ethical hatcheries or breeders?

[BigBlueHen53]

I actually love Meyer Hatchery. I’d consider them ethical. I. Know they don’t euthanize extra cockerels or excess chicks. I am lucky enough to only be a 45min drive from there, so I went in person to pick up my chicks. The chicks in the bin were all lively. All of mine have been healthy and active without issue and they’re 20 weeks old now. One out of 14 turned out to be a rooster and they refunded me under their gender guarantee. (But I love him and I’m keeping him as long as the city lets me. lol)

That's good to know, Nyx! So what do they do with them? And where are they located?

 

[truebluehikaru]

I would definitely consider Greenfire Farms. Their chicks are packed very well and they send extras. I like their mission to help preserve rare breeds and they are pretty transparent about their setup and their adult stock seems well cared for. If you’re looking for more traditional APA breeds, I would go towards an exhibition breeder. If you’re looking for any breed in particular, give me your location and breed you want and I can research some since I am familiar with what to look for! I also am very much against large hatcheries and have my qualms against mass breeding without a purpose!

great!! i did see greenfire but apparently most of their chicks are SR as they don’t do sexing unless the breed is auto sexing :/

im located in NY, looking for breeders in Long Island, NYC, or anywhere close to the two.

what i wanted were ameraucana, Black copper marans, silverudds blue or isbar, EE, OE, opal or cream legbar, silkie, maybe some bantams like cochina

my main issue is that most local breeders or farms seem to be offering hatching eggs and nobody local seems to be offering sexed chicks. i think i found a few but they were only for silkie.

i wonder if i can get sexed chicks from an independent farm that ships??

 

[NyxKnocks]

That's good to know, Nyx! So what do they do with them? And where are they located?

They located in Polk, OH. They say “every chick gets a home” and they say it’s because they take preorders so they know what quantities of eggs to set, any extras from that go into the bins in the store for $4.25 each or are sold under their “adopt me bargain” straight run or “frypan bargain” at discounted rates.

Website link https://meyerhatchery.zendesk.com/h...3131-What-Happens-to-Extra-Chicks-After-Hatch

 

[Buckeye Amy]

I second that Meyer Hatchery is an excellent hatchery. I only buy from them as they are near me and their next day shipping is just that for me. They also have excellent support staff!

 

[SilverBirds]

it's just that they're sort of like puppy mills and focus on producing as many chicks as possible as opposed to the chick's health and wellbeing. i've also seen people say they're not as healthy usually as breeders' chickens.

I don't think that's true in most cases. Sure many hatcheries tend to focus on breeding more towards egg production over actual breed standard, but that doesn't mean they don't care for their birds. The vast majority of the time the chicks are healthy and don't have any issues, and if they do, it's for other reasons.

I do get more birds from breeders than hatcheries nowadays because I want SOP or rarer breeds, but I wouldn't say they are healthier than hatchery bred birds. I would actually be more cautious when buying from a supposed breeder. Not everyone who claims to be a breeder really is one and you never know what someone else's flock has been exposed to. There are many people just trying to make a quick buck selling offspring of their chickens and don't know how to breed to proper SOP, how to separate breeding pens, and aren't worried about disease risks. If you decide to get your chicks from a private breeder, make sure to ask questions like where they get their parental stock, how long they've been breeding, if they are NPIP certified, and if you can see current pictures of their stock.

 

[FrostRanger]

I also had a really good experience with Meyer and absolutely would order from them again. They are also one of the few places that sex their bantams, if you go with a breeder, not only are you going to have to find a good one but also a good one who is able to sex bantams which is going to be very very hard to find. In any case, I wish you luck!