, peeping, adorable bundles of fluff. Every spring and summer, thousands of people participate in the annual ritual of raising baby chicks. More than a few also add baby ducks, geese, turkeys, and guinea fowl to their growing flocks.

Some poultry keepers enjoy the fun of watching mother hen sit on the eggs and hatch-out her own little brood. Many of us, your author included, have bought baby poultry on impulse during a trip to the feed store. Quite a few of us still order chicks from our favorite hatcheries. Whether we order them online or lie in bed night after night looking at the latest color catalog from the hatchery, it is very exciting to finally get to go to the post office and pick up that new box of baby chicks.

But have you ever wondered what all goes into getting that box of chicks from the hatchery to your post office or local feed store? I recently visited two separate hatcheries to learn the process and share what I learned. It was not easy to choose which hatcheries to visit, as there are so many reputable and wonderful hatcheries out there.