Hatchery comparisons please!

[Katy]

One option you might look into is ordering through your local farm store. Our local ones will let you order what you want and they'll include it with their own order. I 've never done it, but I don't remember seeing that they had a number limit on the flyer they hand out about it.

 

[ole-crone]

I've only ordered from Ideal and McMurray. I liked that Ideal wrote on the receipt how many of each they had packed in - helped in identifying them. Only one chick died after arrival. The rest are now nice and healthy BUT I can't put my finger on it but they just don't seem to be as healthy as those I've bought in the past from McMurray.

Not that they aren't healthy - but their feathers aren't as glossy, they seemed punier as baby chicks, they are all more flighty than McMs. The McM chicks were much easier to raise - keeping the brooder clean-wise. These have always panicked and huddled in the corner. By the time my McM chicks were this age (11 weeks), they'd come running if they heard me outside. These guys just huddle by the door, peeking around the corner.

To be fair, I've also never raised these breeds (Marans, Welsummer, Barnvelder) so it might just be them and not the hatchery. SO I would order from Ideal again.

 

[Buster]

Quote:
I will look into this. I know a guy locally who we call the "Chicken King" and sells LOADS of chickens through his feed store. Unfortunately, he's kind of a stubborn know it all, and I'm related to him (sort of), so it might be interesting to try to pull off. But I'll give it a shot. The worst he could do is say no and lecture me for hours about how I'm not doing it HIS way.

 

[Queen of the Lilliputians]

I've only purchased from my local feedstore, bought eggs, or bought from a breeder.

Did want to say my local feedstore DOES have limits. You MUST order 6. I've read somewhere it's supposed to wean out impulse buyers

which doesn't make much sense, since you have to order well in advance.. but there it is.


Good luck however you do it! I've been on this board for awhile, and have read both good and bad about most of the hatcheries. I can't recall that any of them stood out as super terrible.

Meghan

 

[Buster]

Thanks for all the info- I'm checking w/ my local feed stores and if that doesn't work out, I'll probably order from Ideal- they have all the breed and color varieties that I want.

 

[skeeter]

what about Dunlap hatchery in Caldwell

 

[Buster]

Quote:
Funny you should ask- I'm holding Dunlap's list in my hand right now. The trouble is that of the breeds I want, they only have about 2 or 3 that are matches- some are SR only and some of the colors aren't the varieties I want. It would be really convenient for me if they had what I wanted, because I travel to the Boise area to visit family a lot, but they don't seem to have my picks. Thanks for the advice though.

 

[skeeter]

ive talked to them a few times seem like nice folks,id givem a call and next time over that way drop in and have a look,im getting eggs from the right after this next batch hatches,they should be here on the 23rd or 24th I think

 

[Buster]

Thanks Skeeter, I'll do that. I remember going by there when I used to live in Caldwell, but I don't remember why I went, I couldn't have chickens at the time and it was about 5 years ago. I must have been obsessed with chickens even back then!