Cornish Cross Meat Chicks
Cornish Cross Meat ChicksNPIP Certified Hatchery - License #51-770
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Your chicks ship by USPS Priority Mail during the week you choose, in their own box with their own tracking.
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The fastest-growing meat chicken, usually ready for the table at about 7 to 9 weeks. Cornish Cross need careful feeding and are raised for meat only.
Shipping and ordering
- Minimum order: 6 meat chicks. Ducklings, goslings, turkey poults, guinea keets and meat chicks can be mixed in one order as long as each type meets its minimum.
- Shipped directly to you by USPS Priority Mail during the ship week you choose. Tracking is emailed to you once your birds ship.
- Ships separately from our baby chicks. If you order both, they arrive in separate boxes with separate tracking. To have them arrive the same week, choose the same ship week for both.
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Shipping is $39.95 for small orders. You pay this fee only once, even if you mix bird types.
Shipping is FREE when you order:
- 10 or more ducklings
- 5 or more goslings
- 10 or more turkey poults
- 13 or more guinea keets
- 13 or more meat chicks
Mixing ducklings and goslings? Each gosling counts as two ducklings toward free shipping. For example, 3 goslings plus 4 ducklings ship free.
- If a breed or sex sells out for your week, the substitution choice you make at checkout applies. If you allow substitutions, we send the closest match in the same week. If not, we move your order to the next available week and email you.
- Street address required (no P.O. boxes). Your post office will call when your birds arrive.
- Live-arrival guarantee: if any birds arrive deceased, email chicks@chesapeake-hatchery.com within 72 hours of delivery with your order number and the number of losses.
- Ships to all U.S. states except Hawaii, including Alaska, plus Puerto Rico.
Chick care overview
Chick care overview
Brooder temperature: Start at 95°F for the first week, then lower it about 5°F each week until they're fully feathered.
Food: Feed a meat-bird (broiler) starter with about 20–22% protein, and always keep fresh water available. Dip each chick's beak gently into the water on arrival to encourage drinking.
Fast growers: Meat chicks grow very quickly, Cornish Cross especially. After the first couple of weeks, many growers take feed away for about 12 hours a day to help prevent leg and heart problems. Water should always stay available.
Space: Allow at least 0.5 sq ft per chick in the brooder for the first few weeks, and more as they grow, since meat chicks get big fast.
Watch for: Huddling under the heat source means they're too cold. Panting or moving away from the heat means they're too warm. Active, spread-out babies are comfortable.
For more care tips, visit our FAQs.
Shipping
Shipping
Hatched by our hatching partner and shipped directly to you by USPS Priority Mail during the ship week you choose. Tracking is emailed to you once your birds ship.
Minimum order: 6 meat chicks. Ducklings, goslings, turkey poults, guinea keets and meat chicks can be mixed in one order as long as each type meets its minimum.
Shipping rates
$39.95 for small orders. You pay this fee only once, even if you mix bird types.
Shipping is FREE when you order:
10 or more ducklings
5 or more goslings
10 or more turkey poults
13 or more guinea keets
13 or more meat chicks
Each gosling counts as two ducklings toward free shipping. For example, 3 goslings plus 4 ducklings ship free.
These birds ship in their own box, separately from our Chesapeake-hatched chicks, with separate tracking. To have them arrive the same week, choose the same ship week for both. Not available for local pickup.
Street address required (no P.O. boxes). Your post office will call when your birds arrive. Ships to all U.S. states except Hawaii, including Alaska, plus Puerto Rico.
Live-Arrival Guarantee
If any birds arrive deceased, email chicks@chesapeake-hatchery.com within 72 hours of delivery with your order number and the number of losses.
