2025 Pastured Poultry Problems

Let me start by saying—these are real challenges, but we know we’re not alone. Many farmers and homesteaders are facing similar struggles, and while these problems feel big, we’re committed to finding solutions and pushing forward.

“Persistence and resilience only come from having been given the chance to work through difficult problems.” — Gever Tulley

Planning for 2025

It all started last fall. Market season had wrapped up, the freezers were consolidated and organized, processing equipment was sanitized and stored, hoses were hung, tractors parked, and everything was tucked in for winter. It was time to plan.

I pulled out my calendar and started mapping out the year:

• When is the first market of 2025?
• Counting back 10-ish weeks, when should our first batch of chicks arrive?
• If we order 100 chicks every two weeks, will the weather allow us to pasture them at four weeks old?
• Will we have enough time to process and get fresh-frozen chicken to market before cold weather sets in?

With all those variables carefully calculated, I sat down with Mark, reviewed the plan, and then—I committed.

The First Hurdle

I placed my orders with our favorite hatchery (so far). Their website only showed hatch dates through the end of April, but I figured I could place my initial orders and add more as they updated their schedule. By mid-November 2024, I had ordered 600 chicks across five different shipments—including 100 for our neighbor.

Then, in late December, I received an email that changed everything.

• USPS was adding a $15 per box handling fee for all live chick shipments.
• The hatchery was no longer accepting out-of-state orders.
• They would honor my existing orders, but that was it.

Cue panic. I scrambled to find a new hatchery that would still ship to our state. After some back-and-forth, I locked in a deal for the remaining five shipments (May–July). The price wasn’t as good, but they worked with me as best they could.

By the end of 2024, I thought I had everything under control.

And Then, Shipping Happened…

Fast forward to February—we surprised the kids with ducklings from a hatchery in Tennessee. They arrived with minimal issues. Great! Maybe this was a good sign.

March 5th rolled around—our first chick hatch day. This time, we were also testing out a new turkey hatchery before placing our big summer order. The turkeys shipped on March 4th from Idaho and arrived on March 7th—healthy and thriving.

Our chicks? Not so much.

Tracking showed they left Texas on Wednesday, March 5th. Everything looked normal. Based on past experience, I expected them by Friday.

Then—radio silence.

A Desperate Rescue Mission

By Friday morning, I was worried. I called the hatchery. They promised to check with their distribution center. I called my local post office. Would they call me on Saturday if the chicks arrived?

At 5:45 PM on Saturday, my phone rang—but it wasn’t my local post office. The chicks had ended up at a facility 2.5 hours away. Some had already perished. The postal worker was worried that if we didn’t get them that night, none would survive until Monday.

So, my daughter and I grabbed supplies, blasted the heater in the car, and hit the road. We arrived at 8:30 PM, sorted the chicks, gave them water, and made it home by 11:15 PM. We transferred the survivors to the brooder and finally crashed into bed at 12:30 AM.

The next morning, we woke up to more losses—not unexpected given the rough journey. I emailed the hatchery, and they offered to send replacements.

Round Two: The Same Nightmare

On Wednesday, the hatchery shipped 60 replacement chicks. This time, I had a USPS contact watching for them.

Tracking updates looked normal—until they didn’t. After leaving Texas, the chicks disappeared from tracking until Saturday at 12:44 AM, when they were scanned in Billings, MT.

Sunday morning, I got the text I had been dreading.

The entire shipment was deceased.

I know these birds are meant to be raised for food, but losing them this way—without even a chance to raise them on pasture—was heartbreaking.

The Harsh Reality

At this point, I was out of options. The closest hatchery that sells our preferred breed is 9 hours away—one way. Driving there every two weeks isn’t feasible while managing everything else on the farm. Shipping is our only option.

On Monday, the hatchery refunded all our orders. With my next batch set to arrive the following week, I now had no chicks coming.

So, I spent the entire day mapping out hatcheries, comparing pricing with shipping, and checking availability. The struggle? Inventory is already limited. Prices are rising. The market is unpredictable.

I finally found one hatchery with okay pricing and availability for April. I placed an order, and now, we wait—with fingers crossed.

What This Means for 2025

Several challenges are converging to make 2025 a rough year for pastured poultry:

• Avian flu concerns are pushing more backyard homesteaders to raise birds, increasing demand and straining hatcheries.
• Limited supply is driving up prices.
• USPS shipping delays are making chick survival unpredictable.

Despite it all, we’re committed to raising healthy, non-GMO, soy-free poultry on pasture—even if we have to get creative.

Thank you for being on this journey with us. Your support means the world! If you’ve ever faced similar struggles, we’d love to hear how you handled them. Let’s keep pushing forward together