Best hatchery???

[Three Little Bunnies]

What hatcheries have others used and found to be the best?

- High chick survival rate
- Health of birds as adults
- Good variety of breeds
- etc.

Previous sources of chickens and why I don't want to do them this time:
I have gotten fifteen chicks (5 breeds) from Hoover's. All but two survived and are still doing great (now 20 months). I need to get a few less this time.
I got four bantams from TSC, ended up with two roosters, one standard, and one bantam Cochin (now 13 months). I would like a better guarantee that I will get the breeds and genders I want.
I got one year-old hen from a friend who couldn't keep her anymore. I don't think I could find all the breeds I want nearby, and I love raising them from chicks.

Hatcheries I know of: Cackle, Murray McMurray, Meyer's, MyPetChicken

Thank you!

 

[FuzzyCritters]

I like Ideal Poultry. Ordered twice, and had a high survival rate. Even the tiny bantams I ordered all lived and were healthy and active! Got one DOA chick once, but it was a broiler and broilers are known to be fragile in shipping. Adults haven't had any health problems that could be genetic. They have a large selection of breeds to choose from.

Another thing I like about them is the low minimum order (you must spend $30, which equals 7 chicks). They small order fee isn't super high like in some hatcheries. They also have free shipping for all orders! Way more affordable than most hatcheries I've seen.

The downside is the chicks aren't super high quality regarding the SOP. They definitely meet the definition of hatchery quality (though I wouldn't say any worse than other hatcheries).

I have bantams from Welp coming in a few days, I'll update on how they do! My last order from Welp was great, no DOAs, but they were Cornish X so I can't speak on adult health. Welp does have really high order minimums so not the best choice if you only want a few chicks. They do have a great breed selection though.

 

[Three Little Bunnies]

I like Ideal Poultry. Ordered twice, and had a high survival rate. Even the tiny bantams I ordered all lived and were healthy and active! Got one DOA chick once, but it was a broiler and broilers are known to be fragile in shipping. Adults haven't had any health problems that could be genetic. They have a large selection of breeds to choose from.

Another thing I like about them is the low minimum order (you must spend $30, which equals 7 chicks). They small order fee isn't super high like in some hatcheries. They also have free shipping for all orders! Way more affordable than most hatcheries I've seen.

The downside is the chicks aren't super high quality regarding the SOP. They definitely meet the definition of hatchery quality (though I wouldn't say any worse than other hatcheries).

I have bantams from Welp coming in a few days, I'll update on how they do! My last order from Welp was great, no DOAs, but they were Cornish X so I can't speak on adult health. Welp does have really high order minimums so not the best choice if you only want a few chicks. They do have a great breed selection though.

Thank you very much!

Not too worried about the SOP since the only show I would be likely to take them to would be the (ridiculously tiny) poultry show at the county fair.

 

[LavenderMotherHen]

My Pet Chicken has been great. I got 3 lavender Orpingtons and they were happy and healthy. No pasty butt and perfectly warm. They’re still babies, but I thought I’d share my positive experience. I’ve never had such happy, friendly, and cuddly chicks before- and we’ve had Orpingtons before...

 

[Jenwisp]

Our 9 LF cochin chicks arrived healthy from Ideal Poultry. Shipping was fast and customer service is great.