my pet chicken reviews

[Wyatt0224]

     While MPC has heritage breeds and they are nice, if you are interested in showing poultry, you would be better off and ahead of the game going to a breeder who shows (and preferably wins) and getting your birds from that person. Hopefully such a person has a wealth of information and would help you, if you explain what you are looking for and want to do.

Do you know where I can get in touch with breeders?

 

[dekel18042]

Do you know where I can get in touch with breeders?

Go on your state thread here and ask around or the buy/sell/trade pages. Visit any local fairs and see who is showing poultry and talk to them. Check out your local 4-H clubs. Often they have members with poultry projects who show their poultry and sell some.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Go on your state thread here and ask around or the buy/sell/trade pages. Visit any local fairs and see who is showing poultry and talk to them. Check out your local 4-H clubs. Often they have members with poultry projects who show their poultry and sell some.

X 2... all good suggestions.

Spend the time to educate yourself and decide what breed you REALLY like.

And KNOW what they look like as chicks.... I went somewhere to get "heritage breed" chicks from people claiming "all organic" and specific breeds. I paid $50 for 3 chicks who turned out to be barnyard mixes!

Even after I told them my purpose was to get breeder quality birds from someone who cared about maintaining specific heritages..... in order to maintain my own line bred, dual purpose flock. So don't get too excited when someone claims to have what you want. Many back yard breeders do not cull for faults. Any decent breeder will disclose those as "pet only" birds.

Shortly after that, I found the real deal.

And paid $40 for 8 2nd generation Green Fire Farms stock. I drove 2 hours each way to pick them up. Quality is worth it.

Which brings me to another point.... Breeder birds ARE straight run. Are you prepared to deal with cockerels?

Of ALL my hatchery stock chickens, none of them even come close to the SOP for their breed.

Also, since I started my preferred breed has changed a couple of times. So do research and find what will work well with your set up and location.

My key points.... You get what you get when it's hatchery stock. Be willing to travel and pay for good quality stock. If you don't like what you see, be willing to walk away. If they can't answer your questions, it's because THEY don't know. Most of all, if you want something "more" than eggs you MUST start with good stock!

Also quick side note, I have bought from a breeder who started with "good stock". Without saying anything negative about them I will say not all birds are equal even in the same brood. Not many will be show quality. If the breeder isn't selecting for certain traits and only the best to breed you still end with poor quality.

Good luck!

 

[Tika75]

Go on your state thread here and ask around or the buy/sell/trade pages. Visit any local fairs and see who is showing poultry and talk to them. Check out your local 4-H clubs. Often they have members with poultry projects who show their poultry and sell some.

Even if you just talk with a 4-Her, that helps them out with their record books.

Sometimes it is hard to do the "Provided Leadership to an Individual or Group" areas.

 

[Chapel Hill Chicks]

The babies have arrived! I could hear them chirping away in the back of the post office before the mail carrier brought them out front! They were well-packed with a heat pack underneath a tightly-woven, thick and cushiony nesting pad. Although they were in transit for over 24 hours, they were bright-eyed, active, and chatty. Thank you, MPC! I can't wait to receive my bantam order at the end of May.

Just one question, though. One of the little girls is a "Rare Marans." In looking at pictures of the different varieties of Marans you sell, I've narrowed her down to either a Black Copper Marans or a Golden Cuckoo Marans. Is there any way to find out which one she is before she begins to feather out? The pictures of the two chicks look remarkably similar, even down to the dark legs with pink toes. She's a beauty, whichever variety little Delphine is!

As a follow up to receiving my shipment from MPC a few months ago, I wanted to report that all five girls from this batch are healthy, happy, and beginning to lay. A month after this shipment, I also received my bantam girls, and they have now reached the age that if they were going to surprise me with cock-a-doodle-doo, they would have done so by now. My Pet Chicken, you are the BEST! My chicks arrived healthy, active, and bright-eyed, and they have grown into beautiful, productive pullets. Most importantly, I am sooooo relieved that all of the pullets I have ordered from you -- including 3 silkies -- have turned out to be pullets, with not a single surprise cockerel in the bunch. You don't know what a relief that has been, after having to re-home surprise cockerels over the last few years when I had purchased pullets from places other than MPC.

When I am ready for chicks again, I will definitely order from My Pet Chicken!

Knowing you are getting the pullets you've paid for is worth every penny!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

That's good to hear, all that I ordered this past year were correctly sexed as well, it is definitely worth the extra price to get bantams sexed. I have never had a surprise rooster either.

 

[MyPetChicken]

As a follow up to receiving my shipment from MPC a few months ago, I wanted to report that all five girls from this batch are healthy, happy, and beginning to lay. A month after this shipment, I also received my bantam girls, and they have now reached the age that if they were going to surprise me with cock-a-doodle-doo, they would have done so by now. My Pet Chicken, you are the BEST! My chicks arrived healthy, active, and bright-eyed, and they have grown into beautiful, productive pullets. Most importantly, I am sooooo relieved that all of the pullets I have ordered from you -- including 3 silkies -- have turned out to be pullets, with not a single surprise cockerel in the bunch. You don't know what a relief that has been, after having to re-home surprise cockerels over the last few years when I had purchased pullets from places other than MPC.

When I am ready for chicks again, I will definitely order from My Pet Chicken!

Knowing you are getting the pullets you've paid for is worth every penny!

Whoooo hoooo!

Alex
My Pet Chicken

 

[lutherpug]

I just got my 2nd order from MPC-

My first batch came from the 4/11/16 hatch date and my second batch came from the 11/28/16 hatch date.

Both times my chicks were shipped from OH on Monday and arrived in KC on Tuesday morning. The chicks have arrived warm, healthy, and active both times. I've had to combat a small amount of pasty butt but it usually resolves within a few days and it is usually confined to 1-2 chicks.

The only issue I had on the first order was a substitution that I didn't know about and had to use my detective skills to figure out what was what-they swapped a Buff Orpington for an Australorp. BUT, all were healthy and hens and that was the most important thing for me. It didn't hurt that the Australorp was a breed that I planned on getting in the future

Given the chicks in my second order are only 2 days old I don't know about any roos yet but overall MPC has done a great job. Timely communication, easy ordering process, **really** fast shipping (for me) and chicks have been healthy upon arrival. Unless I can find what I want locally, I probably won't order from anywhere else.

 

[GeorgieGirl9]

I feel like I have lost my mind. I have ordered from BY Chickens before and was extremely happy. Now I can't navigate website to place an order. Help? I am exhausted and easily confused.

 

[Violetsfeathers]

Can anyone who got silkies from my pet chickens post pics of them please? I'm trying to decide if I should get silkies from them