Best Online Hatcheries...

[HighlandLass41]

Hi Everyone...

Being that I'm planning on ordering more chickens then usual this year, I decided to get them strait from an online hatchery. Problem is, when I've done this in the past, most of them end up dying in the mail. It turned out that it was the hatcheries fault.

What online hatchery would you all recommend for getting good, strong, healthy chicks...?

Thanks!

 

[TOP KNOT]

https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/acct/login.html Very happy with them, they have many to choose from!

 

[Michael Apple]

Hi Everyone...

Being that I'm planning on ordering more chickens then usual this year, I decided to get them strait from an online hatchery. Problem is, when I've done this in the past, most of them end up dying in the mail. It turned out that it was the hatcheries fault.

What online hatchery would you all recommend for getting good, strong, healthy chicks...?

Thanks!

The less time chicks spend in transit, the less stress is put upon them. Try to order from hatcheries close to you or in a neighboring state. The time of year matters too in order to prevent chilling in transit, which is why most people order chicks in Spring.

 

[HighlandLass41]

Thanks!

 

[buckbye]

About ordering from hatcheries that are geographically close to you--you may want to check into whether wherever you decide to order from is actually a hatchery, or a drop-shipper, because your chicks might be coming from somewhere else entirely!

I can think of quite a few people here in Connecticut who ordered from My Pet Chicken, which is a Connecticut-based company that actually just orders chicks or hatching eggs for you from other hatcheries, extracting a profit by bumping up the price (most often Meyer Hatchery for chicks and Gabbard Farms for eggs, I believe). People from CT have written here that they had been puzzled over why their orders were taking longer than expected to arrive, when they thought they had only a few miles to travel, or why the person at MPC didn't seem to be able to tell them the precise shipping date or expected arrival. When orders arrived, they were surprised to see Meyer's and Gabbard's Ohio and Arkansas return addresses printed on the boxes.

I believe that Murray McMurray, which is in Iowa, has their ducks sent from Metzer, in California. Paw around on the forum and you can dig up more of whose what comes from where, it's kind of fun.


Edited to add: I'm expecting my first mail-order chicks from McMurray in a few weeks. I'm excited for the Exotic Gift Chick. It'll be fun to figure out what it is.

 

[Michael Apple]

About ordering from hatcheries that are geographically close to you--you may want to check into whether wherever you decide to order from is actually a hatchery, or a drop-shipper, because your chicks might be coming from somewhere else entirely!

Yes, middle-man outfits are not hatcheries. Always read the fine print and see they are part of NPIP program: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_dis_spec/poultry/participants.shtml

 

[HighlandLass41]

Thanks so much!

 

[KierstenJoy]

If your located in Missouri or a boarding state I recommend http://www.cacklehatchery.com/default.html
I can go pick up my chicks

 

[blucoondawg]

I am in northern WI and ordered my chicks from Murray McMurray last year, all arrived in good health, I ordered 29 plus they threw in an extra and a free exotic mystery chick which turned out to be a Buttercup Rooster. The only thing I didn't like was that they shipped my chicks out on a Friday or late Thursday so they sat in transit over a weekend, we got them right away Monday morning, even with the extended trip all were fine. I ordered from them due to selection and seemingly good prices also I figured being from Iowa it wouldn't be such a long trip, I didn't plan on a weekend shipment but like I said all was well.

 

[HighlandLass41]

Thanks for the info!