Welp Hatchery
Welp Hatchery is a nearly century-old U.S. poultry hatchery in Bancroft, Iowa, that hatches and ships day-old chicks, ducklings, goslings, turkey poults, and game birds directly to hobbyist and commercial-farmer customers nationwide via USPS Priority Mail from a 262+ SKU Shopify storefront.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1929
- HeadquartersBancroft, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Welp Hatchery does
Welp Hatchery is a family-founded U.S. poultry hatchery established in 1929 by Joseph H. Welp in Bancroft, Iowa, and operated as a direct-to-consumer e-commerce business. It hatches and ships day-old chicks, ducklings, goslings, turkey poults, pheasants, quail, and chukar partridges to customers across the United States via USPS Priority Mail, with product arriving at local post offices within 2-3 days of hatch. The company positions itself as a specialist in Cornish Rock Broiler chickens and offers proprietary Welp-Line pullets and Welp Cornish Rock cockerels backed by a 90% sexing accuracy guarantee.
The catalog spans more than 262 SKUs across layer breeds (Amberlink, Novogen Brown/Red Sexlink, Rhode Island Red, Barred Rock, Hyline White, Black Sexlink, Tetra Tint), fancy breeds (Ameraucana, Ancona, Barnevelder, Bicolor Beauties), waterfowl, turkeys, and game birds, sold in straight-run, pullet (female), and male variants. The storefront is built on Shopify and accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, with a phone ordering option (1-800-458-4473). Minimum order thresholds vary by species (e.g., 30 pheasants, 50 chukars in increments of 50) to maintain body heat during shipping, and add-on services such as Marek's Immunization and Coccidiosis Spray are available per chick. A $15 per box USPS postage/handling fee took effect on January 19, 2025.
In March 2024, Welp Hatchery was acquired by Rock Hill Genetics, which now appears on customer credit card statements. The customer base is bifurcated between hobbyist/backyard poultry keepers purchasing small coops' worth of birds and commercial farmers placing larger bulk orders for egg or meat production. Distribution is U.S.-only with shipping restrictions to Alaska, Puerto Rico, and several states for Mallard Ducks. The business operates with 11-50 employees and ships year-round.
Welp Hatchery firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Welp Hatchery
- Legal name
- Welp Hatchery
- Website
- https://welphatchery.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1929
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Welp Hatchery is a nearly century-old U.S. poultry hatchery in Bancroft, Iowa, that hatches and ships day-old chicks, ducklings, goslings, turkey poults, and game birds directly to hobbyist and commercial-farmer customers nationwide via USPS Priority Mail from a 262+ SKU Shopify storefront.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Welp Hatchery industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Poultry Hatchery
- NAICS
- Poultry Hatcheries (112340), Poultry Hatcheries (11234)
- SIC
- Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Hatcheries & Chick Production (Day-Old Chicks, Pullets) (AFAEADAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Game Bird Farming (Quail, Pheasant, Partridge) (AFAEAIAF)
Keywords
Where Welp Hatchery is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bancroft
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Welp Hatchery business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Personnel
Revenue model
- Poultry Product Sales: One-time purchase revenue from selling day-old chicks, ducklings, goslings, turkey poults, pheasants, and other poultry. Products sold include straight-run (unsexed), pullets (females), and cockerels (males) across 262+ product listings. Pricing varies by breed and sex, ranging from approximately $2.75 to $142.00 per bird.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Straight-run chicks (unsexed) - approximately equal males/females |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Pullets (female chicks) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Males (cockerels) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Waterfowl (Ducklings, Goslings) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Turkeys |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Game Birds (Pheasants, Quail, Chukar Partridges) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Welp Hatchery product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Welp Hatchery hatches and ships day-old chicks, ducklings, goslings, turkey poults, pheasants, and other live poultry directly to customers across the United States via USPS Priority Mail. The company specializes in Cornish Rock Broiler chickens and offers a catalog of 262+ products spanning layer breeds, fancy breeds, waterfowl, turkeys, and game birds, sold through a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront with optional add-on services such as Marek's Immunization and Coccidiosis Spray.
Product overview
Welp Hatchery is a family-founded poultry hatchery established in 1929, offering a diverse catalog of over 262 poultry products. The company specializes in Cornish Rock Broiler chickens as their primary meat breed, alongside an extensive selection of layer breeds (Amberlink, Novogen Brown/Red Sexlink, Rhode Island Red, Barred Rock, Hyline White, Black Sexlink, Tetra Tint) for egg production, fancy breeds (Americana, Ancona, Barnevelder, Bicolor Beauties) for ornamental purposes, waterfowl (African Goslings, Assorted Ducks, Assorted Goslings, Assorted Runner Ducks), and turkeys. The product portfolio includes multiple purchase options for each breed (Straight Run, Pullets/Females, Males/Cockerels) and is complemented by customer support resources including poultry care guides, health guides, and predator management information. The company hatches year-round and ships day-old chicks throughout the United States via USPS Priority Mail.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Cornish Rock Broilers Day-old Cornish Rock Broiler chicks for meat production, sold as the company's specialty in straight-run, male, and pullet variants. Targeted at commercial meat producers and hobbyist meat growers.
- Layer Breed Chicks Day-old layer breed chicks (Amberlink, Novogen Brown/Red Sexlink, Rhode Island Red, Barred Rock, Hyline White Leghorn, Black Sexlink, Tetra Tint) sold as pullets, males, or straight run for commercial and backyard egg production. The proprietary 'Welp-Line Pullets' carry a 90% sexing accuracy guarantee.
