Hatchery Poll

[Lacy Duckwing]

A lot of my chickens are from MT. Healthy Hatchery, and they have done very well. I've never tried Murray McMurray Hatchery, but they are a leading hatchery, and I have heard good of Cackle. I have also wanted to order from them, but I would probably have a hard time figuring out which chickens to buy because I love them all and would buy too many.

 

[CannedMonster]

I got my Naked Necks and a couple of bantams from TSC.
My local TS gets their chicks from Hoover Hatchery.
Out of 6 straight run NN I got 3 males and 3 females.
One female died at 4 weeks due to some internal problem.
The bantams were both males and both have died.
One at 7 months and one at 9 months.

I also ordered 13 chicks from Meyer in July of 2018.
I’m extremely pleased with the quality of their birds!
I didn’t receive any “extras” and didn’t ask not to get any.
I paid for Mareks vaccinations on them.
One Partridge Rock died at 2 weeks; she had some sort of crop problem.
Also, of the 3 Black Australorps I ordered, one turned out to be a cockerel.

He is very sweet and beautiful with a great crow (not too loud) and not an aggressive bone in his body.
One Black Australorp is actually a Jersey Giant!
She has bright mustard yellow on the bottom of her feet.
I’m not mad but very puzzled as to how that could happen at a legit hatchery.
I would think the two breeds would be kept quite separate and labeled.

My girls have started laying in recent weeks and they are doing very well.
I would order from Meyer again just based on the health and quality of these “hatchery quality” chickens.

I live in Idaho and there is a hatchery here. It’s called Dunlap.
I haven’t gotten any chicks from them but I mention them because they might be a consideration for California.

 

[Folly's place]

I'm amazed that there aren't more errors in shipped chick orders from the big hatcheries. They are shuffling thousands of chicks per day sometimes! I've twice had the wrong birds sent; years ago, bantam Brahmas rather than standards, and last year, the wrong colored Wyandottes. Both times the hatcheries involved more than made up for the mistake, and shipped more than the originally ordered chicks at no charge. And both times, the 'whoops' chicks were delightful!
Mary

 

[Kacey Elle]

I have also wanted to order from them, but I would probably have a hard time figuring out which chickens to buy because I love them all and would buy too many.

Same! The nice thing is that our school flock rotates out every year so I've gotten to play around with breeds a lot. This makes it so I can tell which are my "favorites" without actually committing to them myself. Personally, my home flock of four is colorful, I get consistent eggs, and their personalities are adorable! I don't think my personal flock would be that great without getting to test out many breeds at the school flock.

I got my Naked Necks and a couple of bantams from TSC.
My local TS gets their chicks from Hoover Hatchery.
Out of 6 straight run NN I got 3 males and 3 females.
One female died at 4 weeks due to some internal problem.
The bantams were both males and both have died.
One at 7 months and one at 9 months.

I also ordered 13 chicks from Meyer in July of 2018.
I’m extremely pleased with the quality of their birds!
I didn’t receive any “extras” and didn’t ask not to get any.
I paid for Mareks vaccinations on them.
One Partridge Rock died at 2 weeks; she had some sort of crop problem.
Also, of the 3 Black Australorps I ordered, one turned out to be a cockerel.

He is very sweet and beautiful with a great crow (not too loud) and not an aggressive bone in his body.
One Black Australorp is actually a Jersey Giant!
She has bright mustard yellow on the bottom of her feet.
I’m not mad but very puzzled as to how that could happen at a legit hatchery.
I would think the two breeds would be kept quite separate and labeled.

My girls have started laying in recent weeks and they are doing very well.
I would order from Meyer again just based on the health and quality of these “hatchery quality” chickens.

I live in Idaho and there is a hatchery here. It’s called Dunlap.
I haven’t gotten any chicks from them but I mention them because they might be a consideration for California.

Thanks! I hadn't even considered finding more hatcheries. But one message does seem to be that the closer the hatchery is, the less shipping stress. I'll look into Dunlap.

I'm scared of exactly what you post about: having chicks for weeks (or even months) and then having them die. Since this is for a school flock, I think it would be disheartening for the kids if "their" chicken (we assign kids to care for various chickens so they learn responsibility) suddenly dropped dead. These aren't farm kids--we had one pullet die on day one last year and kids were crying....

