How does ordering chicks work?

Please send an email to campbellscountrycharm@gmail.com with the breeds you want and how many you would like. Please include if your chick order will be picked up or shipped, and include your shipping address and phone number. We have a flat rate shipping cost of $60. If you’re getting chicks shipped, please let us know any dates you will be out of town and unable to pick them up at the post office. Once your email is received, you will receive a reply with the total owed and how you can pay. Once the amount is received, you will be put on the waitlist. You will receive an email the day I collect your eggs and put them in the incubator. I will give you your hatch date and ship date then. We incubate eggs as our orders come in, so know it will take at least 21 days for your chicks to hatch if not more for shipments because we ship on Tuesdays so we have to arrange hatch dates around that day of the week. 

Do you have a chick minimum?

For farm pick up we do not have a minimum, however, we do recommend getting at least 2 chicks because chickens are social animals and 1 chick typically won’t thrive. 

For shipped chicks we have a minimum of 10 chicks from March to end of May and 6 chicks from June to end of September to guarantee live arrival. If that amount of chicks is more than you wanted, we can add free male chicks to your order so they chicks have more warmth. 

How does shipping work? 

We have a flat rate of $60 for shipping. If you have dates you will be out of town please let us know in your email. A few days before your shipping date you will receive a tracking number for your chicks. We ship on Tuesday mornings so you will see movement on your tracking number then. Shipping can take anywhere from 1-3 days depending on the distance between our local post office in Lodi, California to your local post office. That’s right, you will pick up at your local post office. 

Chicks are packed with a pad, heat pack, and fro gel to help them through their journey. We put enough gro gel to last 4 days in case the mail takes longer than expected. Our shipping minimum is 10 chicks between March and end of May to ensure chicks stay warm while in transit. Our shipping minimum is 6 chicks from June to end of September as the weather warms. Please makes sure your brooder is ready for them right when they reach their new home. Pine shavings, water, medicated chick starter, and a heat lamp is what we use for chicks on our farm. 

When your chicks arrive at your local post office they will call you and tell you they are there. Your phone number will be on the top of the shipping box. They will hold them until you pick them up. Please follow your tracking number in case the post office fails to call you. When you get to the post office please open your box to make sure all of the chicks arrived safely. If any didn’t make it, please take a photo of the chick inside of the box with the live ones so we can refund you or issue you a credit. 

Once your chicks get home, place them in their brooder and leave them alone for the day. They had a long journey and need to rest and get used to their new home. If any seem like they are struggling or weak, feel free to give them electrolytes to help them out. We recommend putting powdered vitamins and electrolytes in your chicks water for the first week that they arrive to help ease the transitional stress of travel. 

When are chicks available?

Our season usually runs from March to end of September. We start incubating towards the end of February when our girls start laying again from their winter break. We do not put our girls on lights to keep them laying through winter, so we start when they are ready.

How long do you guarantee the health of your chicks? 

For pickups we can guarantee their health for four days. After that if they pass away we cannot refund you for them. 

For shipped chicks we guarantee live arrival of our chicks. If any chicks pass in transit, please take a picture of them in their shipping box and we will issue you a credit for any that didn’t make the journey. 

Do you vaccinate the chicks?

We do not vaccinate our chicks. We are an NPIP certified flock, so our breeding flock is tested by the state twice a year to be free of serious diseases. The Mareks vaccine that is available for small scale breeders like us unfortunately is not potent like the large scale hatcheries receive. The vaccine can offer some protection, but stress is a major cause of illness. Mareks is everywhere in the soil and it only takes hold of chickens that have very weak immune systems. Keep your pens clean, have fresh water and food readily available, add extra vitamins and electrolytes in their water, and your chickens should be nice and healthy. 

Do you do exchanges if I get a rooster?

Because we are an NPIP certified flock, for biosecurity reasons we do not take outside birds that have previously left our farm. You can post them on craigslist or your local Facebook page, we’ve had great success using both platforms. All straight run chicks have a 50/50 change of being a hen or rooster and they typically reveal their gender around 6 weeks of age. 

Can your chicks be sexed?

Yes, we do have some breeds that we can sex at hatch because of they way they look. The breeds we can sex are Welsummers, Cream Legbars, and Opal Legbars. 

We can not sex Black Copper Marans, Silverudd Blues, Olive Eggers, or Double Silver Laced Barnevelders. These are sold straight run which means they have a 50/50 chance of being a hen or a rooster.