My surprise arrived today (3/6/17 ship date) and I got 52 chickens, all large fowl.
Here are my best guesses:
1 white cochin
2 red chicks
2 white feathered leg, crests and 5 toes - I believe these to be sultans
1 white/reddish EE
2 dark cochins
1 strange 5 toed beauty (not feathered legs...
My Surprise arrived today (4//22/16) Ship date 4/20/16 and I'm absolutely delighted with the selection: (my comments included that I prefer 'big critters' as they do well in MN winters)
49 shipped, 48 arrived in good shape, 1 DOA
1 turkey - looks like a Bourbon Red
2 ducklings - best guess...
Update from my 2/18/15 surprise:
Stats: 55 shipped/51 arrived alive, all chicks, no bantams.
I ended up keeping 25 (and sold the rest of Craig's list)
Kept:
2 light brahma
1 black cochin
1 splash cochin
2 partridge cochins
2 GL cochins
3 new hampshire
2 buff orp
3 welsummers
1 spitzhauben...
my surprise arrived this morning (2/18/15 ship date)
55 shipped; 51 arrived alive - all chickens no bantams
Includes: cochins, polish, new hampshire, buff orp, red something, EE, egyptian fayoumis, bunch of chipmunks, and others
Feedback on Ideal:
I ordered 20 chicks for delivery 1/7/15. I got the call early 1/9/14 from post office that I better hurry as the chicks looked 'all dead'. Sure enough, when I got home, only one was moving. I put all of them on a heating pad and under the heat lamp to rapidly warm them up...
I think I got all your girls --- I ordered their cochins and got 6 cocks and 4 pullets.
I've had awesome luck with Cackle for far -- the best of the hatcheries.
must be a bit warmer here in the Shakopee area. Got two eggs yesterday and both cold but not yet frozen. Chickens (and lone duck) were not impressed with the new snow and cold when I opened the coop door this morning.
I ordered by 2015 surprise package yesterday. February, 2015 ship date was requested and my 'request' was for Minnesota hearty breeds. We'll see what we get. (ship date TBD)
This is my third surprise package from cackle and they have all been interesting.
Lots of chickens (the vast...
Thanks, everyone for the discussion. The 'no thank you' birds are the ones (resistant to confinement, long range roaming) that are sure to annoy the neighbors. Although we are on an acreage with no 'limits' to what we can have, we also have 'high maintenance neighbors' who are also enjoying...
When you get the surprise and put requests in the comments of your order, do you typically get what you specified?
I put in a wish list and pretty much missed on all of it. Was I too specific or was it chance?
(context: I got my surprise Friday - 44 chicks, 2 turkeys - I've already sold...
Snuvy --- I had an awesome variety with my original Surprise. (50 total, 2 turkeys and a duck, the remainder large chicks) I added the request that I wanted 'egg laying chickens' when I ordered. Now that they are half grown, I only have a couple roosters or breeds that are sexed. I got 8...
I ordered by second Special of the year --- my first one was awesome. I listed a few things I really want (Brahmas, cochins, pekins, heavy pullets) and it ships 7/7/14.
What kind of rooster is this?
His name is Ben and he arrived in my 3/31/14 Surprise package (picture taken today making him one day shy of 3 months old). The picture is a pretty good capture of his coloring. Curiously his ear (appears white) is the color of a lima bean. He is on the small...