Selling Chicks During a Buying Panic

A local chick buying panic is underway and lines at the feed stores are getting long. Everyone is scrambling to get their hands on just-hatched baby chicks. But you’re a breeder…so what does this mean for you? I’ll share some tips on how to protect yourself as you deal with the eager, stressed public and navigate the buying frenzy in a profitable way that does not cause business issues later. Let’s discuss selling chicks during a buying panic:

Selling Chicks During a Buying Panic

If you have the experience of owning a breeding flock at the time a local or nation-wide chick buying panic erupts, it can be both exciting, profitable, unnerving, and frightening. How you navigate the situation will determine the safety of your business, your profits, and your flock.

First, Observe the Buying Panic

You should be able to get a feel for how the buying panic is beginning and behaving from social media chicken groups and the local feed store news. It is important to watch and collect some basic information first. Is it a local or nation-wide buying panic? What are the reasons for it? Do you want to sell chicks right now, only hatching eggs, or sit out the panic entirely?

If it is a Nation-Wide Chick Buying Panic:

An event that has caused a grocery store egg shortage, frightened American citizens, or undermined food security is often the root of nation-wide chick buying panics. When Covid Lockdowns were announced in the Spring of 2020 and grocery stores were sold out of eggs, a panic began. Huge numbers of people were looking to purchase chicks. First-time backyard keepers and current chicken owners who wanted more laying hens overwhelmed US hatcheries and independent breeders with sky-rocketing demand. It does not take much to trigger nation-wide chick buying panics.

Risks and Dangers to You the Breeder During a Nation-Wide Panic

Here are some things to know and consider before you begin to sell chicks during a nation-wide buying panic:

Distressed Buyers

Those who are wanting chicks may be frantic to find them, only to become strangely paranoid or have unrealistic expectations once you agree to sell your chicks. Some of these people may live in the suburbs and insist you cannot sell them any roosters, not understanding that sexing newly hatched chicks is difficult. Uneducated buyers new to chicken keeping can pester you with an avalanche of questions that you cannot possibly answer while a hundred other people flood your phone with requests for chicks. You need to determine if you have the ability to deal with distressed buyers before you advertise any chicks or hatching eggs for sale. (Please feel free to link them to articles on this site so you don’t spend all day trying to answer questions about baby chick care!)

Chicken Thieves

If everyone is looking for chickens, there are going to be chickens stolen. Your breeding flock is at risk. If you decide to sell chicks, I suggest NOT giving people your home address where the hens live. Instead, meet them at a neutral place, like a well lit store parking lot where they can pick up their chicks. People who ask for your address and then “flake” may be looking for birds to steal after nightfall. Do not give them this opportunity.

Scams and Fear of Being Scammed

While most scammers will target the buying public, there are some who will target breeders. You need to be aware of this. You’re also going to be under extra scrutiny from buyers who will be reading chick scam horror stories on social media. Do your best to remain calm, upbeat, and provide clear images but also be firm about pricing, pick-up times, and having cash when they come. Be aware of current hatching egg scams and chick buying scams.

If it is a Local Chick Buying Panic:

Local panics tend to be quick, short-lived, and easier to navigate. I still suggest first observing to determine the reason for the panic and then choosing how to proceed. Local panics can erupt when early spring shipments to feed stores are cancelled or sell out too quickly. Those who stood in line and are disappointed tend to scatter to other feed stores, buying up everything available. A single missed large chick shipment at a primary feed store can cause a local panic to run for the next 2-4 weeks. A shorted order of colored egg laying chicks that sell out too quickly can also spark a local panic just for colored egg layers.

Risks and Dangers to You the Breeder During a Local Panic

Here is what you can expect to encounter during localized buying panics that are not nation-wide but might be happening city or state-wide:

Frustrated Shoppers

Those who missed out on lower-priced feed store chicks may not like the prices of your gorgeous purebreds or specialty breeding project chicks. Panics can bring out bad behavior so try to not take comments from frustrated chick shoppers personally. Keep your prices fair but firm. People who want specific breeds or hybrids will be happy to pay your prices. Those looking for the cheapest sexed pullets they can find will need to continue to wait in line at the feed store.

Resellers

There is a chance that someone may contact you to buy an entire hatch at a discount and you later learn this individual re-sold them at double or triple the price. Using your farm name! They pocket the extra profits and leave you to handle any later complaints. The best way to avoid this is to not sell entire hatches nor more than 12 chicks to a single local buyer. It is fine to say that you have too many people waiting for chicks and these opportunistic resellers will move on. (You may see them again, selling boxes of hatchery chicks – or worse, all sexed cockerels – at exorbitant prices.)

Accusers

Those who breed for specialty egg colors have expensive chicks. During a local buying panic you may have people who are quick to accuse you of “price gouging”. After making a stink and asking you to lower you prices – and you refuse – they may resort to smearing you on local online chicken groups. They will be quickly corrected by others who have seen your website prices and are aware of the quality birds you offer. (If you have not already purchased a domain name and set up a WooCommerce or Shopify shop, it may be time to consider doing that.) Just be aware that this dramatic overreaction to your prices is almost always a ploy to get you to sell your chicks for less. That is why they keep messaging and verbally flailing about instead of simply replying ‘thanks’ and walking away. You do not want to do business with these types of people. Ignore them as much as you can and they will move on.

Breeders, You Must Watch Out for Scammers

Scammers hit up the chicken world every spring with various ways to dupe chick and hatching egg buyers. There are also scams that target breeders. Many of them involve paying you with PayPal using Buyer Protection. Once you have shipped off their order, they file a PayPal Significantly Not As Described (SNAD) claim, saying the animals arrived dead. Even if you shipped them hatching eggs. PayPal overwhelmingly sides with buyers when these types of claims are filed without doing much real investigation. PayPal will deduct the funds from your account and the scammer walks away with your money and your eggs or chicks.

Another Type of Paypal Scam:

In another twist, the scammer may ask you to ship chicks or eggs to a completely different address, which can indicate the Paypal account has been hacked or stolen. If you follow through with sending the order, you may have a forced charge-back later because you did not ship to the verified address linked to the Paypal account. Scammers know you may be busy with lots of orders you are trying to get to the post office and they hope you’re not paying close attention.

What Else Do I Need to Know?

Buyers picking up chicks are often giddy, may have excited children in tow, and are forgetful. You will need to have a ready supply of chick carriers or empty boxes so they can transport home their babies because this is the number one most forgotten item! New keepers may not even know they need to bring a box. The small investment to create your own chick carriers is absolutely worth it. They are thoughtful, convenient, and visually communicate that you are a real business offering quality birds. This can encourage word-of-mouth referrals and repeat buyers. Rest assured pictures of everything will end up on social media so this is also an opportunity for free advertising!

Do You Feel More Prepared for Selling chicks during a buying panic?

Offering your chicks during a panic can be exciting, unnerving, and a little exhausting. Please do plan on being bombarded with messages, questions, and then requests for help learning about chick care, feed, odor control, first aid, and maybe keeping chickens during a lockdown. (It is okay to send people links to useful articles to save yourself some time!) If you proceed with wisdom and a little caution, the high demand for chicks can translate into a very profitable selling season for breeders!

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