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(Lander, WY) – Chick hatching season is right around the corner for Lander’s Melissahof Hatchery, and they are now taking pre-orders for their four heritage breeds: Salmon Faverolles, Blue-laced Red Wyandotte, Dominique, and Buckeye.
All four are dual-purpose heavy breeds, which are good for both meat and eggs. They also have plumage and small combs suitable for Wyoming’s cold weather.
Melissahof Hatchery is owned and operated by Melissa Hemken, who decided to open the hatchery after mail ordering chicks since there is not a large hatchery here in Wyoming.
Mail order chicks can live 72 hours on the yolk before they need food and water, Melissa explained. The chicks she ordered traveled for over 80 hours, which meant some expired in transit and others succumbed to the stress after arrival.
Even though she received a reimbursement, it still didn’t replace the chicks she wanted. From that experience Melissahof Hatchery was born, a Lander-based hatchery providing purebred chicks to Wyomingites.
Melissa hatches the eggs with an incubator and hatcher so the chicks are healthier, and not stressed after a long shipping process.
Statewide shipping is available through the virtual farmer’s market Eat Wyoming – the chicks ride in the passenger seat of the delivery truck as it travels around making deliveries.
Hatching season is March through June and Melissa will work with you to set a hatch week that works best for your schedule.
She also offers a hen guarantee, which means if you order hens and accidentally get a rooster, she will swap it out for a female hen that hasn’t laid an egg yet, a.k.a. a pullet. Sexing a day-old chick can be very imprecise, she noted.
Learn more about each of the four breeds Melissahof Hatchery offers by following the links: Salmon Faverolles, Blue-laced Red Wyandotte, Dominique, and Buckeye.
Check out melissahof.com for more information and to pre-order your chicks.
