About "hatchery" quality.....

[Oregon Blues]

[[[........worst results were pure breeds from NPIP places...]]]]]]

All the big hatcheries are NPIP places. Just saying......

If hatchery birds meet all your needs, there is no reason for you to purchase more expensive birds.

I got some hatchery ducklings and they were downright ugly and had terrible temperaments, but sorry, I didn't take any photos of them. I just ate them to get rid of them.

 

[lucky123]

Well, why don't you show me a hatchery I can get a true rir? I wonder why people will pay 25.00 a chick for a good line of barred rocks,rir or nh when they can just go to a hatchery and get them for 2.50 a piece? Have you ever looked at the heritage breed threads? You really think a hatchery has as good a stock and does a better job than a good breeder? I can tell you I've had both, and a hatchery barred rock,nh and rir does not have good type,colour or size compared to a good heritage line. I can tell you every hatchery rir I've had or seen was not a pure rir.

 

[FireTigeris]

I had a fugly silkie dropped on me he was a pure silkie- but way way way not show quality- his genes didn't change to "mutt" because he was pet quality-

"Hatchery" RIR are not the same 'breed' as "heritage" RIR. Hatchery RIR are bred for egg production not self-production (broody), Heritage RIR are an egg producer that will self-perpetuation (become broody hatch chiks and raise them)...

It's the difference between someone breeding to 'show standards' and someone breeding for 'service animal' in the same breed of dog- (Labradors for instance)

-the Service dogs must have perfect bite inhibition and still be 'intelligently disobedient' (that is if a blind handler says the command 'forward' and there is an approaching car instead of walking forward from stand-stay, going to a sit OR down- dog's choice)
the blind person usually does not have a color preference to their dog (but sometimes they do, just mostly not). It doesn't matter if they have spots in their mouth, or a odd colored toenail.
-the 'Show standard' dog must have each hair the right color, each claw, perfect gate and height, and length- a dog unsuitable for this ring being two inches too short at the shoulder is perfect candidate for guide dog. (after the 2-year old hip test).

I don't need more broody birds I have silkie crossed to GLW for that- I want a reasonable number of eggs. So RIR over 'red comets' or 'red sex link' gives me what I want.

 

[Vamvakas]

I don't show any of my birds and I don't see the point in showing, so I just either hatch my own and buy from a hatchery. They do well for me and im happy.

 

[gordonburrito]

I must say after reading these forums I was very concerned that all sorts of horrible things were going to happen with my hatchery quality hens. None of those things have been true (at least in my flock). They are good layers, friendly, and are nice to look at. They're not going to win any chicken shows but I have no interest in showing birds.

 

[JenellYB]

Again, it really comes down to what you want, the purpose for you, that meets your needs.

But, re this matter of what the breeder is breeding for, show vs any other, I guess I still do have some idealism in that in any case, if you are going to call animals such and such 'breed', there should be more than casual attention to ALL of what makes that a distinct breed, and that included both performance/function, AND breed type and points of standard. I don't mean striving for perfection in both at once, or equal emphasis on both, which usually results in a result not really very good in either way. but still, to call them 'such and such breed', one can't be entirely neglected, or worse, changed into something else, no matter how good the other.

if hatcheries or commercial breeders have so changed the RIR from what the breed is, what makes it a distinct breed to begin with, in appearance and performance and function, then they need to call it something else, beside RIR. But on the other hand, to me, i don't care how typey the show breeder's RIR look, if they lack the functional qualities that make that breed distinctive, they are still not "good" RIR. And even worse, if they are prone to genetic weanesses and defects, they aren't even "good" anything.

In approaching the chicken world, I admit to some strong reservations about "fancy" bred birds, and breeders,toward trying to choose a source of something I decide I want. But in my case, that actually comes from over 30 yrs very active involvement in the purebred dog fancy, showing and breeding, myself, as well as a bit in a couple other kinds of animals. I've seen, no, lived first hand, active in that world. And know all too well how pursuit of the show perfect, winningest animals, things like true breed character and matters of intended purpose and function, and even genetic soundness of body and mind, gets thrown aside. At the same time, there are some breeds that have become so divided between show and performance, actual use, as to have become different breeds entirely.

That was a MAJOR factor in to begin with, the breeds I did choose to get more deeply involved in, and strove for in my own breeding, as well as efforts within breed clubs, that a what makes any breed a breed involved both, and at least some measure of both should still be present. A team of working Malamutes may not be competive show dogs, may have some floppy ears, mismarkings, snippy muzzles, snap tails, but they should look like Malamutes, and show winning Malamutes should still have what it takes to take to harness like, as the proverb goes, a duck to water. And in credit to that breed and its breeders, most of them still do. And be able to do it with sound bodies, which, unfortunately, many of them do not. I had a neighbor on the other hand, a nationally known and respected breeder, competitor, and judge of field trial beagles...and I do not exagerate in saying what he had was a kennel full of little houndy mutts! Seriously, the first time i met the man, even knew he was involved in beagles or field trials, was when he came to my house to ask if I'd seen 3 of his beagles that had got out and were missing. I told him no, but that I'd watch for them, at which point he started describing them...and i realized he was describing 3 strange mutt dogs I'd chased out of my yard several hours before! And I was by then a very expereinced all breed show person AND dog groomer!

And that is not to even touch on those casual backyard folks that happen to breed whatever comes their way, OR the commerical puppy industry! I guess same with chickens. Though I think the large commercial hatcheries of chickens have a LOT more incentive to maintian some quality than the puppy mill industry, who don't rely much on previous buyer satisfaction to stay in business as a hatchery.