BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[QuoVadis]

I will warn my wife! Maybe after I take a video first, though . Do the hatchery Cornish Crosses forage any? I'm in SC, any recommendations on which hatchery to use?

I'd try Central Hatchery. I have heard nothing but good about their birds in general and especially their CornishX, and at $95 for 100 straight run CornishX they are far more reasonable than any other hatchery I've found, though they do have a bigger minimum. I also heard their RIR are way better than most hatcheries, and that the SilGo sex links are very nice as well. When I get into the country and can raise meat birds I plan to order from there.

 

[draye]

How about Ideal Poultry? They were about $15.00 cheaper.

I've had nothing but terrible "luck" from Ideal. I've raised I couldn't count the number of baby chicks I've raised, and I've raised about 4 out of at least a hundred chicks from Ideal Poultry. I never recommend them.

The best luck I've had with the hatcheries that are available now is from Cackle. By the time you add everything they aren't too much more than Ideal and you have way better chicks. Well worth the extra 4 or 5 dollars.

 

[abbevilleoz]

I'd try Central Hatchery. I have heard nothing but good about their birds in general and especially their CornishX, and at $95 for 100 straight run CornishX they are far more reasonable than any other hatchery I've found, though they do have a bigger minimum. I also heard their RIR are way better than most hatcheries, and that the SilGo sex links are very nice as well. When I get into the country and can raise meat birds I plan to order from there.

I checked out their website and it does look good. They advertise their Cornish crosses as the best in the U.S. And their prices are great. Only problem is their minimum order is 50 and I only wanted 25 for my trial run.

 

[QuoVadis]

I checked out their website and it does look good. They advertise their Cornish crosses as the best in the U.S. And their prices are great. Only problem is their minimum order is 50 and I only wanted 25 for my trial run.

Could you split an order with someone? Otherwise I'm sure you could sell the extras on Craigslist for a bit more than you paid for them and make back most the money you spent. When I buy chicks I always order extras to mark up a bit and sell locally, and they pay for my whole order. I have never done that with meat chicks, just sexed female egg layers, but I bet they would sell fast too. I am sure there is a demand for meat birds, and some people don't like messing around with ordering, etc. and just want to buy them from someone local.

 

[abbevilleoz]

Could you split an order with someone? Otherwise I'm sure you could sell the extras on Craigslist for a bit more than you paid for them and make back most the money you spent. When I buy chicks I always order extras to mark up a bit and sell locally, and they pay for my whole order. I have never done that with meat chicks, just sexed female egg layers, but I bet they would sell fast too. I am sure there is a demand for meat birds, and some people don't like messing around with ordering, etc. and just want to buy them from someone local.

I put a post on a local FB poultry page to see if anyone was interested in splitting the order with me.

 

[Turk Raphael]

My family and I have had nothing but good luck with Cackle Hatchery. I ordered some birds last year...changed my mind about 5 days before they were to be shipped and they were very pleasant and credited the full amount to our 'bank-card' (that we use only for chickens, products). Additionally, I have never gotten wrong breeds or counts and the chicks have always been healthy. We used to order about 75 Austra-white Cockerels, 25 per month, 3 months in a row. The only birds that were lost were due to my lack of surgical ability but I gained the experience with those birds as they are, in my opinion, the perfect birds to work with in learning the craft and they are very inexpensive and make excellent capons for two people....with left-overs.

 

[Beer can]

Good luck with Cackle, 15 naked necks and a barnvelder packing peanut, all healthy. They had none available when I ordered them, week later they called and said they could send them, very nice customer service, I couldn't get them then cause we were going to be out of state. Got them a month later.
I ordered a few different breeds from Meyer's hatchery a few yrs ago, 25, all healthy. Don't know how their CornyX's are though never tried theirs.

 

[abbevilleoz]

I've heard good things about Cackle but they are also the most expensive. For example, I can get twice as many chicks from Central Hatchery for less. Also found Welp Hatchery who beats everybody's prices. Cost effectiveness is a big consideration on our first run.

 

[Turk Raphael]

Cost doesn't always indicate quality but one rarely gets more than one pays for.

 

[dan26552]

I've heard good things about Cackle but they are also the most expensive. For example, I can get twice as many chicks from Central Hatchery for less. Also found Welp Hatchery who beats everybody's prices. Cost effectiveness is a big consideration on our first run.

Cackle is really polite and nice, we got our sucks from them