Whether you’re looking to expand your flock or start a new one altogether, you’ll need a trustable chicken hatchery. Well, we have good news for you if you live in Indiana and want chicks for sale! We’ve made a list of the best chicken hatcheries in the state, along with their pros and cons. So read on to know the best chicken hatchery in Indiana!
At a Glance:
- Agrarian – Best Overall
- CackleHatchery – Best for Purebred Poultry
- Meyer Hatchery – Best Breed Availability
- Hoover Hatchery – Best Customer Service
The 4 Best Chicken Hatcheries in Indiana in 2021
Now that we’ve given you a roundup of our recommendations, it’s time to jump into details!
1. Agrarian – Best Overall
Whether you’re looking for chickens, feeds, beddings, or other supplies, you’ll definitely find it at Agrarian. It’s one of the finest chicken hatcheries in Indiana, and they’ll deliver your needs to your doorstep!
In addition to their informative website, Agrarian hatchery has a new reservation policy that ought to make you a loyal customer in no time. The recent policy states that you can reserve chicks online through their website. Not only that, but you also get to review their breed availability and choose whatever breeds you like.
To ensure a smooth process, you can call them to follow up with your reservation or visit them. In terms of breed availability, you’ll find leghorns, silkies, eggers, and most good egg layers. Moreover, they’re sorted according to the date they’re available, which works best for people who like to plan beforehand.
And for the best part, all Agrarian chicks are vaccinated against Marek’s disease and have rooster’s insurance.
Pros:
- Delivery to your doorstep
- Chicks online reservation is available
- Vaccinated chicks
- Rooster’s insurance is available
Cons:
- Reservation canceled if you miss the pick-up deadline
The Bottom Line
Agrarian is your solid choice if you want all your flock’s needs delivered right to your doorstep with ultimate punctuality and the finest qualities.
2. CackleHatchery – Best for Purebred Poultry
Cackle Hatchery has been breeding top-notch pure poultry for nearly 90 years. If you’re looking for professional handling, broad breed availability, and guaranteed quality, then it’s your best choice.
In addition, Cackle Hatchery has an informative website where you can check the breeds and their availability dates, which means you’ll be able to make your order months before you want it delivered.
As a bonus point, they offer detailed care instructions along with enlightening online videos so that you’ll know how you should care for your chicks if you’re a beginner.
Regarding availability, this hatchery has an online catalog of many breeds ranging from baby chicks to turkeys. You’ll also find attached pictures of every breed, along with their prices, so that you can do thorough research before you make your purchase.
Finally, Cackle Hatchery doesn’t vaccinate chicks against Marek’s disease unless you want to, with additional fees, of course. So if you’re against poultry vaccinations, you can rest assured!
Pros:
- Purebred poultry
- Provide detailed care instructions
- Broad breed availability
- Vaccination by choice
Cons:
- You can’t change your order after placing it
The Bottom Line
If you’re a beginner chicken raiser who wants a safe experience, look no further than the Cackle Hatchery. They provide care instructions that ought to make you an expert in no time!
3. Meyer Hatchery – Best Breed Availability
Meyer Hatchery takes a proud stance among our recommendations for multiple reasons. For starters, it offers more than 160 poultry breeds along with their supplies, which means you can shop all of your flock’s needs from just one place.
Additionally, the hatchery’s website allows poultry shopping according to hatch date and gender. This means that you can design your flock on your own terms. As a bonus point, Meyer Hatchery provides a lot of information on its website about raising and breeding poultry. Accordingly, you won’t face trouble if you’re a beginner.
Regarding delivery, this hatchery provides fast delivery that ranges from two to three days. However, if you don’t trust delivery and want to pick up your order yourself, you should check their website beforehand because they allow pick-ups on just a few products.
Meyer Hatchery is certified by the National Poultry Improvement Plan, so you can rest assured that you’ll get high-quality poultry. In addition, they offer Marek’s disease vaccination if you want it, and they have a gender insurance policy for chicks.
