Buy chicks from a known hatchery, or birds you have seen and checked yourself, and ask their age and vaccinations before you pay. Never pay an advance to a seller you have not met, and keep new birds away from your flock for 30 days.
Before you buy
- Know what you want: eggs, meat or chicks, which birds and how many. See choosing birds.
- Get ready first: a night shelter, and a brooder if you buy day-old chicks. See housing and brooding.
- Start small, with a flock you can check every day. See getting started.
- Book early. Good country chicks are scarce and cost more, TANUVAS notes (TANUVAS).
Day-old, brooded or grown birds
| Buy as | Suits | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Day-old chicks | Keepers with a brooder and time to tend chicks | They need warmth, feed and protection for the first weeks |
| Brooded chicks, about 4–6 weeks old | Beginners and backyard flocks | Ask the hatch date, the hatchery and the vaccinations given |
| Grown birds or laying hens | A quick start for eggs, or new blood for breeding | Birds from an unknown flock can bring in disease |
- A day-old country chick weighs only 30–32 g (TANUVAS). ICAR-DPR says brooding (warmth, balanced feed and protection from predators) is essential right after hatching (ICAR-DPR): see brooding chicks.
- Hatcheries and village groups often brood chicks for about 6 weeks before they go to backyards (TANUVAS review); at 6 weeks, improved birds weigh about 650–750 g and can start foraging (ICAR-DPR).
- Buying hens that are about to lay? Check that all their vaccinations were finished at least 3 weeks before, as TANUVAS advises (TANUVAS).
Where to buy
- TANUVAS, Tamil Nadu. Its poultry college at Hosur supplies Aseel, Kadaknath, Nicobari, Vanaraja and Gramapriya to farmers in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh (TANUVAS). Its Tiruchirappalli centre takes bookings for chicks that come from Hosur every 2–3 months, and for 4–5-week-old country chicks (TANUVAS); its veterinary college farm at Tirunelveli sells day-old native chicks (TANUVAS).
- Hyderabad. ICAR-DPR sells chicks of its own varieties and of Aseel, Ghagus, Kadaknath and Nicobari (ICAR-DPR). PVNRTVU's poultry station at Rajendranagar supplies its Rajasri chicks (PVNRTVU).
- Karnataka and Kerala. KVAFSU in Bengaluru supplies Giriraja and Swarnadhara chicks (KVAFSU). KVASU's Mannuthy farm sells day-old chicks on Thursdays (booked) and Fridays (KVASU), and the Kerala government's Central Hatchery at Chengannur produces chicks for backyard rearing (Kerala AHD).
- Weekly markets (santhai). Many birds to compare, but you rarely learn their age or vaccinations, and birds from many villages mix there.
- Farms and neighbours. You can see the parent birds and the rest of the flock.
- Online, on Kattutharai. Browse chickens for sale near you, ask your questions in the app chat, then go and see the birds. Kattutharai shows farmers' ads; it does not check birds or sellers, so do every check below yourself.
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Asking prices in farmers’ ads, not market prices.
Find country chickens near you on Kattutharai
See country hens, roosters and chicks for sale direct from farmers near your village, with photos, the village name and the distance. No middlemen. Call or chat with the farmer, then see the birds and check them yourself before you pay.
Looking for a particular breed? Search its name in the Kattutharai app, for example Aseel (Peruvidai), Kadaknath or Giriraja.
Check chicks and birds
Day-old chicks. Good chicks stand up well, move about actively and peck at feed and water. Turn down chicks that are weak or slow, have matted down on the back, an unhealed navel or a deformity, or look dried out (TNAU, TNAU).
Grown birds. See them walking, eating and drinking, in daylight. Walk away from birds that:
- sit hunched with their eyes closed, or have drooping wings;
- have white, watery or bloody droppings;
- have swelling around the eyes, head or neck, a runny nose, or a comb, wattles or legs that have changed colour;
- have blisters or scabs on the comb, face or eyelids;
- drag their legs or twist their necks;
- scratch a lot and lose feathers.
