Never Again! Meyer Hatchery

[Volcanic Egger]

Thanks for all the supporting sentiments. I think the worse thing is that all the colored eggers all lay exactly the same color egg, Olive Egger, EEs and CLs. I was hoping for some color for all the money I spent.

 

[Volcanic Egger]

Hello,

We ordered our flock of 28 from Meyer and are happy with them all. We ordered the Rainbow Pack - cold hardy, plus 2 Buff Orph roosters. We lost one after shipping and ended up with two RIR roo's, which were later culled due to aggression issues, towards our Buff Orph roo's. With the exception of those RIR roo' ours are friendly, non agressive and very balanced as a flock. We hand raised them and spent a lot of time with them when young and I work with the roosters daily to keep them docile and approachable. We ordered chicks and our cost was less than $150, not sure why your cost so much, did you order pullets?

Here is a shot of our eggs all from Meyer. Like others have said hatchery birds are not always true to breed standards and it is a crap shoot as to what you get.

I bought:
2 EE
2 Olive eggers
3 CLs
3 Lavender Orpingtons
2 Welsummers
2 BCMs
2 Black Ostralorps

16 for $311
Shipping was $49 x2 $98

 

[mad4horses]

I have purchased 25 chicks from Meyer hatchery (on 2 diff orders & diff yrs). I have not had any health problems and all hens (only females ordered) so I have been happy with what I have received.

 

[norcalbirds]

This happens a lot and it can be very frustrating. The one thing you need to realize is that these huge hatcheries are so big they are producing chicks but in no way true show birds or fine breeding lines. They have great birds no doubt about that but try producing that many birds and keep things perfect! I think next time you should find well known small flock breeders that have what you want it may cost you a little more but you probably get what you want. Best of luck I hope you do find what you want and get it

 

[Spangled]

spending nearly $400 for sixteen chickens.

Urf! That seems like a small fortune to me. $35 for a Cream Legbar? Yikes! I certainly don't begrudge them making a living. But ... I don't know ... everyone would like that "blue" egg. After never seeing a blue egg out of any chicken, I gave up. Then I had one layer that laid a green egg that actually looked blue. (I know the gene is "blue," but that gene is rarely free of brown egg modifiers/genes mixing things up to give a green egg.) You'd think you would get a few different shades of green eggs. Sorry!

I wish chicken raising didn't have so many variables.

I made my own olive layers a few years back with my Black Copper Marans. I guess, though, that I paid a bunch for those Black Copper Marans back before there were any hatcheries selling them. If you can get even just one good Black Copper Marans rooster from a hen that is laying a 4+ egg, then you could make your own olive laying hen with your green egg layers. I know it doesn't make up for things, but at least you'd have your olive egg layers ... eventually ... after you bought an incubator, etc., waited until this fall.

But seriously, you not getting any olive eggs from your girls seems a little odd to me. If the Marans is laying over a 4 on the scale, it's pretty difficult to end up with a normal pastel green egg. Right? All of mine have been olive, with one being dark brown.

Is Meyer the only hatchery selling olive egg layers? My Pet Chicken does, too, but I think they get them from Meyer(?).

 

[Sbach]

I received my order of chicks from Meyer Hatchery on Tuesday. I ordered two Cream Legbars. One was DOA the other died the next day. I also ordered a Blue Copper Marans Rooster but he looks like a Partridge Cochin not like a BCM. I also ordered two Barnevelders, two Buff Chanteclers, one Wellsummer, one Dominique, and one freebie. All are doing very well. I emailed the hatchery today and attached pics of the other CL and the mystery rooster. Haven't heard back yet but hopefully tomorrow I will.

 

[dekel18042]

A thought crossed my mind, not sure how valid it may be, but after analyzing my own experiences and other people I know, and even reading on this list, I wonder if the mortality rate from hatcheries is impacted by the number of breeds ordered.
I've always gotten live birds that survived when ordering one breed. Even two breeds doesn't seem bad, but last year I had six different breeds and DOA chicks.
I noticed in your post, Sbach, that only the legbars died. I wonder if you order a breed they pack and ship upon hatching. But if you order several, they have to wait to pack each breed, and perhaps one hatches a bit later. If they hold up the package until all are in, could that delay the mailing and arrival thus causing more problems?
Perhaps it is something to pay attention to although I don't plan on any more shipped chicks in the foreseeable future...

 

[KurtG]

I am sure this is the case, from our order as well. We lost a few and some were noticeably lighter than the others. I also think there is some variation on early and late hatchers. I am guessing later hatchers have better survivability (and the light/early ones were dehydrated)

 

[ThatFarmerChick]

I am sure this is the case, from our order as well. We lost a  few and some were noticeably lighter than the others. I also think there is some variation on early and late hatchers. I am guessing later hatchers have better survivability (and the light/early ones were dehydrated)

This frightens me. My estimated delivery date is Thursday. What if I had an early hatcher (like day 19 or 20). When the early hatcher arrives it may be DOA or hanging on for its dear life.

 

[eric matteo]

Yeah I agree wasn't the greatest hatchery, gotten several miss sexed birds from them