When you want to skip the baby phase, preordering our older 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.
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. These chickies can all be shipped and are also available for local pickup / delivery.
You can preorder 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.
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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 depending upon your temperatures. Bantams may need additional heat if your weather is cold or rainy.
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6- 8 weeks of age is a a perfect age to begin with standards, if you do not have any existing chickens that you are integrating them with. They can immediately go into your outside coop, depending upon your weather. 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., except for bantams. They may still require a bit of assistance getting back into the coop at night.
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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. These chickies are around us all the time, so they are very used to people, putting themselves to bed, and figuring out food and water. Very easy.
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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. They are very friendly because they have been raised by us since baby chickies phase.
These chickies still bond very easily to people because we are around them all the time. Ordering older chickies enables you to have all the fun and enjoyment of chickies, while skipping the pasty butt, heat lamp and indoor brooder phase.