CACKLE HATCHERY A BIG NO-NO!!!!!

[jennadamson29]

Cackle hatchery has been nothing but awsome with me and my DH. We got our first chicks ever around the first of april from a local home and garden. Didn't take us long to fall in love. Sad for us our beagle got loose and killed all of them 14 chikens and 1 duck when they were about 6 weeks old. We heard about cackle and drove the 30 miles to get some new babies. By the time we left we had 25 ass. bantams, 5 RIR, and 4 ducks. The lady at the counter was very caring about what had happened to us. Well 4 weeks later the dog did it again!!!!!! Lost all but 1cochin bantam, 1blue rose comb bantam, and 1 RIR of the chickens. She even got 2 more ducks. I wanted to shoot the dog but DH talked me down from doing it. Went back to cackle almost to ashamed to go back in those doors. Once again the same lady was very caring about what happened. Ended up buying 25 top hats, 25 bantams, and 1 duck. Walked out with 28 top hats, 27 bantams, 1 duck and some great advise. 4 weaks Later I caught chick feaver went back and ended up buying 25 more bantams. Walked out with 30. She always sends me home with extra in case some don't make it. Wonderfull service!!!!!!!! 2 weeks ago went back and ended up buying 5 silver laced polish walked out with 7. That time a young man helped me and my DH. Once again great service!!!!!! With the three we had left and the ones we have got since then we still have 91 chickens thanks to the advise and service cackle gave us!!!!!!

I do have a wonderfull chicken run for my chickens now and no longer have my beagle (gave her away to a freind who doesn't have chickens)

 

[roosty]

Quote:
PETA has no business being involved in ANYTHING!!!!!.....

certainly not the shipping of chicks....you did receive your chicks live and fine.....seems as though you may have prematurely overreacted.....getting PETA involved will ruin the shipping of chicks for everyone else.

 

[The Squawk Box Fresh Eggs]

dont get PETA involved, the Humane Society could prolly help more, without runing everything.

 

[goldensunriseranch]

I think the majority of chicks the post office handles arrive mostly on time and fine. If everyone starts complaining about the post office and their handling of lives the more likely outcome is that they will stop handling lives period, and no more shipped chicks at all. Which is what they tried to do a few years ago. Hatcheries would then more than likely be out of business and the only birds you would be able to get is what you can pick up within driving distance from private breeders, or have them shipped live cargo via an airline which is enormously expensive. Then the next thing to go would be the shipping of hatching eggs. I think then the raising of poultry would be set back a hundred-fold.
Just my opinion on it.

 

[ScoobyRoo]

I called my post office to let them know that I was expecting some chicks from Cackle. They called me 6:00 a.m. when they arrived. Living in a small town helped too, I'm sure. I think THAT is the key...calling the post office to let them know you are expecting the chicks on a certain date. All of mine are still alive and healthy and now they are 18wks old now.

K

 

[vicki2x2]

Henry'schickens :

I called my post office to let them know that I was expecting some chicks from Cackle. They called me 6:00 a.m. when they arrived. Living in a small town helped too, I'm sure. I think THAT is the key...calling the post office to let them know you are expecting the chicks on a certain date. All of mine are still alive and healthy and now they are 18wks old now.

K

Unless your post master is a jerk like mine is! He couldn't care less and he will tell you so!​

 

[hcammack]

I think there are going to be problems with any large hatchery ! I am thinking that I will never order from one again I will hatch with broodies and also get local birds.

Henry

 

[smoothmule]

I just wanted to chime in here. I live about 45 minutes from Cackle Hatchery. It's a tiny place for all they do. The front, where you order, has about 5 stacked brooders. The area can't be more than 24' by 24' They are not in any way an upscale modern facility but very adequate. It is a mad house there most days and I've never been in there when there wasn't several people looking and buying and the staff was very knowledgable but very, very busy. Once it's your turn though, they are very helpful and stick with you. The phone rang nonstop while I was there. This is no huge hatchery, they don't have a lot of space and the front reminds you of a feed store on Saturday morning, full of activity everyday.

It was clean and the chicks healthy and I've never bought many at one time but never lost any from them. As far as not staffing enough, you can only put just so many human bodies in one area and I think they were maxed out for the space there.

As far as the quality of chicks, well that has more to do with the people they buy hatching eggs from and the breeders they buy from just have exceptional stock. The hatchery may refuse to buy from breeders that are not producing good chicks so that does make them responsible for choosing whose eggs to buy and I've heard that Cackle is very particular about who they buy eggs from. Does anyone know if other hatcheries produce their own hatching eggs or do they all buy their eggs from breeders?

As far as shipping and customer service, the postal service is terrible. Cackle can't be held responsible other than that it's good service to make sure the customer is happy, they cannot guarantee what the post office is responsible for, no hatchery is. Once they ship the chicks, they belong to you, not Cackle so I feel anything after the shipping is my responsibility to track. Cackle can't control what happens after that so if you want tracking, you will have to pay for a service that does that and it costs more than the chicks.

I am fortunate to have several hatcheries within a reasonable distance, Cackle, Estes (Springfield, MO) and one I've not been to in Windsor, Mo. I think most people would be shocked at the volume of chicks coming out of that small facility.

 

[michelle1017]

Thanks to Cackle, I now have my very first chicks! They were hatched on Wednesday and I had them by Thursday morning. I ordered 20 RIRs and they sent 21 and all seem to be doing fine. I think there are unseen problems no matter who you go with.

 

[orcasislandchickens]

I had good luck with Cackle this summer also. Good service, healthy strong chicks, and I think my streight-run order actually contains more pullets . (yay).