Cackle - Am I just being overly reactive??

[MysteryChicken]

I've had a mother hen fling a chick of hers when scratching once, & one chick get flung across the henhouse once by jerk of a chicken once. Both chicks were fine.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Thank y'all for your quick replies. Now I feel kinda foolish posting this!
Not a new chicken owner (but guess it seems that way by my post); just never bred/never saw mamas deal with their chicks like that. I have horses and have seen some things mamas do but the foals seem so much more resilent than these little chicks.
Replies restored my hope in ordering from Cackle. Thanks again for the quick and helpful replies!

If I didn’t already know that’s how chicks were handled in hatcheries and I saw that for the first time, I’d be anxious too!!! No worries!

 

[CHlCKEN]

If I didn’t already know that’s how chicks were handled in hatcheries and I saw that for the first time, I’d be anxious too!!! No worries!

X2!

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

Is it normal to toss the babies like this?

I was going to order from Cackle for the 1st time and was checking out YT videos they have. There is one from 5 years ago where they show chicks being vaccinated. To me this handling of them seems cruel - they are delicate creatures, babies, and have feelings. If this is how they handle the chicks I'm not sure I want to order from them. They haven't taken the video down and comments were not anti what they were doing so is it just me? Is this just the way it's done at hatcheries?
I've read alot of positives about Cackle which is why I was leaning that way to order from them but now I'm on the fence. Could y'all help me out here??

Normal, chicks are highly resilient. Moving birds at volume requires quick and efficient handling so they can be shipped in a timely manner and arrive in your home ASAP. This is for their own good.

Cackle is far and away my absolute favorite hatchery.

 

[Georgia460]

Normal, chicks are highly resilient. Moving birds at volume requires quick and efficient handling so they can be shipped in a timely manner and arrive in your home ASAP. This is for their own good.

Cackle is far and away my absolute favorite hatchery.

Why do you say this: "Cackle is far and away my absolute favorite hatchery". I keep going round and round between Cackle, Mt. Healthy, and Meyer since there are no hatcheries close by here in Georgia.
Wonder why Mt. Healthy is seldom mentioned; know they had salmonella outbreak several years ago but they are still being monitored and as far as I know, no recent outbreaks.
Meyer is really iffy with me. Alot of people seem to like them but alot have had issues also. And some of their prices are absurd!
Just wondering why Cackle stands out for you.
TIA!

 

[SulkyBantam]

Is it normal to toss the babies like this?

I was going to order from Cackle for the 1st time and was checking out YT videos they have. There is one from 5 years ago where they show chicks being vaccinated. To me this handling of them seems cruel - they are delicate creatures, babies, and have feelings. If this is how they handle the chicks I'm not sure I want to order from them. They haven't taken the video down and comments were not anti what they were doing so is it just me? Is this just the way it's done at hatcheries?
I've read alot of positives about Cackle which is why I was leaning that way to order from them but now I'm on the fence. Could y'all help me out here??

I know it seems wild, but this is normal. I have a video of my mama hen straight up punting her chick like three feet away from her on accident. The chick got under her feet when she was scratching around. Chicks are super duper resilient! Unless you start breeding and raising your own, every single hatchery will be handling its chicks in this manner.

Maybe, but I don't like this AT ALL and my Mamma hens were MUCH more gentle and caring.

I just dislike big hatcheries and the way the treat their chicks.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Why do you say this: "Cackle is far and away my absolute favorite hatchery". I keep going round and round between Cackle, Mt. Healthy, and Meyer since there are no hatcheries close by here in Georgia.
Wonder why Mt. Healthy is seldom mentioned; know they had salmonella outbreak several years ago but they are still being monitored and as far as I know, no recent outbreaks.
Meyer is really iffy with me. Alot of people seem to like them but alot have had issues also. And some of their prices are absurd!
Just wondering why Cackle stands out for you.
TIA!

I think because it's a more popular one. I heard about cackle 10 years ago Meyer about 2. Mt.Heathy just now. People tend to be favoring the ones they have the most experience with

 

[sdm111]

Chicks are pretty pliable they bounce a good bit. Skip too

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

Why do you say this: "Cackle is far and away my absolute favorite hatchery". I keep going round and round between Cackle, Mt. Healthy, and Meyer since there are no hatcheries close by here in Georgia.
Wonder why Mt. Healthy is seldom mentioned; know they had salmonella outbreak several years ago but they are still being monitored and as far as I know, no recent outbreaks.
Meyer is really iffy with me. Alot of people seem to like them but alot have had issues also. And some of their prices are absurd!
Just wondering why Cackle stands out for you.
TIA!

Because I feel like they put some effort into keeping quality flocks that more or less adhere to standard as much as is feasible in flock mating scenarios. They make a habit out of seeking out quality stock from quality breeders, and I'm consistently more impressed with their birds than the same breeds from other hatcheries (though, of course, they aren't breeder quality stock after a couple of generations of flock mating!)

I live in NW Mississippi and received hundreds of birds from them last year, almost zero mortality in shipping. Even when I lived in Alaska and ordered from them, mortality was very low. They've been stellar to work with in every way.

 

[IowaChickChick]

Every hatchery does it this way. Watch White House On The Hill’s video and see Murray McMurray hatchery does the same thing.

scroll through the comments of this video and see some people mentioned the same concerns you have. I do believe that they could be a bit more gentle but their ride to you isn’t any better, so it doesn’t help much. Anyway, Cackle is a great hatchery. Every bird I have ordered came in healthy, strong, and correctly sexed. Don’t hesitate to buy from them just because of what you saw in the video- ALL hatcheries are that way and it’s not a good reason to leave a bad rating.

As someone who produces a lot of videos, it's hard to tell but I guarantee that all of the staff at McMurray Hatchery treats their chicks with the utmost care. All their packing is hand-done there. No big machines. Ask them on one of their live videos. Small family-owned company -- not as big as you would think.