IA here

[mrandmrschicken]

Iowa Blues fans:

With one exception, all went off w/o a hitch on the ordering of the chicks.
Ideal and Privett both raise their own birds, right there on their farms. They do not drop ship unless they have a bad hatch and are unable to fill orders with their own stock. In this case, they are able to fill. The one hitch is that Ideal will not have any chicks until 9/22. That would put them a week behind the first group but in the big picture, that is not an issue. Thats what happens when you wait too long to order!

Cost breakdown: Privett Ideal
18 pullets @ 2.77/ea. = $49.86 15 pullets @ 2.78/ea. = $41.70
6 males @ 1.51/ea. = 9.06 9 males @ 1.53/ea. = 13.77
small order fee = 7.00 small order fee = 7.00
less than 25 per sex = 2.00 less than 25 per sex = 2.00
airmail fee = 3.60

Total $67.92 Total $68.07

Average price per chick = 2.84

Thats a pretty darn good average. Any questions, please PM me.
Seems like ther is always an edit. If anyone else wants to get in on the order, there is still time for more but do it fast!

 

[pbjmaker]

The more I think about this - the more excited I am to get the Iowa Blues! They are one of the breeds I have marked in my Storey's Guide to chickens as a definate want!

 

[Tiramisu]

I remember hearing about them once, then wanting them lol.

Can't wait til they come and to see pics

 

[ChickBond 007]

Just an FYI for anyone thinking of Welsummers from Ideal, my spring idea of "a cheaper path", oops.
They have reached egg laying maturity, nice looking birds which appear to be of the same quality as my hatching egg Wellies from BYC.
However:
In judging 4H this summer, it was determined that they have the extra wing bone at the end of the wing (Wing finger they called it) and is a negative in the judging. The judge said she is seeing this defect in many hatchery birds, most from McMurray, although these were from Ideal.
Now the disappointing piece, (for me at least), the eggs are nearly white. My other wellies lay a beautiful brown freckled egg, typical of the breed. These wellies lay a very large white-buff egg, with very very faint speckles.
Buyer beware, as I know some of you are considering hatchery birds at this time.

 

[mrandmrschicken]

Quote:
Did you contact the hatchery about this? This kinda beyond a normal defect, they are supposed to lay a dark egg, thats not right. I'd be "cheeping" in their ear about that and not take anything buy good replacement for an answer! Seriously. They are doing a dis-service to themselves.

 

[ChickBond 007]

Actually, I haven't called. Maybe I'll do that on Tuesday. That batch was half Buckeyes and half Welsummer hens. I lost every single buckeye to the fox because they free-range so far. But you're right, I should ask for a refund/replacement. Have you ever heard of this extra wing-finger defect?

 

[mrandmrschicken]

Quote:
No, I have not but that does not mean anything. It is intriguing however and I will ask my more experienced poultry friends about this and let you know the results. The egg thing is what I think is super BAD! Especially since all of them lay the wrong color egg. A genetic defect can creep up or in at anytime, thats mom natures way of maintaining control. That being said, a hatchery should know full and well that they have a defect and even though they never advertise as having SQ birds, I would think someone needs to step up to the plate and call them on it if it is inconsistent with the norm for the bird.

 

[Tiramisu]

Why were they ordered from 2 different hatcheries? Is it to have mixed stock? I thought I heard that Privette drop ships or something through Ideal, if they do then does that mean both are the same stock?

 

[FlashPointFarm]

You could be getting the same stock from most hatcheries, as a lot of them contract breeders for eggs. Not all of them, but many do this.

 

[mrandmrschicken]

Quote:
You need to go back and PLEASE read the posts more carefully. I specifically wrote that BOTH HATCHERIES RAISE THEIR OWN STOCK ON THEIR OWN FARMS on premis! Ideal will drop ship if they know they will be experiencing a bad hatch. They are not expecting a bad hatch. Privett raises birds for alot of other hatcheries, in this case, Ideal is NOT one of them. Privett raises birds for Welp, Texas Poultry and I am sure a few others.
I prefer to order from different hatcheries to get a genetic diversity and to know in the future which hatchery has the best stock. They are the only hatcheries left selling Iowa Blues at this time. You may certainly call them and speak with the poultry managers, and ask for yourselves, just as I did!

I searched the net for as many places that sell Iowa Blues as possible, and asked many of my contacts. It is possible I was not able to find all of them like I would have preferred. Those that I did find with the exception of Ideal and Privett are no longer selling for the year because they are out of stock.

My own interest in rare poultry breeds causes me to do a great deal of research and lots of searching. I do my very best and I do not give up. As I also mentioned earlier, when these other breeders start hatching again we need to add birds from them, in time as well, to continue to strengthen the breed to a common standard.

If any of you have been curious about other rare breeds and where to find them, PM me! I may have a contact for you.

Eric