It’s a fun and rewarding journey to start with baby chicks and watch them grow up into adult laying hens.

Where to find them

It will require venturing out into the suburbs to a farm supply store that carries baby chicks. Look in the phone book for feed stores; they’re often remarkably close to urban centers, serving the suburban horsy clientele. Call around first to inquire what breeds they carry and when they’re available.

It’s also possible to buy day-old chicks online from commercial hatcheries and have them shipped to you. While hatcheries carry all types of breeds, they typically have a minimum shipping order of about two dozen—not practical for a small backyard operation.

• Recommend a reliable hatchery--online, or in your neighborhood

When to buy them

Spring and early summer is the usual season for getting chicks.

What do they cost?

Chicks are cheap (“cheep cheep!”): expect to pay a couple dollars apiece. Chicken feed, too, is proverbially inexpensive. (Your biggest costs will be the materials for building the coop and fenced run.)

• Got questions about buying chicks? Post it by clicking the "comments" tab.

Look for females

Newly hatched chicks are sexed at the hatchery—examined and grouped as boys or girls —and sold at feed stores as males, females, or “straight run,” which means chicks that haven’t been sexed so are about a 50/50 mix.

Do yourself a favor: only buy females. Taking a gamble by buying a straight-run chick means you stand an excellent chance of finding out 4 months later that your dear pet is a rooster not a hen, and you’ll have to face the task of finding him a new home. (For tips, see When You Need to Give Them Away). Buy any other supplies you need while you’re at the feed store. When you take your little darlings home in a paper bag or cardboard box, be sure to keep them warm until they reach your awaiting brood cage. Darkness may keep them calmer on the car ride.