If you are a chicken enthusiast from the Centennial State, you need to make sure you know where to get the most excellent ones out there. If you need a guide, here are the 7 best chicken hatcheries in Colorado.
What’s A Chicken Hatchery?
If you are new to raising chickens, whether as pets or as part of your poultry flock, you might be familiar with a hatchery. It’s basically a place or a facility where chickens are produced. They usually produce several species of chickens, though there might be some who specialize in certain varieties only.
When you’re at a hatchery, you would see eggs being incubated. After about 21 days, they set the eggs down, then they hatch and the chicks are born. The number of chicks depends on how big the hatchery is. Some large hatcheries are capable of producing thousands upon thousands of chicks!
Check Out the 7 Best Chicken Hatcheries
If you are now ready to look learn more about the finest hatcheries in the state, you should take note of the following establishments:
1. Wardle Feed & Pet Supply
Wardle Feed has been around for quite some time now, operating since 1938. They have a local hatchery that produces several chicks including the following:
- Americaunas
- Australorps
- Brahma
- Chantecler
- Cochin
- Leghorns
There are other species available, so make sure you ask them. Their prices vary so be prepared for this. The best time to visit is during their baby chicken season. You can drop by and check out their temperature-controlled brooder from Mondays to Saturdays.
If you are purchasing chicks from them, they advise you to bring your container, especially if you are getting hens or pullets.
Location: 7610 3 Acre Ln, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
Phone: 303-424-6455
2. Northern Colorado Feeders Supply
The Northern Colorado Feeders Supply has a huge selection of chicks. This is because they have 7 hatchery partners from around the United States. Their partners all have National Poultry Improvement Program (NPIP) Certified Clean or Monitored. This means they have passed health and environmental testing.
While they sell many chicks, the ideal time to shop is between February and June. If they don’t have the specific breed you are looking for, they can help you with sourcing it. You should also schedule a Friday visit because that’s usually when their poultry comes in.
Location: 300 Hickory St, Fort Collins, CO 80524
Phone: 970-482-7303
3. High Valley Hatchery
Whether you are looking for hatching eggs or day-old chicks, trust High Valley Hatchery to give you high-quality ones. They have several chicken breeds for sale including the following:
- Mosaic Chicks
- Ayam Cemani
- Black and Blue Birchen Marans
- Swedish Flower Hens
- Mille Fleur Bantam Cochin
- Porcelain Leghorn
There are other available varieties as well, so make sure you check out the website for their availability. High Valley Hatchery assures that its eggs and chicks are NPIP certified.
Location: 18022 County Road T Sanford, CO 81151
Phone: 719-580-6776
4. Wildfire Farms
Are you planning to raise chickens for your backyard? If the answer is yes, this hatchery in Broomfield, Colorado can help you! Its specialty is helping backyard chicken keepers. They sell various chicks, pullets, and hens. While they do not specify the available breeds that they have, you can always contact them for more information.
Apart from that, they can teach you how to take care of the chickens in your backyard. This is helpful for anyone who is new to raising chickens.
Location: 5700 W 120th Ave, Broomfield, CO 80020
Phone: 303-514-7618
5. Berthoud Birds & Bees
There isn’t a lot of information available on their website, but they update information on Facebook every day. However, if you wish to learn more about the eggs and chickens they have for sale, you can just give them a quick call. You can also inquire about the rates of the livestock they are selling via their website.
You can request a quotation and they will get back to you as soon as they can. You can visit this Colorado Spring hatchery any day of the week. The good thing about it is that they are open as late as 10:00 PM.
Location: 335 Westhill Dr, Berthoud, CO 80513
Phone: 720-339-6638
6. Three S Farm
Some hatcheries ask buyers to purchase a minimum number of chicks. However, that is not the case with Three S Farm. If you only need one or two baby chicks, you can get them from Three S Farm. You can get the following breeds for about $8 each:
- Barred Rock
- Black Australorp
- Buff Orpingtons
- Delawares
- Easter Eggers
- Light Brahmas
Before dropping by, you can always give them a call to confirm the availability of their chickens. There might be some breeds that are not available. If you are planning to buy more than one or two chicks, you should let them know ahead of time.
Location: 2755 Slocum Road, Peyton, CO 80831
Phone: 719-510-0009
Email: [email protected]
What to Look for When Buying Chickens in Colorado
The prices of chickens that you can get from hatcheries vary. It depends on their breed and how rare they are. With that said, no matter how expensive or affordable they are, you need to make sure you know what you are getting into.
You need to make sure you get the best value for your money. It is why you need to put in mind these important tips when purchasing eggs and chicks from hatcheries. If you have a budget in mind, this is something that you shouldn’t forget.
Before you commit to buying chickens from a hatchery, there are certain factors that you should take into consideration. You should try to look for the following when buying chickens from the State of Colorado.
