About Ordering

Yes! Our hatching facilities and all other breeders with whom we contract are NPIP-certified. If you would like NPIP papers to be included with your baby chick order so that you can show your birds, just let us know -- we'll be happy to do it! They arrive by email a few days after your birds arri...

Your chicks will ship all at once! All of your chicks must ship together for their safety. Alternatively, you can choose to place two or more separate orders, with each one meeting the safe chick shipping minimum. Don't worry--our shopping cart enforces that minimum, so you can't accidentally ord...

There is no minimum number of chicks per breed or size. Although your total order must meet the minimum number for the time of year that your order is shipped. So you can mix and match to your heart's content: really cherry pick your flock! Minimum Baby Chick Order April - November: 3 Baby Chic...

Good question! First of all, don't forget that our baby chicks can arrive any day from Tuesday through Thursday of the week they are shipped--it just depends on how quickly the post office delivers to your area. So have your brooder and everything prepared by Monday (so you don't have to scrambl...

We can ship chicks anywhere within the continental U.S. and to locations in Hawaii, Alaska. 3-14 Baby Chicks:  $75.00 (Express Mail & Special Packaging) 15-24 Baby Chicks:  $40.00 (Priority Express Mail & Packaging) 25+ Baby Chicks:  $25.00 (Priority Express Mail & Packaging) Alas...

Neither Fed Ex nor UPS will ship live baby birds, so we ship all orders of fewer than 15 chicks via the speediest service that the Post Office offers for baby chicks: USPS Express Mail. Orders of 15 chicks or more are shipped by USPS Priority Mail. Your chicks can arrive any day from Tuesday to ...

Yes, we're happy to cancel an order provided you let us know by 6:00 PM on the Thursday before your scheduled ship week. As you remember from checkout, baby chick orders cannot be cancelled (or changed) later than that date. Be sure to have your order number at hand so we can find your order to c...

No, sorry! UPS and Fed Ex will not ship chicks - only the United States Postal Service will -- and they've been doing it since the 1800s! (We ship all orders of fewer than 15 chicks via Express Mail, so they arrive FAST.)

Unfortunately, no! Chicks are usually shipped on Monday unless there is a Federal Holiday. Then they are shipped on Tuesdays. Smaller orders of 3-14 chicks automatically ship USPS Express Mail, and larger orders of 15 chicks or more are shipped via Priority Mail service. Why can't I get my chick...

Not yet! The best way to peruse our offerings for right now is to browse the category listings on the left hand side of any page on our website.

You may have heard that hatcheries sometimes include extra "males for warmth" in their baby chick packages, but you can be sure we'll never purposely include extra males in your order. When necessary, we include one or more heating packs to keep your chicks warm, and to prevent jostling we add ex...

Yes! We usually have up to six batches of juvenile 6-week-old chickens available each year at various times. They do sell out very quickly, so keep your eyes peeled for availability. They sell so fast because, unlike other hatcheries, My Pet Chicken often has a selection of several rare and heirl...

Most hatcheries require 15 or 25 baby chicks per order because the chicks need one another's body heat to survive their 2-day journey. This is a big pain for lots of people who just want a few chickens! Since our goal in life (yes, our goal in life!) is to make your life easy, we've partnered wit...

Right before chicks hatch, they have just absorbed the last of the yolk. This sustains them during their journey, for up to three days, so that's why they need to ship at that time, when the yolk will sustain them. The reason nature works this way is that if they were hatching beneath a mother h...

Unlike other hatcheries that may add "males for warmth" to fill out a small order, we will never do that because we understand how important it is for our customers to be able to receive small orders for their urban and suburban locations: that is why they purchase from us in the first place! Ev...

They'll be less than 72 hours old. They ship Mondays and Tuesdays as soon as they're hatched and the birds you've reserved have been packed into your shipping box with anything they may need (like custom amounts of nesting material and ventilation as well as heat packs for small orders). They can...

Yes, in most cases, you can change your baby chick order. Contact us to have your order changed. But before you do, read on because there are some important things you should keep in mind before placing your request! Let us know by 6:00 p.m. the Thursday before your scheduled ship date We requ...

Yes, we can ship baby chicks to Hawaii. Unfortunately, waterfowl and pullets cannot be shipped at this time. There is additional paperwork involved with shipping chicks to Hawaii, so please allow give a lead time of 2-3 weeks. You won't be able to place a last-minute order because your state's D...

Report an accidental rooster using this form. It's always disappointing when a bird isn't sexed correctly, especially if your "girl" ended up being a "boy" and was the family's favorite chick! Since chicken sexing is an art, not a science, sometimes errors do occur (though our professional chick...

Please notify us Thursday if your package has not arrived by then--but do not notify us before Thursday. The US postal service is very good about handling baby chick deliveries, and they are rarely late! In fact, we only have losses about 1% of the time. A package is late only if it does not arri...

