Believe it or not, it is time to start planning spring projects. It is specifically time to place your orders.
Seeds can be found almost anywhere in the spring. However, seeds for specific varieties can't always be found in local stores. In addition, many of the seeds found in stores are left over from previous years which lowers their germination rate. Keep in mind though, it is more expensive to buy high quality seeds. For many of our seeds, we think the extra expense is worth it. We do buy some seeds and even some starter plants from a local nursery. A reputable nursery will also have quality seeds. Here are a few online seed companies that are trustworthy-- Park Seed, Burpee and Stokes. You can view their seeds online or request a seed catalog. They provide good information for the different seed varieties and you can see which seeds will do well in your area by choosing seeds that do well in the zone where you live. 
It may surprise you to know that baby chicks can be also ordered online. The chicks are shipped the day they are hatched and come in a box via the US Post Office. The benefit of ordering your chicks is that you can mix and match the specific breeds you want. You can do this to an extent by buying chicks at your local farm store, but you can only buy certain breeds on certain weeks as the farm stores get different breeds at different times. Not getting your chicks all at the same time is hard on your little flock as they reestablish a pecking order each time any chicks are added or removed from the flock. (Pecking order starts at six weeks of age.) Younger chicks will be picked on and most likely will always stay the bottom of the pecking order. The big negative to ordering chicks online is that a minimum order such as 25 chicks is common. This is necessary so they have enough body heat to ship safely. Even though we didn't need nearly that many chickens for our backyard flock, the minimum order is not a problem for us. We were able to sell the additional chicks. Last year our son raised and sold enough extra baby chicks to earn the money he needed for scout camp. We order our chicks from Murry McMurray Hatchery. No matter where you purchase your chicks, you will pay more for chicks if you don't buy straight run chicks. Straight run means you get both pullets (young females) and roosters. Paying for sexed chicks isn't fool proof as you may still end up with a rooster or two, but they are pretty good at determining pullets as soon as the chicks are hatched. Some of our favorite breeds include Red Star (or Red Sex Link), Black Star (or Black Sex Link), Delaware, Rhode Island Red, Barrred Rock and Buff Orpington. You are sure to always get pullets with the Sex Link breeds as the pullet and rooster chicks actually have different coloring.
If you want bees this year, you must order your bees right away. You can only start new hives in the spring and packages of bees are next to impossible to get in the spring if you haven't pre-ordered them. Check with local beekeepers or your local bee association to find out where to order bees in your area. We order our bees from a local beekeeper, Knight Family Honey, who get the bees from California. This picture shows two four-pound packages of bees. You'll want 3-4 pounds of bees for each new hive. Research what kinds of bees do well in your area. Popular bees in our area are Italian Hygienic, Italian, and Carniolan. We have Italian Hygienic because they are docile, winter-hardy and mite and disease resistant while still being good honey producers. You also want to make sure you get a genetically "good" queen with your bee package as not all queens are equal. The success of the hive is greatly determined by the queen's egg laying abilities. The temperament of the hive is also greatly affected by the temperament of the queen. Remember you'll also need to order your hives and other bee keeping equipment now so that you have the proper set-up ready when your bees arrive.
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What plans are you making for the spring? What do you order? Any tips or questions? Please share!
