I was just at my local feed & supply and they had their list up of chicks they were getting in the next couple of months, out of curiosity I asked where they were ordering from, they told me Belt Hatchery out of Fresno. Does anybody have any experience with them? Does anybody know what is the quality of their birds is like?
"My" feed store also uses Belt Hatchery. Other than calling Easter Eggers "Amereucana" like so many feed stores and hatcheries do, I don't know anything BAD about Belt. I am perfectly happy with my ummmmmmm "pet quality" chickens. They haven't started laying yet, but they're nowhere near old enough. (I bought 'em in October.) I started with 4, and 1 died of "failure to thrive." Then I bought 3 more a week later, and one died for no particular reason, pretty much that failure to thrive thing. Then I bought four more a week after that, and they all lived. (The reason I have 7 chickens is that my elderly dachshund has killed 3 .....) Only ONE chick supposedly a pullet turned out to be a rooster. I wish Belt Hatchery also carried Welsummer.... I want to add one of those to my little flock.
I'm very very excited about ordering my first chicks... I think I'll be ordering from Belt because they seem to be the closest... I'm hoping that if anyone else has any feedback on belt they'll reply!
