Foster a Chick
a delightful and educational farm experience in your own home
- Participants take a pair of baby chicks home to care for and then return to the farm after a couple weeks.
- Every spring Willow Haven orders hundreds of day old chicks which we raise for broilers and laying hens.
- These cute and fluffy chicks will be available to those who want to experience watching chicks grow and develop, which they do very quickly.
- Over the course of the two weeks, each will grow from fist-sized to about four times as large, and from down-covered to mostly feathered. Some may even be ready to practice flying when the 14 days are over.
- You may keep them as long as you like but two weeks is normal. If you keep them past 4 weeks you will need to buy their feed from us. But be warned: A full-grown hen might weigh 7 pounds, while a rooster could reach 9 pounds. There is no additional charge if a bird dies in your custody.
Cost: $50. Participants foster two chicks for two weeks, watching them grow from hand-size to about four times larger. Teachers, schools and families are common participants.
We Provide: A box, 2 chicks and two weeks’ supply of food.
You Provide: a food dish, fresh water in a water dish, and a warm, protected place for your chick box. Warmth may be provided by an incandescent light bulb set up near the box.
Availability: estimated arrival is the first weekend in May.
When: Tentative pickup date is Friday May 5, 2023.
Where: Birds must be picked up at the farm, 7686 Herber Rd, New Tripoli, PA and returned to the farm thereafter.
Reservations: Use our website Online Store. Pay online to reserve your chicks.
FAQs
What kinds of chicks are available?
- Golden Cross are yellow egg laying chicks
Do you offer Foster a Chick later in the year?
No. We are a small family farm and only raise chicks and ducklings in the spring. If you missed out, please get on our First Notice List for next year. Get me on the First Notice List
I wanted ducklings! Can I still get a pair?
So you heard that we also offered foster duckling this year. We are sorry you missed out but we only offer 24 pairs each year. We recommend that you foster a pair of chick this year. You will automatically be added to our First Notice List for next year. Priority is given to those who have ordered previously.

Local Food Subscriptions = Market Box
Hard to Find & High Quality Local Food
Willow Haven Farm grows and produces high quality farm food, organically grown vegetables and now is partnering with other organic farms to bring it all together for your convenience. We are doing the work of finding the best products from small, organic local farms, so you don’t have to. Support MORE local farmers with your food purchase!
Not sure if a Market Box subscription will work for you?
Start here with the “What’s in a Box?” guide.
Farmer Led Tour – a farm experience for the whole family
Not all farm tours are the same. It’s a totally different experience when Farmer Reuben leads you around the farm. Fourteen years of farming experience provides plenty of stories to tell and places to show you.
What would you like to see?
- Greenhouses with seedlings and transplants covering every surface?
- Cows on pasture and the barn where they are milked?
- The new farm with more vegetable fields, our packing barn and airbnb cottage?
Sharing our life and the place we live and work is a joy for us. We love to see others soak up the quiet calm, the fun and the wholesome reality of our farm. You ought to see where your food is grown, how the animals live and what your support enables us to build out here in New Tripoli.
You can now sign up for a farm tour with Farmer Reuben on the first Saturdays of June, July and August.
- Farm members and family are free.
- Guests are $5 each or $15 per family.
- Make purchases at our On Farm Market.
- Sample farm fresh food.
- Dates for 2023:
- June TBD – Farm Tour at 12 pm
- July TBD – Farm Tour at 12 pm
- August TBD – Farm Tour at 12 pm
- October TBD – Lehigh Valley Open Gate – open to the public – free