collie1470
Songster
So I'm trying to decide which hatchery to go through, and was wondering how Ideal is?
Ideal
- Thread starter collie1470
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I bought my Black Australorps from Ideal and love them. They have a prettier green sheen to their feathers than my feed store Australorps had.
Actually I think I still have some BAs from the feed store but won't be able to tell until their feathers age. When they were due to molt I noticed there was a lot of brown in the feathers around the vent- from the feed store chickens. But after molting they all look similar.
Actually I think I still have some BAs from the feed store but won't be able to tell until their feathers age. When they were due to molt I noticed there was a lot of brown in the feathers around the vent- from the feed store chickens. But after molting they all look similar.
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I have dealt with Ideal several times and have been pleased each time. Do not expect to get show quality birds from them. But, the birds you get should be healthy and in good shape. They have a 25 dollar minimum purchase instead of a minimum number of birds. If necessary, due to colder weather, they will include, for free, extra males for added body heat. So, 25 bucks, small order charge and shipping usually is less than just the bird charge at other hatcheries.
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collie1470
Songster
I'm not looking for show quality. We'll be raising chickens for eggs and meat. 
My local feed store sources from Ideal. I have 12 birds from them; 6 Barred Rocks, 3 Easter Eggers, 3 of what were supposed to be Australorps but turned out one is a Jersey Giant. All were bought as sexed pullets, but I ended up with one Easter Egger cockerel. He is 17 weeks old and hasn't turned into a jerk yet, so I think I'll keep him around to make pretty babies. The Easter Eggers are sold as Ameraucana, two of mine are clean faced but still pretty. The Barred Rocks are really active and inquisitive. They are great foragers.
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collie1470
Songster
I'm planning on barred rocks and EEs 
I had massive predator losses last year and rebuilt my flock mostly with banties from Ideal.
My two older girls were also from Ideal; they are silver Sebrights and out of the 8 I originally ordered two years ago, one had a crossed beak (although she has pretty nice lacing), all of them had at least a few yellow toes (which eventually turned slate), and a pair had very nice lacing (they went to the county fair). They all had body flaws, but I wasn't expecting show birds...probably a little too heavy, backs a little too long on the roos, a couple of roos had "squirrel tails" and/or asymmetrical combs.
This year, I replaced the 6 lost Sebrights, added Modern Game bantams, Cochin bantams, and light Brahma bantams. They just turned 8 weeks old, and here's my take so far:
4 Light Brahma: seem fine, but one didn't feather out very well on his back
3 Black Frizzle Cochins, 4 Blue Cochins: only 1 of 3 Frizzles was curly (luck of the draw), I think 2 of my Blue Cochins are blue, 2 black (was hoping for a splash in the mix and the blues are very dark)
4 Blue Modern Game, 2 Birchen MG: all 4 of the blues are splash (2 roos and 2 pullets), and the 2 little birchen pullets are a bit smaller and more slender than the "blues". I wonder if their "blue" pen is heavy on splashes (splash x splash = splash only chicks). Someone on here complained that the legs on Ideal's MG's were "so short!", but they don't look all that bad to me, and the birchen girls are of pretty decent form in my amateur opinion with very dark faces and tall, slender legs. The splash roos are very curious and the friendliest of the bunch!
6 Silver Sebrights: I again had a cross-beak chick AND one with a shorter upper beak (think underbite, and I swore I saw a second chick growing into a crooked beak a few days ago, but they're skittish and I haven't confirmed it yet). Some think this is hereditary and some think it's from incubation temperature variations, and I'm leaning toward genetics now that I've had this happen again from the same breeder. It's too early to tell on the feathers, but they look to be about the same quality as my last SS's.
A few things to remember...Ideal is the only hatchery I know of that will ship small numbers of chicks without ridiculous charges. Both times I asked for no males added for warmth, and you can also request additional straw packing as well as a heating pad for small orders or orders shipped in cold weather. Both times, each and every chick arrived fluffy and healthy I'd definitely use them again, even with the cross-beak issues.
My two older girls were also from Ideal; they are silver Sebrights and out of the 8 I originally ordered two years ago, one had a crossed beak (although she has pretty nice lacing), all of them had at least a few yellow toes (which eventually turned slate), and a pair had very nice lacing (they went to the county fair). They all had body flaws, but I wasn't expecting show birds...probably a little too heavy, backs a little too long on the roos, a couple of roos had "squirrel tails" and/or asymmetrical combs.
This year, I replaced the 6 lost Sebrights, added Modern Game bantams, Cochin bantams, and light Brahma bantams. They just turned 8 weeks old, and here's my take so far:
4 Light Brahma: seem fine, but one didn't feather out very well on his back
3 Black Frizzle Cochins, 4 Blue Cochins: only 1 of 3 Frizzles was curly (luck of the draw), I think 2 of my Blue Cochins are blue, 2 black (was hoping for a splash in the mix and the blues are very dark)
4 Blue Modern Game, 2 Birchen MG: all 4 of the blues are splash (2 roos and 2 pullets), and the 2 little birchen pullets are a bit smaller and more slender than the "blues". I wonder if their "blue" pen is heavy on splashes (splash x splash = splash only chicks). Someone on here complained that the legs on Ideal's MG's were "so short!", but they don't look all that bad to me, and the birchen girls are of pretty decent form in my amateur opinion with very dark faces and tall, slender legs. The splash roos are very curious and the friendliest of the bunch!
6 Silver Sebrights: I again had a cross-beak chick AND one with a shorter upper beak (think underbite, and I swore I saw a second chick growing into a crooked beak a few days ago, but they're skittish and I haven't confirmed it yet). Some think this is hereditary and some think it's from incubation temperature variations, and I'm leaning toward genetics now that I've had this happen again from the same breeder. It's too early to tell on the feathers, but they look to be about the same quality as my last SS's.
A few things to remember...Ideal is the only hatchery I know of that will ship small numbers of chicks without ridiculous charges. Both times I asked for no males added for warmth, and you can also request additional straw packing as well as a heating pad for small orders or orders shipped in cold weather. Both times, each and every chick arrived fluffy and healthy
I'd definitely use them again, even with the cross-beak issues.
I've ordered chicks (including Barred Rocks and EEs) from Ideal Poultry on a number of occasions (from as far away as Hawaii), and I have been happy with their birds and service. I always order in quantities of 25 pullets and I've never lost more than 1 or 2 in shipping, and since they've always put 2 or 3 extra in the box, I've always gotten what I paid for.
Two of my Ideal Barred Rocks started laying today. They are 19 weeks old.
That is good to hear! My Ideal flock just turned 15 weeks, so it shouldn't be long!
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