Our chicks are hatched in the wee hours on Monday* of each week during the hatching season, and they're sorted, sexed, vaccinated, packaged, and shipped either Monday or Tuesday. (*Except when a holiday falls on a Monday, in which case they're hatched on a Tuesday.)

Coccidiosis is an infection caused by a protozoan, and it is found in most environments. However, the coccidiosis vaccine administered in the U.S. is unattenuated, meaning it is not weakened in any way, and can actually cause illness and retarded growth. We think it's a bad idea to cause the baby...

We do sell chicks most of the year round, but there are a variety of reasons baby chicks aren't available for purchase at all times. Chickens naturally lay fewer eggs in the colder, darker months of winter. Some breeds stop entirely. Fertility is usually lower in the winter, too, so fewer chick...

To qualify, you must confirm the egg color once the hen begins laying, which may require isolating her for a short time. You can submit a claim for store credit by filling out the Frizzle Feather & Blue/Green Egg Promise form here: www.mypetchicken.com/forms

No, we're sorry. If you want specific breeds or colors, you'll need to purchase each breed you want and construct your order that way. The assortments are hatchery choice, and are not sorted by breed or color.

No, most of the time, we do not add extra chicks. Especially with small orders, we are careful not to add chicks (although it may happen occasionally, usually only if we've miscounted!). For larger orders of 25 or more chicks, it is more common to receive an extra.

No. If you want to purchase live birds or fertile eggs, you will need to find a local supplier to help you; we do not ship internationally. (We don't even ship non-live items internationally.) If there is no local supplier and you want to go to the effort of importing chickens or fertile eggs in...

If a “Frizzled” chick grows in smooth feathers, we’ll refund the price difference between frizzled and smooth versions at the time of purchase as store credit. You can submit a claim for store credit by filling out the Frizzle Feather & Blue/Green Egg Promise form here: www.mypetchicken/forms

There are a few things you can do together to help ease the frustration of waiting! One thing you can do with a child when waiting something out is to make a construction paper chain with the number of links equalling the number of days you must wait. Take a link off each day. Alternatively, you...

You can check the exact shipping cost to your location by placing the items you want in your shopping basket and clicking the "calculate" link (you'll have to enter your zip code so the cost can be calculated). Small orders of baby chicks, ducklings and goslings need extra attention to ship safe...

Congratulations! You've received your order of baby chicks or waterfowl from My Pet Chicken and now you want to know which breed is which. No problem! Some babies may have leg bands. You can compare the leg band color on your bird to the charts below to help identify the breeds in your order. IM...

Well, the truth is that it simply depends on how you want us to handle any problems with your order. Some customers will wait many months for just the right breed, because the breed they get is the most important consideration for them. Others may not care so much what breed they receive, so long...

In most cases, that will be because you are ordering more chicks than are available for your preferred date. When you place virtual chicks in your shopping basket, My Pet Chicken's automated checkout system takes quantity into account, so it could be that you're trying to ordering FOUR chicks whe...

We do understand that other hatcheries may do things differently than we do--did you know that chickens are not protected by the Humane Slaughter Act the way other "food" animals are?--but we wouldn't be able to sleep at night if our hatchery engaged in those practices. The majority of the baby c...

My Pet Chicken absolutely guarantees that the fertile hatching eggs you order from us will arrive intact and ready for incubation. Hatching egg orders may ship any day of your selected shipping week, Monday through Saturday via USPS Priority Mail. If any eggs for which you have paid arrive cracke...

Report a loss using this form. Losses are rare (we see them happen about 1% of the time), but they do occur. For that reason, we recommend that if you have children, make sure they are not around when you open the package. If you do experience any losses, be sure to let us know within 48 hours o...

Debeaking or "beak trimming" is what it's called when a baby chick's beak is burnt or seared off. It is painful and cruel. Here we explain more about the practice and why we're against it. Why do some breeders debeak their birds? Most rare breed hatcheries and breeders do not beak trim newly-ha...

We want to be sure your chicks arrive safely, so we have a special packaging method so your new pets are snug and secure while they travel. In fact, we customize bedding, ventilation, and even provide high-tech, long lasting heat packs so your small order of chicks will be happy and healthy when ...

You pay for your order as soon as it is placed; that is what holds your reservation. We don't keep your payment information on file---this helps protect you from identity theft. But for that reason, we have no way of charging your card weeks or months later when your birds have hatched---or your ...

Assortments are often more available than specific breeds are, and sometimes even bargain priced. However, no record is kept of which birds are used to fulfill assortments, I'm afraid. They are fulfilled with the breeds that hatched well that week. To determine what you received, you can compa...

You're right that some breeds like Polish and silkies can come bearded or nonbearded, but there is no way to choose which because they are not sorted that way. The same goes for ordering "blue" breeds. As you can see in the descriptions, blues usually come in a mix of blue, black and splash. Wh...