Note: Preordering chickies means I will set the babies aside when they hatch (which is typically within a few weeks to a month from ordering), in the same brooder and give them love and tender care until they are ready to fly from my coop to yours.
You can select an approximate month to have them delivered. Sometimes we will have chickies available prior to that month if we have extras after sexing. If you are open to receiving them earlier, please just mark it in the notes.
When you want to skip the baby phase, preordering our coop ready standard chickies is the way to go. By popular demand, we are adding a new age range for your convenience of 4-6 weeks of age.
You can preorder standard chickies at 4-6 weeks, 6-8 weeks, 8-12 weeks, 12-16 weeks, 16-22 weeks or 22-30 weeks old. For standards, 6-8 weeks is considered ready to be outside in the coop full time, depending upon your weather. For bantams (including silkies), 8-12 weeks is considered ready to be outside in the coop full time, depending upon your weather.
- 4-6 weeks of age will be off heat at the time you get them. They will not be ready to go outside full time, but can be out during the day, and in a draft free coop or your garage / laundry room at night. Bantams may need additional heat if your weather is cold or rainy.
- 6- 8 weeks of age is a a perfect age if you do not have any existing chickens that you are integrating these girls with. They can immediately go into your outside coop. You may still need to show them the way into the coop at night for 3-4 nights. (Unless you are ordering bantams...like silkies. Many people prefer to keep bantams inside until 8-12 weeks of age).
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8-12 weeks of age is a little bigger and older than the 6-8 week olds, but will still bond easily with you and are very little trouble. They know how to go back into the coop at night, and most have started roosting at this age.
- 12-16 and 16-22 weeks of age is great if you want to save a bit of money, but don't want to wait too long for eggs. Most chickies start laying eggs around 25-35 weeks old.
- 22-30 weeks of age is a perfect age if you already have existing chickens and you want to integrate the new chickies with them as soon as possible. These chickies will be full grown. Depending upon how many weeks they are over 22 weeks, some of them may be laying.
Coop ready chickies still bond easily to people, and you get to skip the pasty butt, heat and indoor brooder phase. By the time you receive them, they will already be off heat and for the ones 6 weeks of age and older, they will already be used to being outside.