Cackle Hatchery reviews

[ConPollos]

I picked up my chicks today and all are beautiful, healthy, and active. I had called my farm supply to tell them I would be there on the 3rd instead of the 1st, which was the day when my chicks arrived; so by the time I got there only two of my six Ws were there; so either they didn't get shipped or they were accidentally sold as RIRs. But I'm not blaming anybody, it's good to have the extra room in my coop. Lol

The shipment was short on BAs, so I let the store keep my two to sell with the others, since I already have three. I got my 12 EE pullets and 1 EE cockerell, who has a purple ink mark on his head. His name is Achilles (or Aquilles Lol) and whichever hen he loves the most will be Briseis.

The EE colors are so pretty incl. pastel yellow, lavender, lt. blue, dk blue, lt and dark gray, tan, chocolate, black, peach, apricot, etc. They're fuzzy cheeks are too cute! My two Ws look like little chipmunks.

I'm super happy that I got as many chicks as I did considering the store's order was short by 100.

 

[StewedMammal]

My turkey poults are 6 1/2 weeks old now and all are doing great! Unfortunately, I think there are more boys than girls, but I'll live with it.

 

[ConPollos]

My turkey poults are 6 1/2 weeks old now and all are doing great! Unfortunately, I think there are more boys than girls, but I'll live with it.

OMG those guys are so cute!!! I was considering a couple of turkeys before I decided to get chickens instead, but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to handle turkeys due to my lack of poultry experience.

 

[StewedMammal]

OMG those guys are so cute!!! I was considering a couple of turkeys before I decided to get chickens instead, but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to handle turkeys due to my lack of poultry experience.

Turkeys really aren't hard to care for. They are just larger and need more space and protein. Other than that, there isn't much of a difference.

 

[ConPollos]

Turkeys really aren't hard to care for. They are just larger and need more space and protein. Other than that, there isn't much of a difference.

Oh, I got the impression from Googling turkeys that they can get really mean and aggressive, and since they're so big I was afraid to try owning them.

 

[gifters]

Our bourbon reds are really nice, the first week or two they are a little harder, the turkeys take longer to learn simple things and there water has to be changed more often. If it's too dirty they won't drink and they'll get dehydrated

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

 

[ConPollos]

[COLOR=333333]Hey, I'm thinking about ordering from Cackle next year, and I was wonder how accurate they are with breed and gender, and how show-quality their birds are. I don't really want to order a straight run or purchase many chicks for verification. I'm hoping for Black Australorps, Light Brown Leghorns, and Buff Brahmas for the 4-H show; obviously hatchery birds aren't always good for shows, but I'd rather show all right birds and get blue ribbons than none at all[/COLOR]

For me, of my dozen birds that are old enough to tell, Cackle has been very accurate on gender, including my three Black Australorps. Two of my BAs were growing faster than the third one so I was afraid they were cockerells, but they're all pullets and all three girls are identical now.

 

[HighDesertCalif]

I ordered 15 Polish Chickens, 3 kinds, with agreed to substitutions and extras in the shipping box. One arrived dead. I was pleased with the order and the chicks looked so pretty. I got them set up in their new place and I went to the nearby feedstore and bought 9 egg layer chicks, also of 3 different breeds. I got the feedstore chicks on the same day in order to easier blend the young chicks before adding them later to the existing flock.

At first I put them all together, but the next morning a handful of the Polish were dead or dying. So, I separated them with a cardboard divider. The attrition continued as the Polish chicks from Cackle Hatchery continued to fall over and die. Some walking around had pasty butt, so cleaned them and returned them to the group. (No pasty butt so far on the feedstore chicks) Each day chicks were dying. Last night 7 were left. This morning 3 are left. I called Cackle Hatchery this morning (Monday morning) and the friendly customer service is friendly no more.

Despite the 9 feedstore chicks receiving the same water (regular and choice of Nutri-drench), same chick starter feed, and only inches apart, thus in the same temperature . . . the fault is apparently mine.

