Anyone used Meyer's Hatchery?

[billfields]

Has anyone had any experience (good bad or indifferent) with Meyer's Hatchery. Specifically I am looking at ordering about 12-15 chicks next spring and I wonder about their small orders. I really don't want "filler" roosters and best I can tell they don't do that. They charger a higher fee for small orders but say it is for some sort of heater in the box. I know My Pet Chicken will also do small orders but looking at the Meyers 09 catalog and My Pet Chicken's on-line selection it looks like Meyers has a wider range of breeds. In fact, the 09 Meyers catalog has, except for Dorkings, all the breeds I am thinking I want. They sex, vaccinate and will identify male chicks with a leg band. Just wondering if anyone else has used them.

 

[Marlinchaser]

I have used them couple times, and have nothing bad to say about them, and thier customer service is wonderfull, in fact they helped with my turkey order and told me how to add 1 poult, and it would lower the cost per bird so that the extra poult was only couple cents more. Most places would have let me stay with the minimum, and payed higher per bird cost.

I dont know about thier small order process and fees, I always avoid the cost and order more.

 

[Cats Critters]

Here is a link answering your question:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=215862

 

[PortageGirl]

I swear by them. ... assuming you mean Meyers in Ohio right? (there's several that sound similar)

I love their deals, they almost always send extra birds, and they're always packed well and shipped promptly. They are a little smaller scale, so sometimes you have to work with them about timing and breed etc, but they're very up-front about it. I like that they don't operate on a massive scale which winds up with wasted birds and trouble IMO.

Their mixes and surprise packs are always a hoot! I had a friend order several 'special mixes' at once and my GOODNESS the variety that showed up! Some fairly rare ones too! She's got the most amazing combo in the most humble of coops! She wound up with too many and the local 4H-ers had some great birds for the fair that year!

 

[billfields]

Yeah, the one in Ohio. I like their catalog selection and I'm fine with paying a bit more to get fewer chicks. I like that My Pet Chicken will sex bantams but the more I think the more I'm sure I want full size hens....of as many different varieties as I can get ;0). Just have to figure out what kind of rooster. Leaning toward Dominique right now but I'm still pondering. It seems most folks are happy with them. Any idea when their 2010 catalog will come out. I suppose hat will be what I will need to order from

 

[PortageGirl]

No, not sure when it'll be out. Their web site might say, here's the link. http://www.meyerhatchery.com/ Oh mang, I just saw that they've got a guinea assortment on sale, hmmmm.

 

[chooniecat]

We have ordered layers(very small groups) a couple of times and they are very nice and informative on phone. their buildings appear extremely clean( we pick ours up) and the people we've dealt with know fowl and are VERY helpful with info. going to pick up more layers in couple of weeks and have 1 wk old meaties from meyer and have never had a weak chick from them. ( can I add that the port-a-potties in the rear of their buildings were also EXTREMELY clean)shock. good luck.

 

[TerriLaChicks]

My first order came from Meyers--was going to get "just" 3 hens for "just" a couple of eggs.
They were all healthy, are fine grown-up laying fiends now--
and I'm up to "just" 22 chickens!

 

[PortageGirl]

Quote:
Honestly, this is actually something that just might be an indicator of what a good place this is to get chickens from. I noticed them when I went there with a friend, and asked why, didn't they have indoor ones? The lady said, "the inside ones are only for staff, it's part of the biosecurity even though it's inconvenient for our customers." which made sense at the time.

Knowing that they make sure the outdoor ones are kept clean is just one more thing to appreciate though! Heh, I'm sure all the other hatcheries that have good history are just as careful, and might even have two sets of bathrooms

but it's still a practical answer that we can all appreciate I guess. Farm life ain't always pretty!

 

[weeitsjulee]

I recently purchased 6 RIRs from Meyer's Hatchery out of Ohio. I got them shipped to me here in NC.

Being a newbie to the whole chicken thing, I called up and asked customer service a few-million questions about shipping and the breed of chicken. She was very patient with me and answered all of my questions. It was great customer service.

I wanted a small flock and ordered 6 on a Wednesday afternoon. She told me they would be hatched the next Monday. That Tuesday the post office called me to tell me to come pick up my chicks!!!

I paid about $30 in shipping. Smaller orders cost a bit more. They also added in a heating pack for the chicks and guaranteed the chicks survival as long as you pick them up from the post office within 48 hours.

I highly recommend Meyer's. I've had my chicks for 2 weeks and they're doing wonderfully!

Good luck! (Below is a picture of the chicks in their shipping box. You can see them standing on the heating pad. The heating pad was no longer warm when we picked them up, but I'm sure they loved it earlier in their journey!)