Cackle Hatchery Review

[Luckyleaf]

I wouldn't worry too much the weather is not bad at all probably just about right even. Have a place ready to get em acess to water just in case but I doubt they will care about anything but having room to stretch the tiny legs. If all goes well I hope to add seabrights to my mix as well as some big ole brahma's what an odd flock that will make.

Okay, thanks for the support, Jsr5. I'm just stressing as a new chicken mom.

 

[jsr5]

I understand is the same stress that led me to go local ish and drive like 4 hours one way to pick mine up. I couldn't have stood the anxiety. will pray for safe and sound arrival of your new babies.

 

[Luckyleaf]

Okay so I ordered 5 Golden Sebrights. They sent 7. All arrived dead. As a first-time chicken mom, I'm pretty devastated.

I called Cackle and they are sending a replacement batch to arrive next Friday. Very helpful and polite service over the phone.

So I have to wonder.... maybe bantam breeds just don't ship well because of their size? Or maybe it's more that ornamental breeds don't ship well because they're less hardy? Or a combination of both?

But god, I'm so sad.

 

[jsr5]

That is heart breaking. It's great from a business standpoint that they will make it right but so sad for the littles that didn't make it. I do notice that it seems bantams are a little less hardy as chicks to the point I almost didn't pursue raising them. But they are so rewarding as they develope personalities and their beauty that I'm still smitten. But they can be labor intensive when little keeping them healthy.

 

[NNYchick]

Okay so I ordered 5 Golden Sebrights. They sent 7. All arrived dead. As a first-time chicken mom, I'm pretty devastated.

I called Cackle and they are sending a replacement batch to arrive next Friday. Very helpful and polite service over the phone.

So I have to wonder.... maybe bantam breeds just don't ship well because of their size? Or maybe it's more that ornamental breeds don't ship well because they're less hardy? Or a combination of both?

But god, I'm so sad.

Sorry you had a bad experience. I ordered 15 Silkies they sent 16 on May 1st all arrived good, I lost 1 on day 2. All the others are thriving. I hope things go well with this next shipment.

 

[Luckyleaf]

Sorry you had a bad experience. I ordered 15 Silkies they sent 16 on May 1st all arrived good, I lost 1 on day 2. All the others are thriving. I hope things go well with this next shipment.

Thanks. Maybe I just need to stop ordering small amounts? Seems that people who order 15 or more get better success.

 

[NNYchick]

Thanks. Maybe I just need to stop ordering small amounts? Seems that people who order 15 or more get better success.

I don’t plan on keeping all, ordered 15 for more choices in grow outs then will sell the extras.

 

[GoatDragonFarms]

I planned to do an egg swap with a guy in town to bring in Silver Spangled Spitz. Long story short, I ended up ordering from Cackle on 5/7/19.

This was the first time I've ordered live birds to be shipped. I looked at them for a couple days, then when I went to order, they had a "Weekly special rare chick special" for $1.95 a bird. Since it was going to cost me more to order 10 Spitz than to get 15 of these mystery rares, I did so. Total count, 25 birds.
Joined a Cackle ID support group for their mystery boxes. Watched people get excited when theirs shipped, and elated/devastated when they came in.
Watched their videos, read their info. Bought a red light setup because that's what they recommend, even though we've done two years of chicks with a ceramic plate.
Chicks hatched Monday, 5/13. We live in NC, estimated at the PO 5/17. Got everything set up on the 15th. Call came in 5/16 that they were there. Ok, is PO problem, not Cackle.
Everyone came in alive, no DOAs. 26 birds in total. Got them transferred over, showed them food and water, everyone at and drank just fine. Left them alone.
Came back a couple hours later to one dead. Next day, another. Third day one died in my hand. Since then, no more deaths, everyone seems to be just fine. All the chicks I lost had NO signs of picking and were of the rare special.
Final count is 23 after a week and a half. This being my only hatchery experience I'm happy, for the most part.

 

[av8torcrj]

I’ve always gotten nice birds from cackle and have never experienced a shipping loss. They have gone the extra mile and placed heat packs, feed and a hydrating substance in all of this years shipments. I purchased their exotic island breed assortment weekly special this summer and received a great combination. Red shouldered, white and silver Yokohama, black, blue and splash Sumatra, golden, silver and white Phoenix. I ordered some red shouldered Yokohama from Ideal at the same time and there is no real comparison in the better quality and significantly larger birds from cackle. The ideal birds are very washed out in coloring. I think cackle works hard to keep their flock true to breed. This being said, you can’t beat ideals prices and I’ve gotten some other nice birds from them ( flying mallards this year are looking unusually large though and I’m wondering if they have Rouen in them).
A shipment of spangled, ginger red and crele OEGB from cackle are looking good too this year. I have no real complaints about the company. I like the vids they have on you tube showing their breeder flocks but I must say some of the birds seem overcrowded. The nature of the industry I suppose.