Thank you for choosing Ideal Poultry for your backyard poultry needs. When you purchase poultry from us, you aren’t just another account because we take pride in developing long-standing relationships with our customers. Whether it is poultry knowledge, help with planning, or adding to your flock, we are here to help. If you have any questions, please reach out at 1-800-243-3257 ext. 2 or at [email protected].
In the meantime, here is a list of frequently asked questions with some helpful answers.
We do not have a minimum order on most items. We do, however, have a minimum dollar value of $40 in poultry, not including Quantity Surcharge.
Please visit the care section of our website for information.
Please visit the care section of our website for more information on a floor brooding plan or a wire brooding plan.
Please visit the care section of our website for information.
Regulations vary from state to state especially with game birds and turkeys. Be sure to check your local regulations.
If you are just wanting fresh eggs, you do not need roosters. If you are wanting to reproduce, we recommend about 1 male for every 10 hens. Some breeds may need more or less but the 1:10 ratio is a good starting place.
This is not recommended. Poultry has a pecking order established within it's flock and if you add babies they will become an immediate target. You should wait until the new poultry reaches maturity to mix them together. There may still be some pecking establishing the new order, but it will be less of a factor.
There are many things that cause poultry to peck. They are naturally cannibalistic and many factors will bring out that trait. Cannibalism will occur more often under crowded conditions. You should make sure you are allowing plenty of room for your poultry. Mature poultry needs 1 square foot per bird. Be sure your birds are receiving the right nutrients in their diet and that they are not “bored”. You might add some grass or hay to their diet. If the poultry does pick enough to draw blood you should clean up the bird quickly. Once they taste the blood they will go back for more. You may want to purchase anti-pick lotion from your local feed store.
Hens will begin to lay at about 20 weeks of age. It does vary some from breed to breed. You also need to be sure that your hens are getting enough light. Poultry needs 14 hours or more of light per day to lay efficiently. This means you will need to apply artificial light during the winter months.
Yes, all of our poultry is hatched on the same day.
Yes, you may pay with pay pal. Our paypal address is [email protected].
We hatch 52 weeks a year. However, not all breeds hatch each week. Some items are seasonal. Check the descriptions to identify seasonal items.
We ship chicks on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday during the spring months and on Tuesday and Wednesday during the other months of the year. Your chicks will survive for 72 hours on their egg yolk. Most of Texas will receive their shipment overnight. Other areas of the United States will be a two day shipment. We can not control the postal shipments. Some two day shipments may arrive in one day.
The term ST RUN refers to chickens that are boxed as hatched. Generally an order of 100 will have 50 males and 50 females. The smaller number of chicks you order, the less likely you are to have the 50/50 ratio. An example would be an order of 6 chicks could have 2 pullets and 4 males reducing your ratio to 33% females. There is no guarantee of the ratio of pullets to males when you order st. runs.
A pullet is a female chicken also known as a hen.
Most breeds you can tell the sex of the bird at around 16-18 weeks. Some items such as guineas or some breeds of geese you will not be able to tell unless you observe them mating.
There are some breeds that are color sexable and some breeds that are bred to be feather sexed. If the bird has not been bred to be feather sexed or color sexed it must be vent sexed by a professional sexor.
Each post office has their own policy. Please notify your post office that you are expecting poultry and verify the policy of your local post office.
No, you must have a United States Postal Zip code for us to ship poultry to you.
Your credit card will be charged on the Thursday prior to the next weeks shipments. If your credit card is invalid or declined for any reason, we will attempt to contact you by phone and e-mail. If we are unable to contact you, we will cancel the order.
We will reship as long as there are enough chicks to make the shipment safely. Generally if your loss is only a couple of chicks, we will credit your account.
Ducks will water log easily. Give them water for about 15 minutes and then take it away for about 15 minutes. Repeat this about 4 times. Do not let them run out of water though.
No, newspaper is too slippery and will cause spraddle legs.
We recommend Pine. Do not use Cedar, as it can be lethal. Please visit our care section for more information.
These are the symptoms of Ascites (fluid in the body cavity), which comes from over feeding the poultry.
No, We are sorry but due to biosecurity measures set forth by the poultry industry and the Animal Health Commission, we are unable to allow non-employees on our farm or in our hatchery.