Cackle hatchery's Hatchery Surprise- Anybody got this before?

[elibar90]

Well, they gave me till Saturday so if I do loose anymore before then I will get a partial refund but not sure how they are going to do it. wait and see. Just glad my oldest daughter isn't here to witness it she would take it hard.

 

[Fetch33]

Am currently brooding the ducks and turkeys together, put the turkeys with the chicks but they kept getting trampled. Anybody ever brood ducks and turkeys together?

I brooded the ducks and turkeys together for the first two weeks. Now the ducks are huge compared to the turkeys and the chicks are big enough to fend for themselves against the turkeys, so the turkeys and chicks live together.

 

[popsicle]

I brooded my turkeys with the chicks. Last year my BBW turkey grew up with a Houdan cockerel and three silkies (until process time for the Houdan and BBW). Ducks are just so hardy and messy.

This year I traded some of my Hatchery Surprise chicks for some broilers. The broilers are 4 weeks old, the surprise chicks are 4.5 weeks old--of course the broilers are twice as big as the other chicks. However, the ducks are twice as big as the broilers. I say, forget broilers, I'm going to start ordering Pekins to process--they're cuter, healthier and tastier. Broilers are a disgusting mess. I don't even want to know they exist.

 

[Bullitt]

I brooded my turkeys with the chicks. Last year my BBW turkey grew up with a Houdan cockerel and three silkies (until process time for the Houdan and BBW). Ducks are just so hardy and messy.

This year I traded some of my Hatchery Surprise chicks for some broilers. The broilers are 4 weeks old, the surprise chicks are 4.5 weeks old--of course the broilers are twice as big as the other chicks. However, the ducks are twice as big as the broilers. I say, forget broilers, I'm going to start ordering Pekins to process--they're cuter, healthier and tastier. Broilers are a disgusting mess. I don't even want to know they exist.

Can't you just use White Plymouth Rocks for meat chickens? Unless you just prefer duck to chicken.

By the way, are these broilers the Cornish Cross? Those chickens do not want to move and often have health problems. They cannot reproduce, and they usually die of health problems before they get to the age of reproduction anyway. That should be a clue that Cornish Cross are just wrong.

The easiest thing to do it to order a straight run of dual-purpose chickens, such as the White Plymouth Rocks, and then just use most of the cockerels for meat when they get large enough.

 

[popsicle]

Can't you just use White Plymouth Rocks for meat chickens? Unless you just prefer duck to chicken.

By the way, are these broilers the Cornish Cross? Those chickens do not want to move and often have health problems. They cannot reproduce, and they usually die of health problems before they get to the age of reproduction anyway. That should be a clue that Cornish Cross are just wrong.

The easiest thing to do it to order a straight run of dual-purpose chickens, such as the White Plymouth Rocks, and then just use most of the cockerels for meat when they get large enough.

Yup, that's what we usually do. If you notice my chicken tally in my signature, it usually is higher in the spring, and works its way down over the summer, fall and winter. I like to get the hatchery surprise and eat off the birds I don't want to keep. Broilers aren't technically Cornish cross since that cross was many years ago, so I call them broilers. The birds I have are Cobb 500 I believe. The problem I have is that I'm also over 5,000 feet--which makes their stupid life even harder.

I like duck better, and they're supposed to be ready at 7-weeks. So win-win. Except they eat non-stop. However, they're already out on pasture during the day.

Anyhow, after seeing peoples numbers for the Surprise lately, I might order another one in a few months.

 

[LavLady]

By the way, are these broilers the Cornish Cross? Those chickens do not want to move and often have health problems. They cannot reproduce, and they usually die of health problems before they get to the age of reproduction anyway. That should be a clue that Cornish Cross are just wrong.

I don't want to open a can of potentially angry worms, but I raised 5 Cornish X from 3 weeks to 7 months of age with absolutely NO health problems. (That is waaaaay past the usual processing age!) I kind of "ended up" with them from someone being foreclosed on. I knew nothing about meat chickens, because I don't process my own birds, (yet, this year I am raising quail!) so I didn't treat them any different than my layers. They were super sweet birds, and I let them free range with the girls all day and everyone got fed Nutrina Layer (16%) at night, and some table scraps and a small amount of 5 grain scratch. The 3 CX pullets and two cockerels were my friendliest "get in your lap" chickens. (Probably because they were the most gluttonous chickens I have ever owned, and just wanted treats!) I ended up giving them to a family with an out of work patriarch for food, because I couldn't afford to feed them, (did I mention, they are GLUTTONS!) and I knew he would do his best to process them humanely and with respect. The 5 together ate more than 12 layers and one rooster. None of the CX pullets ever laid an egg that I know of. I since learned they are a hybrid breed, (non GMO, people!) and not designed to reproduce.

However, my point here is if they are TRULY free ranged (not in super crowded and cramped tractors!) and NOT given unrestricted access to feed they have minimal health problems. I would raise them again, EXACTLY the same way because I was told they were the best chicken the family have ever eaten.

 

[2Degrees]

The hubsters and I ordered our surprise box two days ago and are (im)patiently waiting to get the shipping confirmation. Can those of you who just recently purchased the surprise boxes post some more pictures and descriptions of what you received- please? Also, did you find that cackle did take 10 days to send shipping confirmation

 

[popsicle]

The hubsters and I ordered our surprise box two days ago and are (im)patiently waiting to get the shipping confirmation. Can those of you who just recently purchased the surprise boxes post some more pictures and descriptions of what you received- please? Also, did you find that cackle did take 10 days to send shipping confirmation

I've gotten the shipping date confirmation as early as the same day and as long as a week after placing the order. Did you get the order confirmation immediately after placing the order?

 

[2Degrees]

Yes I got the order confirmation. We just got overly excited waiting on them to come.

 

[hildar]

Yes I got the order confirmation. We just got overly excited waiting on them to come.

If they haven't processed the order yet which means it didn't come off your card yet, give them a call I sure did and asked when they would ship.