Best Hatchery for Quality Birds?

[Revan]

Hello. So, I live in a very rural area. There's nothing after 200 miles, and no hatcheries or good breeders that I know of. I've already checked the states forum for nearby places to buy chicks. The local farm supply does carry chicks in the spring time, and I know they get them from a breeder about 150 miles away, but all these chicks have problems. Take my silkies for example that I purchased this year. Two of the five are missing a toe on one foot (the one actually has a deformed foot altogether). Two others have standard feathers, one on the tail, the other the head, showing that some crossbreeding going on at some point in their genetics.

Since I seem to be left with ordering from online hatcheries, I was curious to know what hatcheries sell the best quality. I know I can't expect perfection, but I don't want stunted or crossbred chicks since I want to start a breeding program and breed quality chicks.


Chicks I'm looking for/considering getting:
Silkies
Cochin Bantams
Belgium Bearded d'Uccles
Polish
Faverolles

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I have birds from 5 hatcheries and definitely consider Cackle to be the best. As far as quality, I would consider Ideal the lowest though the best priced.

 

[jane s chickens]

I don't have those breeds except polish. My BR hens i got from ideal are good quality.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Don't get me wrong. I have some very pretty birds from Ideal, too. But if it something you want to breed (as indicated by another one of your posts) they are not the ones I would get my breeding stock from. And I guarantee the BRs mentioned above aren't that great of quality, compared to what BRs should actually look like.

 

[jane s chickens]

There was nothing on this thread about breeding i was just talking from my experience but i bow out of the conversation since I'm not an expert on hatcheries.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

Don't get me wrong. I have some very pretty birds from Ideal, too. But if it something you want to breed (as indicated by another one of your posts) they are not the ones I would get my breeding stock from. And I guarantee the BRs mentioned above aren't that great of quality, compared to what BRs should actually look like.

excuse me, That was not very nice to put down someones birds you have never seen before and have no idea of their quality.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

It wasn't about being nice or mean. Have you seen high quality Barred Rocks before? They look nothing like hatchery birds. There is no comparison, and especially coming from Ideal, which is in the business of quantity not quality. It's just a fact.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

There was nothing on this thread about breeding i was just talking from my experience but i bow out of the conversation since I'm not an expert on hatcheries.

I was not trying to insult you or your birds. I had no idea what a good barred rock was until I went to my first poultry show. In the sense that their birds do not have deformities and such like the OP was talking about, the Ideal birds are fine, though, and my intention was not to make you feel unwelcome.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

No, I have never had BR but I know how to be polite and you could of worded that differently. I know Jane, She is a teacher and well versed in genetics so if she says they are "pretty nice" I will take her word for it and not tell her , No their not without even looking.

 

[Revan]

I didn't mean to start an argument here.