Hatchery Poll

[WhoDatChick]

Hi! This is my first year with chickens.. I didn’t really know which breeds I wanted as I was new to this but I did know that I wanted ALL different breeds as to be able to tell them apart.. I picked up 4 sexed pullets from TSC and they were 4 different breeds.. all were sexed correctly. I picked 2 more different breeds up from a feed store near me that were NOT sexed but both were pullets! Picked up 2 more different breeds from another feed store that were not sexed but both were pullets again... all were very healthy and all are still doing great as of now! All are friendly and laying eggs regularly. I want 5 more specific breeds so I may have to order from a hatchery. I met someone on here that breeds for SOP and she is near me.. I really want one or two of hers as I would love to see the difference in hatchery vs breeder quality!

 

[Kacey Elle]

Our first chickens came from TSC - but I don't know which hatchery they were in. Easy to care for PRs, EEs & Cuckoo Marans. Most of these lived for 4-5 years - coming from our other property to this one. Then I had some major losses - 1st during an ice storm when the girls refused to go into their much smaller coop (what do you mean we can't still be in the barn with the rafters up 14- 21' in the air?). I walked out the next morning in shock to find them packed onto 2 outdoor roosts after they'd gotten out of the coop - frozen solid! and then when a couple of starving hunting dogs dug under our pasture fence and took out a total of 22 chickens - 1/2 of which were to go to OUR freezer camp in 2 days.

2015 & part of 2016 - were very bad years. All hatchery chicks (mostly from Privett, but also from Cackle and ??) - most seemed to be un-thrifty and quite a number died in the first couple of weeks - different times of the year (I used different brooders/waters for some of them, don't think it was my brooder crates specifically). They appeared healthy - were eating and drinking, but not really gaining weight/growing and then would just lay down and die. It was awful - Marans, SLW & Ameraucana. Others - our ponies went thru a phase where they would dig holes at the corners of the tractors, become permanent coop. Then the chickens would get out - sometimes never to be seen again.

2018 seems to be our better year - however, my breeder chicks (more expensive than hatchery chicks) have attracted predators that seem to favor CLB and RB PULLETs. Quite frustrating - always during the day and when I'm at work. The hatchery chicks from Privett did great this year - got Australorps (blue variety). I have however, been told by those on the Australorp thread that these aren't Australorps...

Not a lot of help, I don't think...

No--that actually is a huge help! It makes me consider scratching Cackle from my list of possible hatcheries. Eliminating "bad" choices is just as useful as finding the "right" choice! Thanks!

Hopefully you're over the bad times!!!

 

[Kacey Elle]

I got my first batch of eight chicks from TSC in mid-April of 2018 and my second batch of ten from Meyer Hatchery in mid-July 2018. We rehomed the cockerel from the first batch and as far as I know, he’s getting along great and will be shown at the county fair this summer. Two of the chicks from MH were dead within days for no apparent reason. (And FYI, their customer service was amazing - and very compassionate.) My remaining fifteen are all healthy, laying, and well adjusted.

Truthfully, I don’t see a huge difference in the health or quality between the two groups. (Other than the initial deaths of the two hatchery birds.) Both groups had a couple of chicks with pasty butt, but so far I’ve been very lucky. None of the birds are show quality, except the big SLW cockerel I rehomed and the BLRW cockerel I purchased from MH (go figure, it’s always the two cockerels!). Don’t get me wrong, the faults are all minor - comb shape, foot coloring, feather patterns - nothing that effects the health of the bird.

In terms of sexing, TSC had no idea what breed, let alone what gender my chicks were! The bins were labels incorrectly and the young man who helped me, was clueless about who was which breed (as was I!). No big deal for “practice chicks,” right? The MH chicks were all correctly sexed.

I guess it depends on whether or not people want specific breeds (which I did) that don’t often show up at the feed store and whether or not people want show-quality stock for breeding. I just wanted pet quality breakfast poopers and I got that from both sources.

