Are all hatchery birds pet quality?

[al6517]

There is no such Qualification Known as Pet Quality chickens, if your looking for a lapp chicken you just have to bring it around by yourself through unnatural methods, such as playing huggy pie kissey Poo with it all the time and very frequent handling during it's growth.
AL

 

[Dustin Biery]

Quote:
Why do people say such things? Anyone who has experience in poultry, especially in the exhibition side of poultry, know there are pet quality, breeder quality, and show quality.

 

[Krys109uk]

I think hatcheries are great for the purposes Laura described. Otherwise, I think they've got a lot to answer for.

I don't think getting good quality birds is necessarily as easy as just going to a private breeder. Lots of people have bought birds from hatcheries & breed them & sell them. Or maybe they're bought their birds from a private breeder whose birds orginiated at least in part from hatcheries. I don't believe people set out sell birds that are not representative of the breed. I think they do not know the difference. They bought the birds as a certain breed & as far as they're concerned that is what they're supposed to look like. I think it is unfortunate but very few people seem to get past that stage.

 

[Goose and Fig]

I got 4 cochin chicks from MPC. They used Meyer hatchery in Ohio. Customer service was great. 2 of the birds look just like my breeder birds, and 2 are a little lacking. I like the varieties that MPC carries, and that you don't have to get a ton of chicks if you don't want to.
I just mentioned the special because it's such a deal. I know there are several people on here that have taken advantage of it. I think it's a good place to start.

 

[Krys109uk]

Anyone who has experience in poultry, especially in the exhibition side of poultry, know there are pet quality, breeder quality, and show quality.

I think it only really works like that if one is buying a grown bird.


Oooops​

 

[pips&peeps]

CHIC,

In your particular State you will have a hard time getting chicks from good breeders or hatcheries. Virginia requires all chicks, adult birds and hatching eggs coming into the State to be certified MG free.

There is only one hatchery in the US that is MG free and that is Hoover's. There are no private breeders that are certified MG free even though there is one that says they are.

However, many people do ship into your State illegally and do not get caught because they are not NPIP certified and there is no paper trail.

 

[CHIC]

huh?.... I just decided to order the special that MPC is running. It works good for me right now being that I am on a short budget. Will I have trouble getting the chicks? What does MG mean anyways? Virginia has the toughest craziest stupidest laws ever!

 

[fasbendera]

For your first birds just getting started why not stay with your original plan. My hatchery birds are great! Friendly, lay great and I couldn't be happier. After you have your feet wet and the kinks out start to get into the breeder chicks.

 

[Krys109uk]

What does MG mean anyways?

Mycoplasma gallisepticum. It is an mycoplasmal infection birds can get.​

 

[jossanne]

After reading only page 1 with SMOKE coming out my ears, I have to stick up for hatchery birds. Breeders can see nothing good about them, but those of us who get birds for eggs are plenty pleased. They're right... in general hatchery birds are bred more for production, which is what many of us want.

I've had two orders of rainbow layers from McMurray hatchery, and gotten a lot of really nice birds. They look like what I expected, and I've never had an eggbound chicken. I am more than pleased with McMurray hatchery. The only thing I didn't like about them was the buff orps and Rhode Island reds weren't the wonderful birds that everyone who breeds nice quality orps and RIR's say. They picked on everyone else, and weren't the sweet, friendly girls I'd heard about. I kept the buff orps for a couple of years before we had to re-home the entire flock when we moved. I only kept the RIR's for 18 weeks before finding them a new home.

I've had bantam cochins, welsummers and easter eggers from Ideal, and love them all. My cochins are sweet, calm, cute and VERY broody, which is perfect because that's why I got them. Besides the fact that they add a lot of personality to my flock. My welsummers are beautiful, and are laying as dark of an egg as I expected. They just started a couple of weeks ago, at almost 6 months old. The EE's haven't started laying yet, and I'm anxiously waiting for the color they'll add to my egg basket. I got a very nice assortment of colors of feathering in those EE's, much nicer than the color variety I've had from McMurray (though those birds were pretty).

I've got EE's from Privett hatchery, which came from my feed store. They're all basic EE brown, and too young to lay yet, but they are beautiful. The cockerel is beardless, and one of the pullets doesn't have a perfect peacomb. But I can't wait for their eggs either.

I love my hatchery girls, and get very tired of breeders not understanding that people can be perfectly content with them if they don't conform perfectly to show standards. It just about has me convinced not to ask questions about my hatchery chickens in this part of BYC...