When I looked, back in early March, at the website for the hatchery I've almost always ordered my chicks from, it said they were totally sold out of broiler chickens (and fryer chickens, and any other chicken hefty enough to be for dinner) for the 2025 season. OH NO!
Trying not to panic, I looked at the website for a hatchery I've ordered from once before, a few years ago. Same deal. UH-OH! Now I was starting to panic.
Looking at the websites of every hatchery I'd ever heard of, and some I'd never heard of (desperation Googling at that point), the likelihood of me raising some meat chickens this year was looking very, very grim. Maybe I could get lucky and find some broiler chicks at one of the farm stores within a 30-40 mile radius of this little place here.
Meanwhile, I decided to try to ration the chicken that was left in the freezer from last year's crop and hope for the best.
Well, all Spring I've been checking for chicks at the farm stores. Limited breeds of laying pullets, but zero meat type chicks at any of them any time I checked (or asked about the coming week's chick delivery). My hopes of finding broiler chicks pretty much hit rock bottom.
At the end of May, looking in the freezer and recounting what packages of what chicken parts I have, I knew that strategy would not get us through until Summer 2026 without having to buy chicken from the grocery store. Which, after doing that over a decade ago, I knew without a doubt I did not want to be reliant on grocery store chicken. It's just not the same as homegrown chicken; not the same flavor, not the same texture.
In early June, I happened to get an email from that one hatchery I'd once ordered from. In their email, they stated that they currently were having overhatches and that as long as I wasn't picky about the date my chicks arrived (maybe as early as three days from the date I was reading the email!!) I could put in an order for broiler chicks and get on a waiting list, as it were.
Which got me curious if the availability status for broiler chicks had changed at my preferred hatchery, too. So I got online and looked. And, hallelujah!!!! They had Cornish Rock cross chicks available for limited dates, the first of which was the next week!
Quickly, I added the quantity I wanted to my cart, threw in a few Rhode Island Red pullet chicks, and hit submit before the hatch was sold out. There was a slight possibility that they would arrive before I got home from the Shipshewana trip that DD1, DD2, K3, Faline and I were going on, but, based on previous experience with shipping times via USPS, I figured I was safe to order for the first available hatch.
Just in case, and because I figured I'd be really tired when I got home from that Girl's Trip to Shipshe, I got the brooder out and set up before we left.
Well, guess what! When we arrived at our hotel in Shipshewana, I checked my email and saw that my chicks had shipped from the hatchery in Iowa while we were driving the 2+ hours from home. No big deal, as they have, many times, spent a whole 24 hours sitting in Minneapolis awaiting their flight to Detroit. We'd definitely be home before the chicks hit the local post office.
The next morning, right before we checked out of our hotel and were ready to begin our adventures for the day, I checked the tracking and saw that my birds hadn't gone through Minneapolis this time, but had made Indianapolis in the night and were currently on their way to Detroit. Hmm. But should still be fine; I mean, the hub in Detroit wouldn't get them until afternoon, which meant they wouldn't be arriving my way until the following morning.
Just after 3 p.m., literally 5 miles out of Shipshewana, on our way home (ETA for us: definitely after 5:15 p.m. even if we didn't need any potty stops) my phone rang. It was the post office near this little place here. They had my chicks and wanted to let me know so I could pick them up before the post office closed at 5:00. They did not want to hold onto them overnight.
UH-OH!
I explained my situation and asked if I had to pick them up myself or if I could send someone for me. Apparently they would be happy to hand my box of chicks to anyone who showed up and knew they were there. So then I tried to call DH, but he didn't answer. Not knowing if he was working from home that day or working in office (which he usually does that day of the week),.now I wasn't sure who to call to run and get my chicks.
DD1 said that Honorary Son was working in the vicinity of that post office that afternoon (he does IT) and that he was scheduled to be done at 4:00, did I want her to see if he would be willing to do the pick up?
Which is how Honorary Son got a message that said "Go to (City) Post Office after work and pick up chicks". Taken out of context, that is a very strange message to get from your wife. Rightly so, he was confused and called for clarification. Once DD1 explained it was a box of day old chickens that was in need of transportation to my house, Honorary Son was happy (I think) to stop by the post office, get them, and drop them off in my house on his way home.
Once we got there, an hour or so after Honorary Son had done the package drop, I plugged in the brooder light, filled the feeders and waterers, and with Faline and K3's help, unpacked the 16 broiler chicks, 4 Rhode Island Red chicks and the one 'free' cockerel chick. They all seemed to be energetic and healthy, none the worse the wear for their travels.
I think I owe Honorary Son a roast chicken dinner, with all the fixings, in about 7 weeks after these guys go to the processor.
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