These are warning signs of Ranikhet, fowl pox, coccidiosis, lice and bird flu (TANUVAS, Bird flu plan). Do not buy from a flock where birds have recently died suddenly.
Questions to ask the seller
- When did the chicks hatch, and where? For grown birds: how old are they, and were they hatched here?
- Which vaccinations have they had, and on what dates? Compare the answers with the vaccination calendar.
- When were they last dewormed?
- What have they been eating? Start them on the same feed and change it gradually (TANUVAS).
- Have any birds in the flock fallen sick or died suddenly this month?
- Which breed or variety are they, and how do you know? See sellers' names and real breeds.
Paying safely and avoiding fraud
- Never pay an advance to a seller you have not met, for birds you have not seen: not as a "booking amount", and not as "transport charges". A common trick is attractive photos, a low price and a request for money by UPI before you visit.
- Watch for fake hatchery pages. A page or message can use the name and photos of a government or university hatchery. Book only through the contact details on the hatchery's official website or at its office, and collect the chicks there.
- Pay at the handover, after you have counted and checked the birds.
- A price far below other ads for the same birds is a warning sign. Compare asking prices in farmers' ads for chickens for sale and at your weekly market.
- Get a receipt: the date, the seller's name and village, the number of birds, their age and the price paid.
- If you lose money to an online fraud, report it at once on the national cyber-crime helpline 1930 or at cybercrime.gov.in (MHA), and report the ad in the app.
Moving birds legally
The Transport of Animals (Amendment) Rules, 2001 set these conditions for moving poultry (AWBI):
- A vet's certificate for grown birds. Under rule 79(a), poultry other than day-old chicks must be examined and certified by a veterinary doctor as free of infectious disease and fit to travel.
- Cool hours only. Poultry may not travel when it is hotter than 25°C or colder than 15°C, and must be kept out of sun, rain and strong wind.
- Clean, labelled containers, not stacked, with one kind and age of bird in each and cocks apart from hens, labelled with both sides' names, addresses and phone numbers. Give water every 6 hours in hot weather.
- Day-old chicks are sent straight from the hatchery, without feed or water on the way, up to 80 in a 60 × 45 × 12 cm box.
- Breaks. No more than 6 hours of travel at a stretch, and stops of no more than 30 minutes, in shade.
- Bird-flu zones. Poultry may not move in or out of the 10 km zone round an outbreak, and new birds, chicks and eggs must come only from areas known to be free of bird flu (Bird flu plan). Check your district's notices before you buy, and see the full rules.
The first 30 days at home
- Keep new birds apart from your flock for at least 30 days, as the national bird-flu plan advises (Bird flu plan). TANUVAS also advises deworming them before they join the flock (TANUVAS).
- Keep ages apart. Don't keep chicks and older birds in the same house (TANUVAS).
- Wash your hands, clothes and footwear after handling the new birds (Bird flu plan).
- Watch them every day for the warning signs, and report sudden deaths within 24 hours to the nearest vet or 1962.
- Ask your vet about any vaccinations the birds have missed, and only then let them join your flock.
Common mistakes
- Paying an advance to a seller you have never met.
- Buying day-old chicks with no brooder ready.
- Buying from a flock where birds have recently died.
- Moving grown birds without a vet's certificate, or in the midday heat.
- Putting new birds in with your flock on the first day.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to buy chicks online?
It can be, if the ad is only your first step: chat in the app, go and see the birds, check them, and pay at the handover. Never pay an advance to a seller you have not met.
Should a beginner buy day-old or brooded chicks?
Brooded chicks of about 4–6 weeks are easier: they are past the most delicate first weeks, and at about 6 weeks they can start foraging. Day-old chicks need a brooder: see brooding chicks.
Do I need a certificate to move chickens?
For grown birds, yes: under the 2001 transport rules, a vet must certify that they are free of infectious disease and fit to travel. The rule does not cover day-old chicks. Ask your veterinary dispensary what your route needs.
Next
Get the night shelter and brooder ready, and plan vaccinations. Ready to look? Browse chickens for sale near you.