Cackle and if they don't have a breed I want then Ideal. Mcmurray is the most expensive of anywhere and they are pretty much just a middle man aka drop shipper
Cackle vs McMurray vs Ideal
- Thread starter BarredBuff
- Start date
Maybe look into some of the other hatchers that are smaller. I have found that usually the bigger the company, the less likely they are to care if your satisfied. The smaller operation relies heavily on word of mouth and customer satisfaction.
I also look at things like catalogs. Murray's has a very colorful and graphic intensive catalog. Probably the most graphic ive seen. This is VERY expensive to produce and mail, it has to be paid for somehow. Usually with lower wage employees (which means they are just there to punch a clock), higher priced items and shipping cost's.
That being said, I have NOT ordered from MM and therefore have had no bad experiences with them. Just noting that these are a few things I look at from the "business end" of things.
When I place my order, I will use either Purely Poultry, Cackle or maybe even Natures Hatchery or Ideal - in that order. I have nothing to base that decision on other than internet presence, customer service skills when I call and years in business. I do not consider shipping cost's as a deciding factor. I am more concerned about how a company operates and their business ethics. I sometimes smile when I read post's about someone getting chicks from a certain hatchery and a few/more are dead. Then they jump on the forum and say how they will never order from them again, because of the losses.
The reality of it is, that the hatchery has NOTHING to do with the chicks chances of survival once they leave the loading dock. A post office driver could be mad at his wife and throw the boxes around. He could be hung over from the night before. Maybe his boss is an idiot and wants to bring the delivery time up so his boss looks bad. Some kid on a summer job may think it's fun to poke them with a pencil through the holes in the box, or shake the box to see how loud he can make them cheep. They may be at the top of a pallet, next to the overhead heater and cook.They may be driven past a farm that is spraying chemicals for insects and they breath high doses of that in. I read too often about some careless/mindless drone post office worker not calling the owner as soon as they come in - to get them. But yet, when they arrive dead/dying, they immediately blame the hatchery. Forgetting the journey in between and the endless variables with that.
That being said, the hatchery has little choice but to offer the customer a refund or risk them spreading bad publicity about them to the internet/poultry world. Is it possible that the hatchery "may" have some bad/week chicks? Absolutely. Not every chick is going to make it, but I judge company's on their customer service and presentation, not the survival rate on delivery. Your taking a 1-3 day old chick and shipping it across the country to be handled by probably hundreds of people and machines, various environments and temperatures but when they arrive ill - the hatchery gets blamed.
Sorry for the rant folks, I just look at it from the business end of things and get frustrated when people don't have realistic expectations of service. I once had a neighbor have a new muffler installed on his car. 5 days later, his transmission died and he went back to the garage and blamed THEM! Saying "They were the LAST ones to work on my car, they MUST have done something"! I couldnt get him to understand that the muffler and transmission are at opposite ends of the vehicle and that "maybe" the 165,000 miles on the car and his son just getting his license, could "possibly" have something to do with it.
To those that have read this......there's 3 minutes you'll never get back! LOL
I also look at things like catalogs. Murray's has a very colorful and graphic intensive catalog. Probably the most graphic ive seen. This is VERY expensive to produce and mail, it has to be paid for somehow. Usually with lower wage employees (which means they are just there to punch a clock), higher priced items and shipping cost's.
That being said, I have NOT ordered from MM and therefore have had no bad experiences with them. Just noting that these are a few things I look at from the "business end" of things.
When I place my order, I will use either Purely Poultry, Cackle or maybe even Natures Hatchery or Ideal - in that order. I have nothing to base that decision on other than internet presence, customer service skills when I call and years in business. I do not consider shipping cost's as a deciding factor. I am more concerned about how a company operates and their business ethics. I sometimes smile when I read post's about someone getting chicks from a certain hatchery and a few/more are dead. Then they jump on the forum and say how they will never order from them again, because of the losses.
The reality of it is, that the hatchery has NOTHING to do with the chicks chances of survival once they leave the loading dock. A post office driver could be mad at his wife and throw the boxes around. He could be hung over from the night before. Maybe his boss is an idiot and wants to bring the delivery time up so his boss looks bad. Some kid on a summer job may think it's fun to poke them with a pencil through the holes in the box, or shake the box to see how loud he can make them cheep. They may be at the top of a pallet, next to the overhead heater and cook.They may be driven past a farm that is spraying chemicals for insects and they breath high doses of that in. I read too often about some careless/mindless drone post office worker not calling the owner as soon as they come in - to get them. But yet, when they arrive dead/dying, they immediately blame the hatchery. Forgetting the journey in between and the endless variables with that.
That being said, the hatchery has little choice but to offer the customer a refund or risk them spreading bad publicity about them to the internet/poultry world. Is it possible that the hatchery "may" have some bad/week chicks? Absolutely. Not every chick is going to make it, but I judge company's on their customer service and presentation, not the survival rate on delivery. Your taking a 1-3 day old chick and shipping it across the country to be handled by probably hundreds of people and machines, various environments and temperatures but when they arrive ill - the hatchery gets blamed.
Sorry for the rant folks, I just look at it from the business end of things and get frustrated when people don't have realistic expectations of service. I once had a neighbor have a new muffler installed on his car. 5 days later, his transmission died and he went back to the garage and blamed THEM! Saying "They were the LAST ones to work on my car, they MUST have done something"! I couldnt get him to understand that the muffler and transmission are at opposite ends of the vehicle and that "maybe" the 165,000 miles on the car and his son just getting his license, could "possibly" have something to do with it.
To those that have read this......there's 3 minutes you'll never get back! LOL
ESTES!!!! Oh, soorey that wasn't one of the choices.... I have had a great experience with them this year...used ideal in the past.
I've gotten from all of them.
I do not like Ideals birds at all. They are not even close to standard. Pretty shabby looking if you ask me.
McMurrays aren't much better. But they are better. But also more expensive.
Cackles birds are probably the best out of all the hatcheries. Very nice birds. I've even shown some and won several times.
I really like cackle. And if I still ordered from hatcheries I would use them.
I do not like Ideals birds at all. They are not even close to standard. Pretty shabby looking if you ask me.
McMurrays aren't much better. But they are better. But also more expensive.
Cackles birds are probably the best out of all the hatcheries. Very nice birds. I've even shown some and won several times.
I really like cackle. And if I still ordered from hatcheries I would use them.
Quote:
Whats this Crazy pullet thing ? i have seen to and i dont get it.
Whats this Crazy pullet thing ? i have seen to and i dont get it.
I ordered a variety of bantams from Ideal last September and I was really pleased. Their porcelain d'uccles weren't good quality as far as to breed standard but all my chicks were healthy. I have a silver penciled cochin bantam from them that has layed an egg almost every day since she was 17 weeks old. I'm pleased. They have been hardy and friendly. But then again, I don't show my birds so I don't really care bout breed standards. Just like them for the eggs and pretty colors. Guess it depends on what you are looking for.
anyone ever ordered baby turkeys or baby geese from cackle ?
i'm looking to order some bourbon red turkeys & baby geese
i'm looking to order some bourbon red turkeys & baby geese
- Thread starter
- #20
- Dec 6, 2009
- 1,924
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Cackle gets an A+ from me!!
Last edited:
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