Spring Chick Pre-Orders
Despite the cold, the time to start thinking about baby chicks is upon us! The Essex County Co-Op is currently taking pre-orders for chicks, which allows customers to have the first pick at what the hatchery is offering this year. The next wave of orders is due this weekend (March 19), with the birds arriving on April 1.
The Co-Op sources their chicks from Ridgway Hatchery in Ohio. Ridgway vaccinates their chickens against Marek's disease and sexes them. They guarantee a 90% or greater accuracy rate on the sexing. The sexed female chicks that Ridgway sells are called pullets. The Co-Op has a minimum order quantity of six birds per order.
While the hatchery has provided the Co-Op with their expected selection for the 2022 Spring season (see attached), due to the nature of the business, they may be unable to fulfill some orders, and some orders may be delayed. In that instance, substitutions may be available.
When choosing breeds, you can mix and match to achieve a count of six. There is also a hatchery choice option, which is often what makes it into the brooder in the store weekly. These chicks are chosen due to hatchery availability. Any of the breeds offered by Ridgway may be included in the hatchery choice.
It is important to ensure that you are getting the type of bird that you would like. The top portion of the list, which has breeds like Rhode Island Red, Buff Orpington, and the like are bred for
egg production. Meat birds- Cornish Rock Cross are available for order at the bottom of the sheet and they will be ready to be processed for meat around eight weeks of age.
The order form for chick pre-orders is below. Don’t worry, if you miss your chance to pre-order, the Co-Op will have chicks available for in-store purchase after pre-orders have finished.