Famous Hatchery 'Pure Bred' Appearances

[MissChick@dee]

With all the hatchery stock talk I'm curious if anyone knows for certain if the hatcheries have their own flocks or if they source eggs.
Back in the early 80s I was heavy into showing and raising several bantam breeds. I was approached about supplying eggs to a hatchery.
Unfortunately long story short I was scammed by the third party and worked out of the equation.
I know for a fact that that hatchery sourced all their eggs from different breeders and it was a large mainstream hatchery.

Show me da’ money....you’d think there’d be regulations. Oh wait you can buy those off too.

 

[Mimi13]

I honestly believe one will find more negative traits from birds purchased from a Hatchery vs a Breeder, simply because the hatcheries do not see the offspring of their breeding stock and do not cull for those undesirable qualities like a breeder would. Now with that being said, there are still good qualities that are found in hatchery birds.

I have/had both kinds of birds (6 breeder birds and 26 hatchery birds.) Each group had its good and bad. Now I’m not speaking about SOP qualities (I’m clueless there), just personality, aggressiveness, etc.

I still love them all and know what to do with the ones that slipped through the “rotten bird crack!”

 

[The Moonshiner]

Show me da’ money....you’d think there’d be regulations. Oh wait you can buy those off too.

Not sure what your post is getting at?
I do remember they would pick up the eggs at your location. Buy as many as you had but you had to meet a minimum and they would pay a flat rate of 25 cents an egg.
There were strict regulations and guidelines.

 

[jolenesdad]

Hatchery birds and also a hatchery barred rock (pay no mind to her markings, poor thing) clearly a naaaaaasty attitude.

 

[9SpiceyChickens]

Golden Laced Wyandottes? I have kinda just been skimming, LOL

 

[Kessel23]

Most hatcheries are open to the fact that they get their eggs from a breeder flock, multiple breeder flocks, almost every breed comes from its own breeder flock that is owned by different people. Hatcheries only ever see day old chicks, they visit the breeder flocks once a year for a check up, not including when they come to get the eggs because they don't look at the birds when they come to get eggs, also most breeder flocks just ship eggs to the hatcheries now. Hatcheries do not control which birds get to breed, that is up to the owner of the flock, as long as they are producing recognizable birds then it is ok. This is what my great uncle told me, he owned a breeding flock of true RIRs nearly 30 years ago for McMurray. I guess this is why some birds look decent and others don't, some owners do some culling to make their birds look better.

 

[CrziChickMom]

I'm guessing he may be English standard Partridge

Yes, he's partridge. I've also got 2 babies, believed to be hens, which will also be for show. One partridge, one blue/lavender. They are my absolute babies!

 

[Mimi13]

I’ve found that my hatchery bought birds have sweet attitudes. I haven’t bought hatchery Rhode Island Reds, Sex Links, or Barred Plymouth Rocks which I hear have some bad attitudes.

My hatchery RIR pullet is a very sweet and docile girl. She loves to be held and loved. My hatchery BPR pullet loves to be held and petted, and very sweet and loving in my lap, BUT if she’s around and not the one being held she can be a bit nasty to me. She will constantly peck/bite my leg, shorts, whatever she can until I acknowledge her and pick her up.

Both my SL are breeder birds. One is sweet, docile and loving and the other one isn’t mean at all, she just likes to stay to herself.

 

[Mimi13]

Golden Laced Wyandottes? I have kinda just been skimming, LOL

Oh no! Some threads ARE skip-worthy, but not this one. This entire thread must be read. It’s not only entertaining, but packed full of great information. It definitely will broaden your chicken knowledge.

 

[varidgerunner]

I would disagree bc my hatchery bought are the sweetest things. I wouldn't say buying them from a hatchery makes them have nasty attitudes

What if they are supposed to have nasty attitudes? It is more than temperament though. Mannerisms and quirks that you will see from birds that are purer and more strictly bred.

Imagine if a hatchery got birds from a breeder, and the breeder, overwhelmed by the monotony of supplying the hatchery, ceased to care about keeping goals, as a breeder. Imagine if someone else started supplying the hatchery with breeding stock that came from the first breeder, by way of the hatchery. Now imagine this cycle repeating itself many times over. That is how you get birds that are so far removed from their historical accounts, their original intent, and original form. This goes far beyond a breed standard. Breed standards can be the ruination of breeds. There is far more to a breed than just it's looks, standards only deal with looks.