Pros:
- More than 160 breeds are available
- Poultry shopping according to hatch date and gender
- Informative website
- NPIP certified
Cons:
- Not all products are available for pick up
The Bottom Line
For superb breed availability, quick delivery, and guaranteed high-quality products, look no further than Meyer Hatchery.
4. Hoover Hatchery – Best Customer Service
Hoover Hatchery owners pride themselves in keeping their customers satisfied with their top-grade services and high-quality products. In addition to the fact that they have more than 100 poultry breeds, they provide quick delivery that ranges from one to two business days.
When it comes to online shopping, Hoover Hatchery’s website has many browse options that can limit your options. For instance, you can choose chicks according to their egg color, characteristics, and the number of laid eggs per year.
You’ll also be able to see each breed’s availability dates. Not to mention, they provide care instructions for nearly every breed on their website.
And for the best part, Hoover Hatchery offers free shipping for all orders with a minimum of 15 chicks per order. They also have insurance in case some of your chicks arrive dead. In addition, Hoover Hatchery is certified by NPIP, so you don’t have to worry about the health of your chickens.
Finally, if you’re a beginner who faces difficulties identifying chicks, you can visit their Identify My Chick page to get all the information you need.
Pros:
- More than 100 breeds are available
- Quick delivery
- Many browse options in online shopping
- NPIP certified
Cons:
- No shipping replacement if dead chicks are less than 15
The Bottom Line
Hoover Hatchery guarantees superb customer service, quick delivery, and safe poultry. You definitely won’t regret choosing them!
How to Choose a Chicken Hatchery
If you’re choosing a hatchery for the first time, you’ll need our help! We’ll tell you what you should look for before making your decision.
Reputation
Before making your purchase, you should do thorough research on the hatchery and read its reviews. People are often honest about their experiences, and this will benefit you more than you think.
While local hatcheries are mostly better because shipping can wreak havoc among chicks, you should prioritize the hatchery’s quality over its place. Accordingly, you should only buy from a local hatchery if its reputation is good.
Safety
If the hatchery you chose is near you, you should pay it a visit before making an online purchase. For starters, this will give you a chance to evaluate the place’s hygiene and safety. We all know how many diseases can come out of a dirty hatchery.
In addition, you should ask about their vaccination’s policy. For example, some hatcheries don’t provide Marek’s disease vaccination, and some offer it by choice. Consequently, you should check beforehand and choose according to your preference.
Breed Availability
While most hatcheries have many breeds, some prefer to excel in just one type or two. Therefore, if you plan on purchasing chicks from more than one breed, you should check beforehand, whether by calling them or through their website.
In addition, you should plan ahead to be able to get the breed you want. Most hatcheries will sell out in advance, so you might not get your preferred breeds if you’re too late.
Insurance
Since sexing chicks is challenging, most hatcheries offer a rooster’s insurance. To elaborate, if a chick grew up to be a rooster, you have the right to get a refund. However, terms and conditions differ from one hatchery to another, so make sure to get all the information before you make your purchase.
Another insurance you should look for is insurance for dead chicks on delivery. If you made an online order and didn’t pick up the chicks yourself, you’ll probably find some dead chicks in the box since shipping can be pretty harsh on them.
In this case, the responsibility falls on the hatchery. If the hatchery you chose doesn’t provide a refund in this situation, you should think twice before buying from it.
To Wrap Up
Choosing a trustworthy chicken hatchery in Indiana can be challenging, but we’re here to help! If you want an overall high-quality experience, we recommend Agrarian hatchery. You’ll enjoy punctuality along with convenient online services.
However, if you plan on buying many different breeds, your best choice will be Meyer Hatchery because of their superb breed availability. Not to mention, they’re NPIP certified, so you can fully trust them.
Now that you know enough about chicken hatcheries in Indiana, you can make the right choice!
