Chick Order Calculator & Day-Old Chicks to Buy
Plans broilers
Order the right number of day-old chicks — from your target flock plus brooding and growing mortality (and sexing for layers), the chicks to buy, the expected losses and a safety buffer.
Enter your target flock
Next: brood well — warm, dry, draught-free housing with clean water cuts most early deaths, which is the single biggest lever on how many you must order.
Survival = (1−brood)×(1−grow); for straight-run layers only ~half are female.
Chick ordering — key facts
- Order
- target ÷ survival
- Survival
- (1−brood)×(1−grow)
- Broiler mortality
- ≈ 5–10% total
- Straight-run female
- ≈ 50%
- Sexed pullets
- 100% female
- Buffer
- +3–5% for bad batches
- Cut losses
- good brooding & biosecurity
- Privacy
- Runs in your browser; nothing uploaded
Order enough — but not too many
Some chicks won't make it to market or point-of-lay, so ordering exactly your target number leaves you short. Plan for mortality (highest in the early brooding weeks), and — if you're rearing layers from straight-run chicks — for the fact that only about half are female. Order too few and you can't fill your housing or orders; too many and you waste feed, space and money.
This tool works back from the birds you want to keep, through brooding and growing survival and the female fraction, to the day-old chicks to order, with an optional safety buffer for bad batches. It also shows the expected losses and overall yield. Brood well to cut losses (and your order), and pair this with the Poultry Brooding, Poultry Litter and Poultry & Egg Profit tools to plan the whole batch.
Hit your target
Order enough chicks to end with the flock you need.
Allow for sexing
Straight-run layers need ~double for the females.
Add a buffer
A small margin protects against a bad batch.
Plan the batch
The order sizes your brooder, feed and vaccine needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many chicks should I order?+
Order more than your target to allow for mortality: chicks = target ÷ survival, where survival = (1 − brooding loss) × (1 − growing loss). For 1,000 market broilers at ~10% total loss you'd order about 1,109. For straight-run layers, divide again by the female fraction. This tool computes it.
What mortality should I plan for?+
Brooding (first weeks) mortality is the highest — often 3–8% for broilers, sometimes more for chicks raised in poor conditions; later growing losses are smaller. Layers reared to point-of-lay accumulate more over the longer period. Use your own flock's figures; the tool combines brooding and growing losses.
How do I account for sexing when rearing layers?+
If you buy unsexed (straight-run) chicks, only about half will be female and useful as layers — so set the female % to 50, and the tool roughly doubles the order. If you buy sexed pullet chicks (female %), set it to 100. Sexed chicks cost more but waste no feed on unwanted males.
Why add a buffer on top of mortality?+
Mortality varies — a bad batch, disease or a cold snap can push losses above average. A small buffer (say 3–5%) on top of expected mortality protects you from ending short of your target, which matters when you have firm orders or housing to fill. The tool lets you add a buffer percentage.
What is brooding mortality?+
Deaths during the brooding period (first 2–4 weeks) when chicks need warmth, clean water, good feed and hygiene. It's the most critical and highest-loss phase. Good brooding — correct temperature, space, ventilation and biosecurity — sharply cuts it, lowering how many extra chicks you must order.
How can I reduce chick losses?+
Brood well: right temperature (start ~32–35 °C, reduce weekly), enough floor space, clean dry litter, fresh water and feed from arrival, good ventilation without draughts, and strict biosecurity and vaccination. Source healthy chicks from a reputable hatchery. Lower mortality means you order fewer chicks for the same target.
Does this work for broilers and layers?+
Both. For broilers (or any meat birds) set female % to 100 — you keep all survivors. For layers, set female % to 100 if buying sexed pullets, or 50 if buying straight-run and keeping only the females. The tool also estimates the males you'd discard with straight-run.
How many chicks for 1,000 market birds?+
Roughly target ÷ survival: at 90% survival, about 1,111; at 85%, about 1,176. The exact number depends on your brooding and growing mortality and any buffer. Enter your figures and the tool gives the precise order quantity and the expected losses.
Should I order extra for selling/culling?+
If you cull or sell some birds before the target stage, factor that in by raising the target or the buffer. The tool's target is the number you want to keep; add to it any planned culls or sales so your final usable flock still meets your needs.
How does this help me plan?+
Knowing the order quantity lets you book the right number of chicks, size the brooder and house, and order feed and vaccines to match. Under-order and you can't fill housing or orders; over-order and you waste feed and space. The tool gets the number right from your target and losses.