Has anyone had probles with IDEAL ?

I've only heard good things about them. Our ducks from the feed store were from them and they have been very healthy. Your only problem may be they sell out so fast it's hard to get any chicks this late.

 

My experience with them was totally positive. I have a shared order from ideal, all chicks beautiful, healthy and thriving, and a small order of silkies I got on my own, same thing. Chicks were vigorous and gorgeous. All thriving at 3 and 6 weeks, no deaths, no illnesses.
chicks arrived when promised too.

 

where are you located? usually the problems associated with chicks is that the travel. the closer the hatchery is to you, the better the birds since they'll get to you quicker with less stress. although even a close hatchery may actually not hatch the breed but have it drop shipped. so that would be something to ask them.

 

I ordered from them two years ago and was not at all happy with them. My Indian Runners looked like fawn and white Pekins, and my Marans laid very light eggs. A lot of people do like them, but I am certainly not one of them!

I order from Hoovers Hatchery in Rudd Iowa. They don't have a huge selection, but they are very friendly/helpful people and the birds have been excellent. And the post office that sends them out takes very good care of them too, unlike the one by Ideal that stepped on the box and crushed three ducks and two chicks.

Thats just my two cents....

 

I've ordered from them a few times. All were healthy chicks. I wasn't looking or expecting show stock. All looked like what they were supposed to be.

I have seen the fawn and white runners before from Ideal and several of the other hatcheries. They aren't very upright. I had a pair until a mink found me. They were nice pets, laid lots of eggs and ate lots of bugs. Just what I wanted a duck to do.

Their customer service is great. They went the extra mile to please me. They screwed up my order this year and immediately corrected it. I have no complaints. I will continue ordering from them.

If I want designer clothing I don't go to Walmart. If I wanted a show chicken I'd go to a private breeder.

In my incubator now are two ducklings and some eggs from a private breeder of very upright runners. I don't expect all of them to be show stock either. I do expect them to stand straighter than the mass produced but healthy chicks Ideal has. I don't show, don't have any interest in showing. I just want healthy birds. Ideal works.

 

I bought what are supposed to be two Barred Rock pullets from a local feed store that gets their chicks only from Ideal. One chick is half the size of the other, at two weeks the small one is growing white tail feathers and the large chick black tail feathers, and they behave very differently. The feed store swears they are standard BR pullets, so I don't know what the problem is, or if it was the feed store or Ideal that messed up. These are my first-ever-in-my-whole-life chickens, so I don't know much, but these chicks are not the same. Maybe a roo? Maybe a runt? Maybe a cross? I canceled my order for Silver Laced Wyandottes from Ideal, and bought eggs from a breeder instead.

 

I like them though I have noticed that there are some genetic defects that show up in their chicks now and then. I've recieved silkies twice with one in each bunch that has curled toes. I got a La Fleche with no claws on her middle toe. But this is a once in awhile thing. Other than that I continue to order.

 

I just ordered 25 chicks from them...they got here in two days as promised and they were all very healthy. They are now 2 weeks old and doing great! AND over 1/2 of them are VERY friendly and love me to hold them. I hold them every day though so they are very used to me now. They are very cute and have all the qualities that the birds from McMurrays has looks wise. Very nice chicks I was very happy with them.