Chick Selection

[Percheron chick]

Chain feed stores within a region usually contract with one hatchery and only receive birds from that one. All Bomgaars will get the same quality and breeds. The difference will be the knowlege and management of the individual store plus the ordering practices.
Feeder Supply gets their chicks from Privett. Jax from Hoover. Don't know the others.

The only problems that I have had with EEs is crossbeak and a few brown egg layers. Crossbeak has been a death sentence in all of mine but I'm talking 3 in over 100.
21 if you ever want to hatch out some EEs, i've got eggs. I have a lavender ameraucana over good layers. The pullets have all been good blue, green and olive layers.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Chain feed stores within a region usually contract with one hatchery and only receive birds from that one. All Bomgaars will get the same quality and breeds. The difference will be the knowlege and management of the individual store plus the ordering practices.
Feeder Supply gets their chicks from Privett. Jax from Hoover. Don't know the others.

The only problems that I have had with EEs is crossbeak and a few brown egg layers. Crossbeak has been a death sentence in all of mine but I'm talking 3 in over 100.
21 if you ever want to hatch out some EEs, i've got eggs. I have a lavender ameraucana over good layers. The pullets have all been good blue, green and olive layers.

I think Bomgaars uses Hoovers as well since they have the Starlight greens.

Thanks for the offer of hatching eggs. I am actually downsizing my chicken numbers to keeping just 6-8. Right now there are 27.
They can be super loud!

I ordered 7 Welsh ducks that should be here in a little over 2 weeks. While ducks can be really loud too I can barely hear the ones 4 doors away but can hear the chickens very clearly that are 7 doors away the other direction.

 

[Peppercorngal]

The genetic issues I have had with EE's in my flock have been
1. Egg shell gland not functioning correctly ie: very thin or no shells with 5 different birds from 2 different hatcheries not all raised the same year.
2. Crossbeak in 3 out of the 10 EE's I have had.
3. Split wing in an EE that also had crossbeak. This poor girl laid only double yolked eggs and died at 8 months to egg binding. Figures she was one that was actually able to make a shell.

Other than that I liked their personality and feather differences.

Sorry you had so many problems with your EE's. Again, I've had no problems with mine. I did have a beautiful Colombian Wyandotte that was cross-beaked. He lived a good long life anyway, without any help from humans!

 

[21hens-incharge]

Sorry you had so many problems with your EE's. Again, I've had no problems with mine. I did have a beautiful Colombian Wyandotte that was cross-beaked. He lived a good long life anyway, without any help from humans!
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Yeah it was frustrating because there wasn't much I could do to fully fix them. Right now I have a crossbeaked Orpington that is around 4 years old. Hers is not as severe as your Columbians is. Poor things whole body is odd though.

 

[Peppercorngal]

Chain feed stores within a region usually contract with one hatchery and only receive birds from that one. All Bomgaars will get the same quality and breeds. The difference will be the knowlege and management of the individual store plus the ordering practices.
Feeder Supply gets their chicks from Privett. Jax from Hoover. Don't know the others.

The only problems that I have had with EEs is crossbeak and a few brown egg layers. Crossbeak has been a death sentence in all of mine but I'm talking 3 in over 100.
21 if you ever want to hatch out some EEs, i've got eggs. I have a lavender ameraucana over good layers. The pullets have all been good blue, green and olive layers.

I bought some "olive egger" eggs from a local gal. They were Welsummer and Ameraucana mix. Out of 5 eggs, I got one olive egger, one brown egg layer and two roosters! It was disappointing. One of the roosters had a chick with the brown egg layer and now I have another rooster from them. Pretty guy! I'm tired of the 50% rooster situation in hatching eggs! If I wasn't I'd get some eggs from you!

 

[Peppercorngal]

Yeah it was frustrating because there wasn't much I could do to fully fix them. Right now I have a crossbeaked Orpington that is around 4 years old. Hers is not as severe as your Columbians is. Poor things whole body is odd though.

No, you can't fix a cross beak. They learn to eat or they don't. Every breed is subject to issues it seems! Glad your Orpington is doing well.

 

[21hens-incharge]

No, you can't fix a cross beak. They learn to eat or they don't. Every breed is subject to issues it seems! Glad your Orpington is doing well.

I could deal with the crossing but the egg issues were so sad. Poor things had a rough time getting those soft eggs out sometimes.
None of my other breeds have had the egg issues. I guess it was extra frustrating since the whole reason for getting them was the colorful eggs.