It sounds like we have similar goals. Show quality is unimportant for me...I want EGGS! The TSC sexing issue makes me want to avoid getting chicks from there (not hard since the closest one to me is about an hour away). Good to know that Meyer worked well for you! Thanks!

 

[Kacey Elle]

Hatcheries will throw in extras to your order. This is a means to get rid of unwanted males. It doesn't matter how accurate they are sexing if they toss some in anyway. You must tell them specifically you don't want "extras".

The hatchery that is closest to you is your best bet for shipping birds. Even better is to go to your local farm store and pick out healthy chicks. Excepting TSC which has a long history of mixing bins, mislabeling and the like resulting in high rate of cockerels in peoples layer chicks feed stores are an excellent place to get your birds. You see the healthy bird and drive it home in short time.

If you talk to a manager at your local feed store they will tack on your order, so if you're looking for many breeds you can special order them when the feed store places it's order. Save on shipping and won't get the extra cockerels thrown in that way. Now is the time to chat with local feed store for spring orders. They will use a hatchery close to you and simply add your order to theirs.

Thanks for the info. I really don't want males, even if they are "extra" because I'll have to find a way to get rid of them. I'll be ordering at least 20 chicks so shouldn't need any extras for warmth.

Unfortunately, I don't really have a local farm store. Living in suburbia/a city means I'm lucky to get feed, sometimes. I get jealous of all the posters who say they direct order from local mills. LOL

Hi! This is my first year with chickens.. I didn’t really know which breeds I wanted as I was new to this but I did know that I wanted ALL different breeds as to be able to tell them apart.. I picked up 4 sexed pullets from TSC and they were 4 different breeds.. all were sexed correctly. I picked 2 more different breeds up from a feed store near me that were NOT sexed but both were pullets! Picked up 2 more different breeds from another feed store that were not sexed but both were pullets again... all were very healthy and all are still doing great as of now! All are friendly and laying eggs regularly. I want 5 more specific breeds so I may have to order from a hatchery. I met someone on here that breeds for SOP and she is near me.. I really want one or two of hers as I would love to see the difference in hatchery vs breeder quality!

I'm like you--I like a mixed flock so I know which bird is which! Wish I had breeders nearby....

 

[RodNTN]

MyPetChicken, every time! They have never incorrectly sexed one chick I've ordered, plus they arrive in great condition! They even offer to place heat packs in the shipping box if it is cold. The staff really do go the extra mile to help. The terrific website is just a bonus!

 

[SueT]

Cackle is the only one on your list that I've bought from, and I chose them because they are within driving distance. I would always recommend you find chicks as close to locally as you can. Every added day of shipping increases the risk.

 

[Folly's place]

I've had wonderful success from Cackle, several different years. All chicks arrived healthy, extra chicks were additions to breeds and sexes that were in the order, a bonus. I've also had good results from MMcM several times. Our one Meyers order had 10% losses within the first week, our worst experience ever! I think shipping stress must have been worse that year for that group of chicks.
Our local feed stores buy from Townline, and those chicks have been fine, although more straight run than the advertised pullets only. Sorting at the feed stores is always an issue!
I don't think that there are actually problems with many of the big hatcheries, it can be more about shipping stress, and sometimes home management.
Longevity is a totally separate issue with birds from anywhere, because of genetics and breeding practices, which do not favor long lived chickens. Breeders use birds who are one or at most two years of age (and that's less common), so those hens and roosters who remain productive and fertile for years aren't identified or favored in breeding pens.
Some few of us value older birds, but it's not the most economical breeding plan, so not done often, even by home breeders.
I talked to a fancier/ breeder of Cubalaya, who said he had birds into their teens!
My oldest hens have been nine or ten years old; Belgian d'Uccles, and very small Jersey Giants, from MMcM.
Managing diet, parasites, and avoiding predators, are much more involved in having any birds live to be old! Many hens are dying due to reproductive issues by three of four years of age.
Mary

 

[Kacey Elle]

MyPetChicken, every time! They have never incorrectly sexed one chick I've ordered, plus they arrive in great condition! They even offer to place heat packs in the shipping box if it is cold. The staff really do go the extra mile to help. The terrific website is just a bonus!