- Fancy Breed Chicks Day-old fancy breed chicks (Americana/Easter Egger, Ancona, Barnevelder, Bicolor Beauties) sold as pullets, males, or straight run for ornamental poultry keeping, colored egg production, and hobbyist enjoyment.
- Waterfowl (Ducklings and Goslings) Day-old ducklings and goslings (African, Assorted, Runner Duck varieties) for waterfowl raising and egg production. Minimum order requirements: 10 ducklings or 5 goslings.
- Turkey Poults Day-old turkey poults (Beltsville Small White, Assorted) for meat production. Minimum order of 10 turkeys; live delivery cannot be guaranteed to Alaska and Puerto Rico.
- Game Birds Day-old game birds (Pheasants, Quail, Chukar Partridges) for hunting preserves, release programs, and specialty raising. Minimum orders: 30 Pheasants, 30 Quail, 50 Chukar Partridges (in increments of 50).
- Marek's Immunization Add-on Optional Marek's disease immunization service for chicks at $0.25 per chick, available as an add-on at the time of order.
- Coccidiosis Spray Add-on Optional coccidiosis prevention spray for chicks at $0.22 per chick, available as an add-on at the time of order.
Companies that use Welp Hatchery
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Welp Hatchery technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
Feature2 records
Welp Hatchery partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Rock Hill GeneticsmajorRock Hill Genetics purchased Welp Hatchery in March 2024. This acquisition may result in the company name appearing on customer credit card statements as 'Rock Hill Genetics' rather than 'Welp Hatchery'.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Welp Hatchery competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hoover's Hatchery: Iowa-based hatchery (geographic neighbor to Welp in Bancroft) shipping chicks, ducks, geese, turkeys, and game birds nationwide. Direct regional peer with overlapping catalog and USPS-based fulfillment model.
- Ideal Poultry Breeding Farms: Texas-based hatchery offering a broad selection of standard and rare breed chicks, bantams, turkeys, waterfowl, and game birds via mail order. Direct competitor in the hobbyist and small-farmer mail-order segment.
- Murray McMurray Hatchery: One of the largest US hobbyist and small-flock poultry hatcheries, offering chickens, waterfowl, turkeys, and game birds via mail order. Directly comparable D2C catalog, USPS shipping model, and customer base to Welp Hatchery.
- Privett Hatchery: New Mexico-based poultry hatchery supplying chicks, waterfowl, turkeys, and game birds via direct mail order. Comparable D2C hatchery model with similar USPS shipping approach and breed catalog.
- Cackle Hatchery: Multi-generation family hatchery in Missouri offering 200+ breeds of chicks, ducks, geese, turkeys, and game birds via direct mail order. Closest direct peer to Welp on catalog breadth, D2C e-commerce model, and hobbyist/commercial farmer segmentation.
- Mt. Healthy Hatcheries: Long-running Ohio hatchery (est. 1924) shipping chicks, ducks, geese, turkeys, and guinea fowl nationwide. Comparable D2C model, breed depth, and small-flock customer focus to Welp Hatchery.
- Meyer Hatchery: Ohio-based poultry hatchery offering layers, broilers, waterfowl, turkeys, and game birds with a strong online ordering portal. Competes head-to-head with Welp for backyard and small-farm customers across the Midwest.
- Stromberg's Chicks & Game Birds Unlimited: Minnesota-based poultry and game bird supplier offering chicks, ducklings, goslings, pheasants, and quail via mail order. Comparable D2C model with emphasis on game birds — a key overlap with Welp's pheasant/quail/chukar offerings.
- Jenks Hatchery: Long-established Kansas hatchery offering day-old chicks, waterfowl, turkeys, and game birds for hobbyists and small farmers. Comparable mail-order D2C model and customer profile to Welp.
- Townline Hatchery: Iowa-based hatchery (another regional neighbor) selling chicks, ducklings, goslings, turkeys, and game birds through direct-to-consumer mail order. Comparable scale, geography, and customer mix to Welp Hatchery.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Welp Hatchery social profiles
Digital presenceWelp Hatchery financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Welp Hatchery leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Welp Hatchery funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Welp Hatchery M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Welp Hatchery
What does Welp Hatchery do?
Welp Hatchery hatches and ships day-old chicks, ducklings, goslings, turkey poults, pheasants, and other live poultry directly to customers across the United States via USPS Priority Mail. The company specializes in Cornish Rock Broiler chickens and offers a catalog of 262+ products spanning layer breeds, fancy breeds, waterfowl, turkeys, and game birds, sold through a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront with optional add-on services such as Marek's Immunization and Coccidiosis Spray.
Is Welp Hatchery a public or private company?
Welp Hatchery is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Welp Hatchery founded?
Welp Hatchery was founded in 1929. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Welp Hatchery based?
Welp Hatchery is headquartered in Bancroft, United States, in the North America region.
How does Welp Hatchery make money?
One revenue line is on record: poultry Product Sales.
Who are Welp Hatchery's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hoover's Hatchery, Ideal Poultry Breeding Farms, Murray McMurray Hatchery, Privett Hatchery, Cackle Hatchery, Mt. Healthy Hatcheries, Meyer Hatchery, Stromberg's Chicks & Game Birds Unlimited, Jenks Hatchery and Townline Hatchery.
Does Welp Hatchery have an API?
No public API is recorded for Welp Hatchery.
What industry is Welp Hatchery in?
Welp Hatchery's product category is Poultry Hatchery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAEADAD, Hatcheries & Chick Production (Day-Old Chicks, Pullets), with a secondary code of AFAEAIAF, Game Bird Farming (Quail, Pheasant, Partridge). Its NAICS code is 112340 and its SIC code is 200.