
by Jennifer Sartell
Chickens are some of the most varied animals ever domesticated by humans. The APA recognizes 65 breeds alone and there are many, many more hobby breeds, fancy breeds, and interesting egg layers beyond that.
Have you ever found a chicken on an internet search and wished you could have a few of that breed, but had no idea how to acquire such an interesting bird? Many of us feel limited to the selection of chicks that our local farm store gets in each spring.
Our feed store does get a nice variety, but never anything rare or fancy. It’s usually a selection of red layers, Leghorns, Buff Orpingtons, Cornish Cross, and a few Bantams.
You could expand your flock by placing an order with a hatchery, but there is usually a shipping minimum of around 20 to 25 birds (to keep the birds warm during shipping). This quantity is usually too high for the small, backyard chicken keeper who wants to keep only 6 to 10 hens.

In my experience, buying hatching eggs is the best way to acquire exactly what you want.
Ordering hatching eggs reminds me a lot of ordering garden seeds. Eggs are, in a sense, chicken seeds. Seeds can be shipped all across the world, then planted, watered, and enjoyed. The seed stays dormant until moisture and heat are added.
Eggs are very similar, though their shelf life isn’t as long as a seed, a fertilized egg will stay viable for around 10 to 14 days. It should be kept under 70 degrees Fahrenheit until incubation for optimal hatch rate. Once incubated, it grows into a chicken!
Get an Incubator
Make sure you have a working incubator and an understanding of how to use it before you order any eggs. Shipping can be quite fast when it comes to hatching eggs. So, you want to make sure you have your incubator before your eggs come. The faster you get them in the incubator, the better your hatch rate.

You can also use an actively broody hen. Make sure your hen is in full-on brood mode before relying on her to sit on your eggs. Placing eggs under a hen will not necessarily encourage broody behavior. It would be a shame to lose your eggs waiting for a fickle hen.
Decide on a Breed
Is there that one chicken that you’ve wanted for years? Maybe it’s a dark-egg laying Maran or a fancy Frizzle? Maybe a quality line that you’d love to take to show? Or something rare that you’d like to perpetuate? Hatching eggs will open up these options.
Find a Breeder
Finding a breeder can be tough, but I like to think of it as a treasure hunt with quality chickens as the prize!
- Contact the Livestock Breed Conservancy. They can direct you to breeders of rare livestock.
- Join an online chicken group. There are many on Facebook, or there are specific sites dedicated to a particular breed. Get in contact with these people.
- Go to chicken shows. I found a breeder of Lavender Orpington at a poultry show who lived three states over.
- Contact hatcheries, many offer hatching eggs in a smaller quantity than live chicks.

Order Your Eggs
Usually, hatching eggs are sold by the dozen and are mailed express mail (around $20 USA shipping)
Prices can vary depending on the breed. I’ve noticed auction-style becoming a popular selling method.
Sellers often use Pay Pal, so be sure you have an account setup.
The Pros and Cons of Hatching Eggs vs. Live Birds
The Cons
- You will have to buy an incubator. In my experience, you get what you pay for with incubators. My favorite brand of incubators is Brinsea. They make incubating foolproof. (And they are not sponsoring this post.) You pretty much set the eggs, and 21 days later, you have chicks. The incubator does everything but top-off the water every few days.
The Pros
- You will have to wait 21 days for your chicks to hatch.
- The world of available chicken breeds will open up!
- You can order (or hatch) the number of birds you want without dealing with shipping quantities from hatcheries.
- You get to see the miracle of birth! Watching chicks hatch is an amazing process!
- Shipping live birds is expensive and stressful for the bird. It can also be a pain orchestrating post office pick-up.
Things to Ask the Breeder
- Hatching rate — ask what the average hatching rate is. Above 75% is good. If it’s below that, consider if the price is worth the risk. Some breeds just don’t hatch well.
- Ask what the shipping procedure is and if the eggs are guaranteed.
- Ask to see a photo of the flock or parent chickens. If you are buying for egg color, ask to see a photo of the eggs.
- Tell the breeder if you want the eggs delivered to your house or held for pick up. This is handy if the eggs are being shipped during extreme temperatures or if you are away from home when the eggs are delivered.
Jennifer Sartell is a caretaker of all the animals on her farm: milker, shearer, hoof trimmer, vaccine administer, animal midwife, ailment fixer, chin scratcher, hug giver, egg collector, chick and turkey hatcher, feeder, and waterer. She can drive a tractor, run a sickle bar blade, a rake, baler, plow, disk and seeder. Jennifer is a mad weeder, planter and gardener, honey harvester, maple tree tapper, hay bale stacker, stall cleaner, and fence fixer.
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