Okay, it's official. I'm adding MyPetChicken to the poll.

Cackle is the only one on your list that I've bought from, and I chose them because they are within driving distance. I would always recommend you find chicks as close to locally as you can. Every added day of shipping increases the risk.

The problem for me is that none are very close....I found California Hatchery but the website looked super sketchy and there is no physical location so I'm pretty sure that it is a middleman.

I've had wonderful success from Cackle, several different years. All chicks arrived healthy, extra chicks were additions to breeds and sexes that were in the order, a bonus. I've also had good results from MMcM several times. Our one Meyers order had 10% losses within the first week, our worst experience ever! I think shipping stress must have been worse that year for that group of chicks.
Our local feed stores buy from Townline, and those chicks have been fine, although more straight run than the advertised pullets only. Sorting at the feed stores is always an issue!
I don't think that there are actually problems with many of the big hatcheries, it can be more about shipping stress, and sometimes home management.
Longevity is a totally separate issue with birds from anywhere, because of genetics and breeding practices, which do not favor long lived chickens. Breeders use birds who are one or at most two years of age (and that's less common), so those hens and roosters who remain productive and fertile for years aren't identified or favored in breeding pens.
Some few of us value older birds, but it's not the most economical breeding plan, so not done often, even by home breeders.
I talked to a fancier/ breeder of Cubalaya, who said he had birds into their teens!
My oldest hens have been nine or ten years old; Belgian d'Uccles, and very small Jersey Giants, from MMcM.
Managing diet, parasites, and avoiding predators, are much more involved in having any birds live to be old! Many hens are dying due to reproductive issues by three of four years of age.
Mary

Aww, man. Maybe that's why I'm having trouble getting information on long-term health? My girls have value for me as gardener helpers even when laying slows down and, of course, they have entertainment/pet value. Mine are somewhere in the gray area between livestock and pets. I wouldn't cry if one died but I'd be sad....Don't know if that sounds heartless.

Shipping stress makes me nervous.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Okay, it's official. I'm adding MyPetChicken to the poll.



The problem for me is that none are very close....I found California Hatchery but the website looked super sketchy and there is no physical location so I'm pretty sure that it is a middleman.



Aww, man. Maybe that's why I'm having trouble getting information on long-term health? My girls have value for me as gardener helpers even when laying slows down and, of course, they have entertainment/pet value. Mine are somewhere in the gray area between livestock and pets. I wouldn't cry if one died but I'd be sad....Don't know if that sounds heartless.

Shipping stress makes me nervous.

Mine fall in the same gray area, not necessarily food, but occasionally an extra rooster gets eaten.

Longevity for me has ranged. Most live 4-8 years, some shorter, some longer.

Last fall I finally lost the remaining buff Orpington hen from my original MPC order in 2008. I very seldom lose birds under a year. Occasionally a 1-2 year old bird will just die one day, not sure why but it doesn't happen often.

In my experiences higher production sex links live shorter lives on average. Many heritage breeds live longer.

 

[Kessel23]

I ordered from McMurray my whole life. The birds are healthy but they have messed up so many times with sexing. Also they have sent me unwanted roosters without asking.

Over half of these pullets ended up being cockerels. They do refund if their sexing is under 90% but still, biggggg waste of time and food raising him so many skinny and worthless cockerels this summer. And they just refund with a discount on your next order so I did not actually get any money back, I don't think I want another order either.

I tried to order from Stromberg's hatchery once, never got my birds. We called multiple times and were told "the hens haven't started laying yet" funny that they were saying this all the way up into August when we are talking about Peafowl. Ended up being refunded with actual money this time. Not planning on ordering from any hatchery again in the near future. All of this combined with the PO just makes for a big stressful mess.