DC Heritage Poultry - has anyone used this breeder?

[Thiriel]

I was wondering if anyone has ever used this breeder for their chickens? I've never heard of this place before,but I want to give them a try because they have the breeds I want and they can fly the chicks to my local airport or possible mail them via Canada Post - which is great because it means I wont have to order from the states (I'm in Canada), drive an hour or two down to some place in Maine I've never been to, then drive back, get through the border and hope that I don't kill any chicks in the process.

The thing is I would like to hear from some people who have used this breeder, I want to know if there have been any issues, either with chick health, customer service, etc. I'm not looking to show or anything fancy, I just want healthy chickens that I can feed to my family and friends, even if it means that I have to go through all the steps listed above.

 

[PeacockJoJo]

DO NOT use this breeder. We made the mistake of several orders from there. Many of their breeds were clearly inbred, and failed to thrive. I have 2 year old cream legbar roosters that are only slightly larger than seramas. Very low hatch rate as well. Afterwards, I learned that the owners also ran a puppy mill until it was shut down. They were able to do this due to the lack of animal cruelty laws. The information I have is from research, personal experience, and from American Poultry Association ACE program examiners and judges.

 

[Thiriel]

Thanks for the info, I was searching the forums and saw something about that but wasn't to sure if it was them or not.

This is exactly the reason why I want to do research like this at least one year before I commit. I don't want to give money to someone who cares about money more than quality and I don't want o end up broken hearted because I put time and effort into ill-bred chickens.

Are there any other breeders in Canada who ship that you would recommend? I heard Performance Poulty is good, but I want to make sure first....

 

[Chickenfever16]

I know I am entering this late but I would like to add to this thread if anyone ever searches for DC Heritage poultry.

I had heard through word of mouth that this was a good breeder with healthy chickens. I was impressed with them over the phone and the breeds they had available, so I drove 7 hours in one day to get birds from them. I had recently been through a MG infection and was starting all over again. I spent hours and hours disinfecting my property to such a degree that you could eat off my coop floor! These ladies knew that I had been through that and informed me that they have great biosecurity.

Well, when I got there the birds were all crammed into pens in a garage with chicks piled high in cages. The pens were dirty, the chickens dirty, underweight and quite feather plucked. I had been warned that the garage setting would be intimidating but that there birds are indeed healthy. I had driven all that way so I chose breeds that I wanted and they boxed them up.

When I got home, the birds they have selected for me were very sad looking and were sick. Underweight. Dirty. Feather plucked. Sneezing. Raspy breathing. Others, looked ok. So I took them to the vet and had testing done. They tested positive for Mycoplasma. Exactly what I had just gone through a huge experience to eliminate off my property.

The barn does have signs for biosecurity but they have future breeding stock in with these birds in the garage setting. I worry now that I've read that they had the biggest puppy mill in Canada, that the biosecurity signs on the barn are to keep people from seeing what the true conditions are that the birds in the barn are living in. It saddens me that I supported these people when they don't care for the animals or treat them with decency and that I'm stuck all over again, with an infected flock after choosing to trust them.

So many unsuspected people that have gotten birds off them probably have no idea they are living with infected birds and are spreading it even further.

Did you find reputable breeders in Canada ?

 

[Badstart]

Wish we'd seen this thread prior to buying 40 day old chicks from DC Heritage Poultry in Quebec. Its less than two weeks since we brought them home and we lose a bird every two days. Swollen eyes, heavy breathing, nasal bubbles/ discharge, staggering, head down, lay down, dead. We knew nothing about MG (mentioned above) but after reading posts here and looking up the disease online it sure looks like it. When I complained about the chicks condition the company said it was the four hour drive home that did them in..... One of the birds in the group already had symptoms when I picked them up and they said it was a vitamin B deficiency and to give the bird two drops of adult multivitamins. We did that and we still lose birds including that one. So far DC Poultry isn't answering our requests for compensation and I expect after being convicted of running one of the largest puppy mills around (they were known as Paws R Us https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/hundreds-of-dogs-seized-from-quebec-kennel-1.698807) we won't see any relief from this company. I suggest you look elsewhere rather than get birds from these people; they may have swapped dogs for birds for their income. After seeing the operation I actually was thinking 'puppy mill' based on the conditions there and now this! We may have to cull the whole flock and start over but I really hope we don't have to go to that extreme - apparently they are carriers for life if they survive. Very disappointing to say the least.

 

[Badstart]

This was the lady referenced in the Paws R Us animal cruelty conviction news article online and it is the same lady I bought the chicks off of at DC Heritage Poultry, Nicole Labombard, Shawville QC.
We've culled the whole flock and are starting over with Freys Hatchery this time.

 

[JKK]

Wow I'm happy that I decided to google them & find these posts. I contacted them last week about Malines chicks & they said that they didn't have any at the moment but will be taking orders in January. Wow I dodged a bullet there. Thanks folks!!!

 

[kianoosh]

Thank you everyone for sharing this info. I had just put an order today but will call and cancel. What a shame.

Can anyone suggest an alternative? Is performance poultry any good? Other suggestions appreciated.

 

[Leaguinea]

 

[Biddybot]

Late to this thread, but honestly, try your local Kijiji listings under 'chickens for sale/rehoming' or something similar. Yeah, you'll find a lot of crank listings and even unscrupulous ones, but the red flags are usually painfully obvious and even laughable. Lots of the purebred poultry breeders in our province list their stock there...you can usually tell by how they word things whether they're legit or not. Tons of chicks available all through the spring/early summer last year here, including heritage mixes, and later on, lots of surplus young cockerals and some pullets. Also try the webpages of any local/provincial poultry clubs...they usually have 'for sale' listings too.

You may wind up having to drive some if you see something you want since a lot of the sellers are reluctant to ship, but frankly I'd rather drive all day to pick up chicks, etc., than have them shipped anyway. (Local hatchery chicks excepted.) Biggest drawback, obviously, is that you'll have to settle for straight-run chicks for the most part, if it's chicks you want. On the plus side, if you buy local, you usually get to see the chicks firsthand before you decide to buy them, and if they're already well-started and you're experienced, you can often do a pretty good job of separating the sexes yourself just based on how 'masculine' or 'feminine' they come across as, compared to each other.

One last option I can suggest...if there's a particular breed you want, find out who's running the national breed clubs and see if they can't help you find breeders in your specific area. Years ago I wanted at least one purebred Ameraucana hen, and thanks to some folks at one of our poultry clubs who steered me towards the national club, found a breeder right in my own backyard, so to speak, who cheerfully sold me an older ex-show hen he didn't need for his breeding programme anymore. He offered to sell me plenty of chicks too, come spring, at which point I discovered that quite a few serious breeders gather up a customer list before they'll set eggs to incubate each year beyond their own needs. So...again, an option, but one wherein you'll likely have to do the work of finding the sellers rather than depending on them to advertise. Going to an actual poultry show and asking around is another way to find these folks, plus which you may well get to see some of their stock in person.