Check The Local Laws and Regulations
In every state, there are different laws and regulations that breeders must follow. In Colorado, a recent law was enacted last July 1. It aimed to reduce the suffering of egg-laying hens.
By January 2025, the eggs that would be sold in the state must come from cage-free chickens. Farms and hatcheries in Colorado must adhere to the law. They must let buyers know that the eggs come from cage-free hens.
Are The Hatcheries NPIP Certified?
If you are raising chickens, you are probably familiar with the NPIP. However, for those who aren’t, what does this mean exactly?
The NPIP stands for the National Poultry Improvement Plan. This is a testing and cooperative program that has been operating since 1935.
It is under the supervision of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) The main goal of the NPIP is to ensure that poultry and its products follow certain standards. It usually involves poultry for breeding. There is evaluation and testing of hatching eggs, chicks, poults, and breeding poultry.
The hatcheries that have been certified would usually mention this. If you can’t find any information regarding their certification status, you can always reach out to the hatcheries. Choosing to purchase your eggs and chicks from an NPIP certified hatchery is a more ethical practice for anyone who chooses to raise or breed chickens.
Look At Reviews and Feedbacks
Beware of shady hatcheries. Yes, they do exist even in Colorado. Make sure that you are purchasing eggs, pullets, and chickens from reputable establishments. There is a lot of information that you can find about legitimate hatcheries in the state online.
You can also reach out to fellow chicken raisers if you want more help. You can use their recommendations and experiences as your reference for finding the best hatcheries in Colorado.
Inspect The Chicks Before Purchasing
If you have managed to find the chicks you want to purchase from the hatchery of your choice, then make sure you inspect each of them thoroughly. Some hatcheries will claim that the chickens are healthy. However, you have to be 100% sure.
You have to inspect all of them well. If you see any discharge around certain parts of the bird, that might be a sign of something. If you buy and take a sick chick home, it could affect the rest of your flock. You don’t want something like this to happen at all.
Vaccinating Chickens
Apart from checking out the physical attributes of each chick that you would be taking home, you can also reach out to the breeders and find out if they have been vaccinated. As mentioned before, you want to have a healthy chick. Vaccination protects them from certain diseases that usually plague their kind. The more protected they are, the better it is for you.
Visit These Colorado Hatcheries ASAP!
Don’t wait until the last minute to get the chickens you want. With the 7 best chicken hatcheries in Colorado, you have plenty of options. However, because some of the breeds are in demand, you need to secure them as fast as you can! Make sure you choose the healthiest chicks in the hatcheries.
Joseph Hudson has been raising chickens for over 15 years. In 2018, he completed the Agriculture & Natural Resources program at Mt. San Antonio College. He currently raises over 1400 chickens on his 7.5-hectare farm. He keeps sharing his experience on raising healthy and happy chickens on Chicken Scratch The Foundry.
Webmaster: Please note this is my review for Wardles “hatchery”. I only wish to save suffering and heartache, cost and loss of life!!!!!
Years later we still are suffering the devastation of having gotten chicks 5 years ago from them and had been infected with Marek’s disease. They do not offer vaccinated chicks, and don’t even like to discuss the whole thing with customers! Won’t say who their hatcheries are…I lost my entire flock and replacement chickens several times over, it was so bad… so I felt obligated to other backyard poultry owners, and I reported them to CO state ag in Fort Collins to keep an eye on them for aiding in the spreading of this most painful, untreatable, and horrible disease. Be sure you don’t ever get Marek’s , its a terribly painful nerve disease, causing paralysis, and or can cause horrible lymphoid (internal organs riddled with copious cancer (etc) as well as many other various presentations that all lead to pain for chickens and DEATH in the end. For the owner, it is emotionally trying, and painful to have this happen, losing pets, watching them suffer, or culling your flock, as well as very costly for replacement flocks who got it too from our enviroment, (Good luck getting it out of your enviroment) and costly vet visits etc. Watching them lose quality of life and die is just Heartbreaking. Also Wardle’s never responded to my complaints. I hope they have fixed the issues here but doubt it. No way to prove it is clean now, several years later! I would not take the chance, it is so risky and transmittable, and LETHAL. So, based on all this I must say, that I can’t recommend. Find hatcheries that offer vaccinations for Marek’s and prevent it from getting in your environment in the first place is the best and actually only trusty way to deal with this!! (Review left on their website today) I can’t believe they are clean, please take them OFF your list. Not sure how they got on your list in first place. They are not certified. Don’t care to be from their attitude. However another note: They are not a hatchery, they are a middle man from many hatcheries, that is why I was upset they wouldn’t tell me their sources, so the Mareks could be narrowed down to what hatcheries could be infected. THEY DID NOT CARE.