$63.30 for 3 chicks left standing. Maybe the 3 left will be alive tomorrow. Maybe not. They are not as active as the feedstore bought chicks.

I've ordered chicks by mail before from Murray McMurray and from a small business that sold "Freedom Rangers" and never experienced such losses. I am normally not a "complainer" so even when half the Cackle Hatchery chicks had died I was of the mind that this must be a more delicate breed type and to just chalk it up as a learning experience. I wasn't going to complain about it. But this morning I woke up to find only 3 of the 7 chicks left last night are alive.

When I called Cackle Hatchery this morning I found out I was supposed to be calling them as the deaths occurred. I have had the chicks outside since the weather is warm at nights (June in the High Desert) but was supposed to have had them with a light bulb and in a brooder box. I don't qualify for a refund.

Thank goodness the local feedstore chicks - only inches away from the Cackle Hatchery chicks - find the temperature suitable.

$63.30 for a disappointing learning experience.

 

[ConPollos]

I ordered 15 Polish Chickens, 3 kinds, with agreed to substitutions and extras in the shipping box.   One arrived dead.    I was pleased with the order and the chicks looked so pretty.   I got them set up in their new place and I went to the nearby feedstore and bought 9 egg layer chicks, also of 3 different breeds.   I got the feedstore chicks on the same day in order to easier blend the young chicks before adding them later to the existing flock.   

At first I put them all together, but  the next morning a handful of the Polish were dead or dying.  So, I separated them with a cardboard divider.   The attrition continued as the Polish chicks from Cackle Hatchery continued to fall over and die.    Some walking around had pasty butt, so cleaned them and returned them to the group.  (No pasty butt so far on the feedstore chicks)   Each day chicks were dying.   Last night 7 were left.   This morning 3 are left.    I called Cackle Hatchery this morning (Monday morning) and the friendly customer service is friendly no more.

Despite the 9 feedstore chicks receiving the same water (regular and choice of Nutri-drench), same chick starter feed, and only inches apart, thus in the same temperature . . . the fault is apparently mine.

$63.30 for 3 chicks left standing.    Maybe the 3 left will be alive tomorrow.   Maybe not.   They are not as active as the feedstore bought chicks. Or they were a week or two older than the Polish so could tolerate temps that were a few degrees lower.


I've ordered chicks by mail before from Murray McMurray and from a small business that sold "Freedom Rangers" and never experienced such losses.    I am normally not a "complainer" so even when half the Cackle Hatchery chicks had died I was of the mind that this must be a more delicate breed type and to just chalk it up as a learning experience.    I wasn't going to complain about it.   But this morning I woke up to find only 3 of the 7 chicks left last night are alive.

When I called Cackle Hatchery this morning I found out I was supposed to be calling them as the deaths occurred.    I have had the chicks outside since the weather is warm at nights (June in the High Desert) but was supposed to have had them with a light bulb and in a brooder box.    I don't qualify for a refund.


Thank goodness the local feedstore chicks - only inches away from the Cackle Hatchery chicks - find the temperature suitable.


$63.30 for a disappointing learning experience.


 

I used to live in the greater LA area for many years, and I spent a lot of time in the High Desert towns, like Victorville, Apple Valley, Antelope Valley, and also the low desert towns, like Palm Springs; so I know the desert areas are extremely hot by day and freezing cold at night in the summer. The chicks should have been indoors in a brooder tub with a red heat lamp and a thermometer. Unless they got chilled during shipping, they probably got chilled when the High Dessert night temp dropped below 95.

The feed store chicks are either older, hardier or had recovered from shipment by the time you bought them so they were less stressed. Or they may still die because after chicks get chilled they can die from it days later.

 

[StewedMammal]

Turkeys are growing up! They are 10 weeks old today and I ended up with, I believe, 5 hens and 10 toms. Here is the group together.