I'm amazed that there aren't more errors in shipped chick orders from the big hatcheries. They are shuffling thousands of chicks per day sometimes! I've twice had the wrong birds sent; years ago, bantam Brahmas rather than standards, and last year, the wrong colored Wyandottes. Both times the hatcheries involved more than made up for the mistake, and shipped more than the originally ordered chicks at no charge. And both times, the 'whoops' chicks were delightful!
Mary

Can I ask which hatcheries those were? Are any of them listed in this poll?

 

[ejtrout31]

i have had succes with all of them

 

[Acre4Me]

Now you know why it's so frustrating when people say, "Just go to your feed store!" Chickens supposedly are getting very popular in my area but it's still difficult to find feed and chicks/chickens! When I'm on this site reading about people with nearby mills or TSCs I am soooo jealous.

And now I know why I have quite a choice in my area. Hadn't really thought about it until now. I've lived in several states, and different homes from urban, suburban, and now "rural" (just outside a smaller city) where I can have chickens.

Even though I might just end up going through one of the big hatcheries, I did find two from the link you shared that might be close enough to visit (they both offer classes on chickens and gardening). Thanks again!

You're welcome. Glad to hear that you have a few options close enough to visit with personal interest classes. Since you are buying for a school, buying from a larger hatchery makes sense. All hatcheries offer an "express" shipping option. While that does add to the overall cost, is this something your school would approve? That way, you can have a guaranteed date of delivery, which is expedited.

I've got an order placed for a variety of straight run chickens, expected in the spring. We are still trying out different breeds. Due to my previous experience of dead chicks, I did pay for their express option, which was 3x the regular shipping cost. However, I would rather get live chicks than dead or weak. These are coming from a smaller hatchery a few states to my west. But, I couldn't resist buying a few more from the closer hatchery to me (Eagle Nest Poultry in Oceola, OH), which is relatively drivable. My tween and I really have enjoyed the Black Jersey Giants and the EEs from there, and she would like some "young egg layers" to show through 4-H for the county fair. The only young (hatched after Aug 1) pullets that we have are a mis-matched pair, and the egg-layers are supposed to be a matched pair. But, in order for them to be at egg laying age means we have to get them as chicks mid-late Feb/early March. That's our excuse anyway, justifying our desire for MORE CHICKS!! (aka "Chicken Math").

 

[Curnow]

I have only used Cackle Hatchery in Lebanon, Mo. I have purchased both chicks for layers and meat birds. My first chickens were from Cackle and all were healthy and many still lively and laying well at several years old. I like that Cackle's site is super easy to navigate. Gives clear description of the breed and superb pictures of chicks, adult birds, and submission photos of their stock. I had many questions before my first ever order and they were very willing to help me by phone beforehand.
Other purchased chicks I have had were from local Orscheln store bins. I believe they were from Estes. Last spring I purchased 10 Easter Eggers there. All were healthy, strong, and are laying beautiful blue and green eggs now. If I were to purchase hatchery chicks again, it would be from Cackle Hatchery.

 

[Curnow]

Also, you may want to consider the distance of the hatchery from you. I remember reading about purchasing hatching eggs, and one of he tips was to purchase close to your location if possible. It makes sense then that the same may be true for chicks. Less travel time and possibility for rough handling while en route the closer they are!

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I'm amazed that there aren't more errors in shipped chick orders from the big hatcheries. They are shuffling thousands of chicks per day sometimes! I've twice had the wrong birds sent; years ago, bantam Brahmas rather than standards, and last year, the wrong colored Wyandottes. Both times the hatcheries involved more than made up for the mistake, and shipped more than the originally ordered chicks at no charge. And both times, the 'whoops' chicks were delightful!
Mary

I've got a Buff Bramha instead of a Americana and a Black Jersey Giant instead of an Australorp. I have enjoyed both mess ups, though, so I must agree!

 

[Folly's place]

I recommend both hatcheries who sent the wrong chicks to me, because they were so good at rectifying their mistake, and all the birds were lovely. MMcM, and Cackle. I like them both! Cackle has the white Chanteclers that appeal to me, and I love their bantam EEs.
Mary